Duro Ladipo's revolutionary play, Oba Kò So, was first staged in 1963 at the Mbari Mayo Club in Osogbo, Nigera as part of an anniversary celebration for the opening of the city's arts centre, notably the same year that Nigeria was declared a republic.
[1] The Yoruba traditions brought to life on stage represented a new kind of energy and exhilaration that was incomparable to other theater experiences, as audience members described the music and drumming as "vigorous and rich" and the dance as "enervating".
[1][2] This play served a larger purpose that reflected the personal journey of Duro Ladipo and many others in reconciling the conflicting influences of Christianity enforced by the colonial authority as well as their ancestral roots of Yoruba traditions.
[2] In a way, Ladipo included his actors, dancers, musicians, and singer in the opportunity to rewrite the history of Yoruba culture as they were all at the forefront of the creation process, contributing their personal experiences as content for the characters of the play.
For example, The Opera features multiple Igunnu performing, they seem to be a "deity of fertility and good health, who always brings rain, dissipates epidemics and quells anti-social behavior" (Kinni-Olusanyin 33).
In addition, musical elements within the opera such as "The bembe drummers flank the mask and, utilizing drum language, direct and critique Igunnu and the others in the prevention of precarious actions, such as going astray or falling" (Kinni-Olusanyin 35).
This point is further emphasized in the recorded version of the opera performed by the National Theatre of Nigeria, where one of the Igunnu bowed to King Shango upon his entrance on stage [3:37].