
Back by popular demand, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives returns to Arcola Theatre in East London for a limited run from 26 April to 31 May 2025. Directed by Femi Elufowoju jr OBE and adapted by Caine Prize-winning playwright Rotimi Babatunde, this stage production is based on Lola Shoneyin’s award-winning debut novel.
First staged to critical acclaim in 2018, the production delighted audiences with its vivid storytelling and high-energy performances. Now, Arcola Theatre and The Elufowoju jr Ensemble are bringing the hit show back to the stage, promising another “spectacular” experience filled with music, dance, and drama.
Set in contemporary Nigeria, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives follows the story of Baba Segi, a wealthy patriarch with three wives, seven children, and a seemingly stable household. When he courts Bolanle, a young university graduate, her presence unravels long-held secrets that threaten the foundation of his polygamous family. It is a tale brimming with scandal, wit, and insight into the complexities of gender, power, and tradition.
Lola Shoneyin’s bestselling novel has earned numerous accolades, including the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award and a longlisting for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2011. Shoneyin’s perceptive portrayal of the intricacies of polygamy has been compared to Big Love and The 19th Wife, offering a lens on family politics in a modern African setting.
The 2018 production was met with praise from critics. The Guardian called it “spectacular,” while The Stage hailed it as “an acutely funny piece of theatre.” WhatsOnStage praised the show as “a vibrant, musical, lyrical production,” and Theatre Box declared it “belly-achingly funny… theatre with a difference.”
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