By Yibo Koko
After four long years of dreaming, creating, refining, sacrificing, and rehearsing, we are finally ready to step onto the stage.
It is a moment of immense pride, but also one tinged with quiet sadness.
We had imagined that our first curtain call would be in Port Harcourt, the city that inspired this story, nurtured this vision, and gave birth to this extraordinary journey – THE CARDINAL!
From the creators of Séki Dance Drama
The Cardinal is not merely a theatrical production; it is a living requiem of memory, rhythm, smoke-filled dance halls, moonlit riverfront laughter, and the intoxicating nightlife that once defined the cultural heartbeat of Port Harcourt during the golden Highlife era of the late 60’s and early 70’s.
It is a grand Broadway-style musical odyssey that resurrects the spirit of a city once alive with velvet melodies, clinking glasses, swaying silhouettes, neon-lit ballrooms, and the euphonious poetry of Highlife music that echoed through the arteries of the Niger Delta.
Upon this stage shall rise once again the sonorous serenades and timeless echoes of revered musical savants and cultural icons such as Prince David Bull and the Professional Seagulls Band, Boma Bonnie, Ben Jack, Fubara Sekibo, Joe Nez, Chief Inyang Henshaw, King Sunny Brown, Jerry Demua, Easy Kabaka Brown, and above all, the immortal and momentous melodies of the great Maestro himself – Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson.
The Cardinal is a theatrical invocation of nostalgia, a celebration of identity, elegance, rhythm, resilience, and the sophisticated social tapestry that made Port Harcourt a beacon of music, hospitality, and culture.
The world premiere of The Cardinal will unfold as an exclusive World Premiere on: Friday 17th July 2026 at Terra Kulture Plot 1376, Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Followed by public performances on the: 18th & 19th July 2026.
The World Premiere will host an esteemed gathering of:
* Members of the Diplomatic Corps
* Captains of Industry
* Government Representatives
* International and Local Media
* Art Enthusiasts
* Cultural Stakeholders
* Tourism Investors
* Creative Industry Leaders
This is more than performance. It is remembrance staged as spectacle. It is history choreographed in music and movement. It is Port Harcourt singing to itself again.
Because great cities are remembered not merely for their industries, but for the stories they dared to tell.
THE CARDINAL
A Broadway-Style Musical Experience
