DUBLIN FRINGE 2026: Review: SOAK: THE PERFECT MAN, Project Arts Centre
Samuel Yakura and ensemble +353 present a moving, musically rich exploration of Nigerian fatherhood, grief, and emotional survival.
Content Warning: Contains references to mental health, depression, and childhood sexual abuse.
Grief is a tricky, non-linear beast. Having lost my own father nearly two years ago, I still deal with that loss every single day. Watching writer-performer Samuel Yakura and ensemble +353 navigate the painful aftermath of a parent's death felt quietly, deeply familiar. Staged in the intimate black-box setting of Project Arts Centre’s Cube for Dublin Fringe Festival, this interdisciplinary music-theatre piece sits squarely between gig and confession, proving that the weight of loss and the quiet complexity of paternal love easily cross borders and cultures.
Yakura plays Merua, a young Nigerian man attempting to embody the "perfect man." It is an intriguing vantage point rarely explored on stage: a first-born son tasked with protecting, providing, and emotionally regulating his family, leaving no room to sit with his own grief. To survive this pressure, Merua constructs a defense mechanism out of pop-culture bravado, stitching together an ideal persona from childhood heroes like Batman, Optimus Prime, and Johnny Bravo. Supported by an outstanding live band featuring musicians Osazee Aiguokhian and Michael Atunwa, the production leans closer to a narrative musical than a poetry slam, filling the space with rich, resonant sound.
Matching Yakura’s stage presence, Chisom Princess George (playing Dawa) provides a crucial anchor to the production. Beyond her impressive, soul-stirring vocal backing that elevates the live score, her versatility shines as she seamlessly channels the key women in Merua’s world. Shifting fluidly between his stubborn mother, his lighter sister Hawa, his girlfriend, and his therapist, her performance reflects back the relational mirror Merua stands before. In seeing how he interacts with each of these figures, we gain a far clearer understanding of how his protective armor dictates how he moves through the world.
Under Katie O'Halloran’s directional guidance, the production utilizes Pai Rathaya’s set design and space with remarkable intelligence. Sharp lighting design by Kevin Murphy and sound design by Adam Garrett build distinct visual and acoustic realms on stage, driving smooth shifts between childhood memories, therapy sessions, comic detours, and raw confrontation. Yakura moves across different areas of the Cube, drawing us into his private reckoning without forcing the intimacy.
Where the show wobbles slightly is in its structural cohesion. While individual scenes are deeply compelling, the show's sudden tonal shifts make it harder to trace one continuous emotional line. A clearer thread between the childhood memories, therapy, and final reconciliation would give the climax even greater force.
Still, the central message hits home. Merua’s realization that forgiveness is about perspective rather than erasure, and that one must be watered in order to water others, lands with genuine warmth. SOAK: The Perfect Man is a moving, ambitious work elevated by brilliant music and lighting, offering a vital reflection on what children inherit from the men who raised them.
SOAK: The Perfect Man runs at Project Arts Centre (The Cube) as part of Dublin Fringe Festival through 12 September 2026.
Prefer BroadwayWorld in Google Search?
Get Broadway News on WhatsApp
Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.
Love Theater in Ireland? Join The Community!
Whether you've got past experience writing about theater or just starting, the BroadwayWorld Community offers a unique opportunity to become a champion for your local arts community, helping raise awareness of local offerings and adding another local voice to the conversation at a time arts coverage is shrinking in the press across the continent. Join us and become a pivotal part of the movement that celebrates and promotes the arts in the digital age.
Learn More
|
An Evening with the Legendary Mr Pussy and Friends The Everyman (9/19-9/19) |
|
Twelve Angry Men Bord Gais Energy Theatre (2/09-2/13) |
|
Sin & Tonic The Linenhall Arts Centre (9/25-9/25) |
|
Stories from the Sea The Everyman (9/26-9/26) |
|
|
Murder Trial Tonight V - Death in the Family 3Olympia Theatre (3/08-3/08) |
|
Dracula Gaiety Theatre (11/03-11/07) |
|
Steve Steinman''s Fuel Injected Magic: 50th Anniversary Concert 3Olympia Theatre (10/20-10/20) |
|
Two MR PS In a Podcast: Live - Let That Be a Lesson Ambassador Theatre (2/27-2/27) |
|
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage Bord Gais Energy Theatre (3/02-3/13) |
|
The Other Side Of Murder Gaiety Theatre (10/13-10/17) |
Reader Reviews
To post a comment, you must register and login.