Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Ventriloquist Queen: A True African Queen
Her Majesty Queen Angelique-Monet of Eti-Oni
Genre: Family, Live Music
Venue: Assembly George Square
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Her Majesty Queen Angelique-Monet of Eti-Oni, Nigeria, dubbed ‘Ventriloquist Queen’ and her puppets perform an interactive family show incorporating ventriloquism, music, storytelling, and comedy. It is a celebration of her two heritages: American and African.
Review
Her Majesty Queen Angelique-Monet of Eti-Oni, Nigeria, dubbed ‘Ventriloquist Queen’ and her puppets perform an interactive family show incorporating ventriloquism, music, storytelling, and comedy. It is a celebration of her two heritages: American and African. Her Majesty’s African and American heritage. The program is peppered with American songs, African rhythms, and comedy.
The one-hour program encompasses spoken word, oral storytelling, dance, costume design, and visual images on a screen with short film snippets of African dance and animation. The music incorporates American country, jazz, and African songs.
The backdrop of the story is Oloni Palace at Eti-Oni, the oldest cocoa plantation in Nigeria. The setting is the Royal Cocoa Festival where dignitaries are welcomed. The premise of the show is that we are all going to a banquet at the festival. Her Royal Majesty welcomes us in her stunning royal robes, and invites us to join in the festivities. The interactive show features her trusty ventriloquist sidekick, Milk the Cow, a cheery cow who often performs with the children of Eti-Oni and around the world. Joining Milk is a feathered friend, Cow Duck.
Kids from the audience come on stage to take part in the action, even participating in a very funny ventriloquism bit where they become the puppets. She shares some of her special chocolates with her volunteers. There are singalongs for everyone, ranging from Bob Marley to simple call-and-response tunes for young children. Multiple costume changes enhance the visual presentation.
Her Royal Majesty is a performer with a big heart. She is poised, gentle with the kids, and sincere. Her strength is in the storytelling and the messages.
An overarching theme is overcoming challenges. Queen Angelique-Monet was bullied as a child and faced a learning disability. She never spoke before the age of five. But her mother taught her ventriloquism and that gave her a voice. Her first puppet ‘side kick’ was ‘Gracie the Pig,’ a foam figured pig bully used to teach youths not to bully each other. The bullies became her friends. Ventriloquism helped build her confidence and brought her into the performance realm. She says that ventriloquism gave her a voice, and music gave her heart. She encourages the kids to believe in themselves, as she learned to do.
She became a beauty Queen, Miss. Black South Carolina in America, and was in the Top 10 of the Ms Black USA pageant. She went on to make several movies. Her trip to Africa changed everything. She met and married King Oba Dokun Thompson, the Oloni of Eti-Oni, Osun State in Nigeria. It was a fairy tale that came true through a humanitarian project.
Queen Angelique-Monet is the first female African-American ventriloquist and has paved the way for many ventriloquists of colour around the world. She has been deemed a ‘Living Legend’ by one of the oldest and historic educational institutions of Historic Black Colleges & Universities in the U.S. for her ”contribution to the arts and humanitarian. The show is produced by Eti-Oni Development Group and A.F.I. World Peace Initiative. As a dedicated humanitarian, Her Royal Majesty has worked to promote cultural understanding, education, empowerment, as well as programs for children and youth globally. A percentage of ticket sales will go to local youth groups in an effort to encourage arts programs. The show is produced by Eti-Oni Development Group , A.F.I. World Peace Initiative & Visions of Peace Initiative.
My one recommendation is to shorten the show to 50 minutes for the young audience. The show is great for families with children from age 8 and up. But even “kids at heart” (adults) will enjoy her charming presentation and the engaging music. And as a bonus, everyone can meet Her Royal Majesty after the show for photos.
