By George Orido

A fortnight ago, Phoenix Players showed an exciting rendition of Dario Fo’s The Virtuous Burglar supported by the Italian Cultural Institute. The play marked the 400th play since Kenya’s only repertory theatre was established in 1983. The group has since staged a new play every three weeks.

The play also saw Phoenix showing on a Sunday — a rarity that saw a huge response. The Virtuous Burglar was originally written in Italian as Non Tutti I ladri Vengono and is about a burglar breaking into the home of a wealthy councillor who is embroiled in a web of marital intrigue. The play is a farce investigating the various facets of infidelity in society today.

And the cast of Matayo Mwenesi, Makamzee Mwatela, Harry Ebale, Liz Boi, Kirimi Njagi and Joseph Karie did not disappoint. The pace was gripping as the cast took the audience through the twists and turns of this rather short piece.

For the first time at Phoenix, there was no break in the show. Whilst this may have been attributed to the closure of the theatre bar, in actual fact the 40-minute piece did not warrant a break.

Dario Fo earned the Nobel Prize for Literature at the age of 71 for his contribution as writer, actor and mime artiste for over a century, despite being reviled by governments, arrested for obscenity and blasphemy.

He continues with his creative work today. Milo Ogutu assisted by Sam Soko directed The Virtuous Burglar.And as the proverbial phoenix; the theatre outfit on Professional Centre has gained momentum after the demise of James Falkland whose towering presence defined the tone, colour, depth and breadth of performances.

After fears of inevitable collapse, the theatre, under the stewardship of Milo, has risen from its ashes and the future looks promising for its patrons.

A week before, Phoenix staged a self-reflective piece on its timeline by the title Phoenix Rising.

The musical told the unwinding journey the theatre has gone through since the departure of its founder. According to the musical, there were people who even wanted to buy off the theatre facility to run a church and prayer sessions on fulltime. Phoenix has allowed independent theatre companies to stage shows at the 100-seater auditorium.

Linus Odhiambo took advantage of this novel gesture staging a one-man-play Chair, an object drama about child abuse, a fortnight ago. Another group, the Friends Ensemble, an offshoot of The Friends of Theatre, will be staging the play Where Is the Bride at the venue from October 8 to 11.