Description

This contribution to the ongoing humanist and feminist debates ... is pursued ... through an anthropomorphic sleight of hand and a very skilled manipulation of plot and theme, structure and language, and a vigorous re-casting of traditional lore and wisdom in an English diction which is redolent of the indigenous South-Eastern languages of our own dear native land in particular and of African languages in general. If Ben Binebai's Beyond Nightmare reminds us of the epic dimensions of Ozidi Saga and Ozidi and other notable African classics, the control of language, both verbal and theatrical, may be regarded as going beyond his models in vigour and verve. -Professor Dapo Adelugba Beyond Nightmare shows a greater mastery of the English language, a greater mastery of the techniques of plotting and characterization. In a very memorable way, it deals with the intrigues of an ambitious woman, aiming to topple the king and take over the throne or at least have her son to rule over a province of the kingdom. The play has a gripping beginning, which derives from its effective point of attack. It has several twists well handled to create new suspense at every turn. -Professor Sam Ukala An outstanding trait of Beyond Nightmare is the language. The playwright emerges from the blues with a linguistic style that is astonishingly intense, highly poetic ... the language of the play is beautiful to behold and the words are apt and concise. It appears the playwright thinks in his native Ijaw dialect, and then writes in English. -Paul Ugor and Kingsley Odemelam, THISDAY