Last weekend, Terra Kulture Arena, Victoria Island, Lagos, hosted the musical, House of Naira: A Nigerian Story, which held the audience spell-bound with its captivating theatrical resonance, brilliant acting and good storytelling.

With its rich symbolism, good music, and a cast of quality actors, the production tells a story that is provocative and redemptive.

Written by Asa’ah Samuel, directed by Tosin Adeyemi, created and produced by Kábíyèsí Studios (Kehinde Oretimehin) in collaboration with DBO Productions and OTO Entertainment Company, and music by Kehinde Oretimehin, House of Naira is a powerful new musical that explores the soul of Nigeria through a deeply symbolic family drama.

The story, which interrogates the themes of unity, power, and the cost of division, blends afrobeat, highlife, tribal percussion, choral traditions, and contemporary theatre scores. Its emotional depth, cultural richness, and moments of sheer theatrical spectacle leaves the audience glued to their seats.

The musical centres on a patriarch who, influenced by his mother’s traditional beliefs, marries four women — each from one of Nigeria’s major ethnic groups: Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and South-South.

It opens with the news of declining value of the nation’s currency, the Naira. It is also his birthday, and amid high expectation of celebration – wining and dining, gifts and all – the wives are busy asserting their positions in the marriage, and why they deserve to be treated differently, seemingly oblivious of the impact of their actions on the health and well-being of their husband.

As love turns to rivalry, the household becomes a battlefield of competing identities, grievances, and emotional warfare. The man — symbolic of Nigeria itself — appears to succumb to the weight of it all, dying amid the chaos his home has become.

But House of Naira refuses to end in tragedy. Faced with losing their shared future, the wives — once divided by language, pride, and pain — pledge to work together in tolerance, solidarity, and collective strength.

What follows is a moment of transformation. In a dramatic final act, the man is revealed to be alive — his staged death an elaborate intervention designed to jolt his wives into confronting their differences.

Starring veteran stage and screen actors – Debbie Ohiri, Oluchi Odii,  Bridget Nkem, Sharon Adaeze, Yawande Osamein, and Ralph Okoro, Their commanding performances bring authenticity, gravitas, and global relevance to a deeply local story.

With House of Naira, Oretimehin delivers a theatrical experience rooted in heritage, driven by innovation, and destined for international acclaim.  

He delivers a theatrical experience rooted in heritage, driven by innovation, and destined for international acclaim.

Elevating the show further is its extraordinary ensemble cast — international stage and screen veterans with over two decades of experience performing across Nigeria, the UK, the US, and South Africa.

“This story is Nigeria,” says Oretimehin. “It’s raw, painful, beautiful — but also resilient. It asks what happens when we finally see beyond our own tribe, our own struggle, and realie we’re stronger together. It’s not just about one nation. It’s about any society wrestling with its identity.”

Oretimehin, an acclaimed Nigerian musician, director, and composer whose works explore the intersections of culture, identity, and justice, says: “This is not just a show — it’s a movement. Investors and global partners are invited to support what promises to be a defining work of African theatre, one that bridges continents while holding a mirror to the world’s oldest conflicts — and boldest hopes.”