Let There Be Great Lighting: The Story of ‘Yemoja’ at the National Theatre

Some praised the ambition of the staging, while others focused on the scale of the performances and the mythological story at the heart of the play.

The production, directed by Ayodeji Omotayo Sanni, certainly provided enough material for conversation, drawing from Yoruba cosmology to explore themes of divine love, loyalty, and the fragile balance that often exists between the gods themselves.

For me, however, the most memorable aspect of the performance was something else entirely. What remained long after the curtain call was not a single dramatic exchange or even a particular moment of spectacle, but the visual atmosphere created by the lighting design. In many ways, it was the lighting that quietly carried the emotional weight of the performance, shaping how the audience experienced the world of the play.

Lighting designer Oluwafemi Adisa Shyllon approached the stage with a clear sense of how light could function as a storytelling tool. Rather than simply illuminating the performers, his design helped define the different spaces within the narrative.

The play moves between moments grounded in human emotion and those that belong fully to the realm of the divine, and Shyllon’s lighting consistently helped the audience understand when the story was crossing from one world into the other.

Scenes associated with Yemoja often appeared under cooler shades of blue and silver, tones that subtly suggested the calm depth of water and the quiet power of the river goddess herself. These choices were never heavy-handed, but they provided a visual cue that deepened the atmosphere of the stage.

By contrast, moments involving Ogun carried a warmer palette. Stronger amber tones and brighter highlights gave those scenes a firmer, more grounded presence, reflecting the intensity and strength often associated with the god of iron.

These changes in colour and intensity helped guide the audience through the emotional rhythm of the play. At times, the stage opened into soft, dreamlike washes of light that allowed the mythological elements of the story to breathe. At other moments, tighter beams and deeper shadows created tension and anticipation, drawing the audience closer to the unfolding drama.

The production’s use of pyrotechnics and special effects also added a layer to the visual storytelling. Flashes of fire and sudden bursts of brightness appeared at key moments in the narrative, reinforcing the sense that the characters on stage were not ordinary figures but powerful beings whose actions carried cosmic weight.

Importantly, these effects rarely overwhelmed the performance. Instead, they worked in harmony with Shyllon’s lighting design, giving the stage a sense of scale without sacrificing clarity.

Director Sanni seemed comfortable allowing these visual elements to take their place within the storytelling. His staging frequently created open spaces on the stage, allowing the lighting to shape the environment around the actors.

This approach gave the production several striking visual images, moments where the actors appeared almost sculptural under the lights. Sanni, who also served as the Director of Photography for the production, appears to have a strong awareness of how visual composition can strengthen a theatrical experience.

Performance-wise, the cast approached their roles with commitment and presence. Chikamma Casmia Romanus (Ogun), Eretan Blessing (Yemoja), and Desmond Jegede (Sango) delivered some of the evening’s more memorable performances, bringing a sense of emotional control and quiet intensity to the stage.

Romanus balanced the mythological scale of the story with moments of human vulnerability, allowing the audience to connect with the character beyond the spectacle of the production. For Eretan, her presence as Yemoja was convincing as the enchanting queen of the water world.

Other standouts include Dipo Arowolo, Olamuyiwa Samuel, Merit Godson, and Kassie Alade, who formed the group of dancers who punctuated the play's heavy tension.

Across the ensemble, the actors worked to maintain the ritualistic tone that often defines Yoruba-inspired theatre. Their physicality and stage discipline helped sustain the mythological atmosphere of the play, particularly in scenes where movement and gesture carried as much meaning as spoken dialogue. The performers clearly understood the symbolic nature of the world they were inhabiting, and their presence helped anchor the visual elements of the production.

Costume and set design also contributed to the overall identity of the performance. At several points, the interaction between costume textures and Shyllon’s lighting created powerful silhouettes that gave the stage the feeling of a living tableau. These images reinforced the play’s mythological dimension, turning the actors into figures that seemed to move between the worlds of legend and theatre.

Like many ambitious stage productions, there were moments where transitions between scenes could have been smoother to maintain the momentum of the narrative. Yet these were relatively small concerns within a production that often relied more on atmosphere and visual storytelling than on rapid pacing.

Ultimately, what stayed with me most strongly about this staging of Yemoja was the quiet authority of its lighting design. Through the work of Shyllon, the play became more than a retelling of a familiar mythological story. Light, shadow, and colour shaped the emotional landscape of the stage, guiding the audience through moments of calm, tension, and divine spectacle.

Under the direction of Ayodeji Omotayo Sanni, and supported by committed performances including Chikamma Casmia Romanus, Yemoja offered a reminder that in theatre the most powerful storytelling tools are not always the most obvious ones. Sometimes, the element that leaves the deepest impression is the one quietly shaping everything we see.