Sahr Nguajah Departs Fela!, Kevin Mambo Takes Over Title Role

Kevin Mambo, who has alternated the part of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti in Afrobeat musial Fela! since the show opened in October 2009, will now tackle the title role on his own. Tony-nominated Sahr Nguajah, with whom Mambo has shared the role, played his final performance on October 10. Ngaujah is slated to star in a West End run of the show, which will begin on November 6 at the National Theatre's Olivier Theatre.

Mambo has won two Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on Guiding Light. His off-Broadway credits include Ruined, Hoodoo Love, and Once Around the Sun.

Fela! explores Kuti’s controversial life as an artist, political activist and revolutionary musician as well as his pioneering blend of jazz, funk and traditional African rhythms that launched the Afrobeat community. The Broadway production opened on November 23, 2009, and received 11 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical, taking home Tonys for Bill T. Jones' choreography and for the show's sound and costume design. Fela!, which recently welcomed Grammy winner Patti LaBelle to its cast, is scheduled to run at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre through January 2, 2011.