Ben Okafor plays Jesus in King Of Fools

BIRMINGHAM-based reggae singer/songwriter Ben Okafor played the role of Jesus in the highly acclaimed and controversial Passion play King Of Fools over the Easter weekend. Ben, taking on the role for the second time, came to the UK in 1979 after surviving the bloody conflict of the Nigeria-Biafra War of 1967-70, in which he fought as a boy soldier. The two-hour drama was produced by Passion Pit Theatre and written and directed by playwright Justin Butcher. It was performed at Halesworth, London and Cambridge.
When King Of Fools was performed in 1995 at Westminster Abbey, it attracted the attention of the national press for being, among other things, "shocking" and "earthy".