French comedy gets a Kenyan twist in 'The Maid, The Mboch The Nanny'

The Maid, The Mboch & The Nanny is a local adaptation of French playwright Marc Camoletti's classic farce and comedy, Boeing Boeing. The adaptation relocates the play from a French home in Paris to the Kilimani neighbourhood in Nairobi.

Presented by the Talanta Arts Foundation, the play was staged yesterday, on July 19, at the Ukumbi Mdogo, Kenya National Theatre. Adapted and directed by La_Stain Wawire, it changes the story from the original’s three air hostesses to three housekeepers from different affluent neighbourhoods in Nairobi.  

The play tells the story of Ben (Emperor Shaker), a charming bachelor who secretly dates three housekeepers while thinking that their different work schedules will prevent them from crossing paths. With the help of Jane, also known as The Mboch, (Audrey Makokha), his housekeeper, he keeps an elaborate web of lies until the three housekeepers coincidentally visit him on the same day.  

Produced by Tom Freeman, the adaptation features the characters Bernard, also known as Emperor Shaker; Gloria Atis, also known as The Maid (Sheila Otieno), adapted from Gloria in the original play; Jane, also known as The Mboch (Audrey Makokha), adapted from Bertha; Kanana, also known as The Nanny (Wangari Muhuti), adapted from Gretchen; and Jacob (Mohammed Kwatemba), adapted from Robert.

Muhuti says playing Kanana meant going back to the original play to make it resonate with Kenyan audiences while also not changing the entire story.

She explains that Kanana is a woman who falls in love with a wealthy man who spends his time and money on her. During one of her visits to his home, she mistakes Jacob, his best friend, for another man, leading to an awkward encounter that leaves her conflicted as she develops feelings for him.

Muhuti says the adaptation gives much more visibility to domestic workers and portrays them as women with lives and aspirations.

“We wanted to bring out the idea that I'm a housekeeper, but I also want love. I want the society to see that we have romantic desires and lives. The three women find love in different, unexpected ways,” she says.

The women build friendships with one another instead of competing over one man, a decision she says depicts female solidarity.

“My character becomes friends with the other two women. They are not fighting over the man. You love who you want to love. It has an aspect of women's empowerment,” she says.

Shaker says that his character Ben appealed to him because of how relatable he is. He describes him as a mirror of many Nairobi men who are in relationships with more than one woman.

He prepared for the role by revisiting the original play, watched available performances online and read audience views. This helped him understand what made the original work and what can make the adaptation more interesting.

He adds that the production retains the spirit of Boeing Boeing while localising it with our culture through Swahili and slang, humour, and relatable social situations.

Shaker is struck by how relevant the 1960 play still is.

“It surprised me that the things happening in the play still happen in Nairobi today. You either know someone who has done them or you've seen them happen. It shows that some stories are timeless,” he says.

Adaptor and director La_Stain Wawire says the idea of replacing flight attendants with housekeepers was inspired by a real-life incident he witnessed while growing up, when a family housekeeper visited her boyfriend only to find another woman there, who happened to be a neighbouring housekeeper.

Though he retained some of Camoletti's most memorable lines, Wawire says he improved the jokes and introduced issues affecting ordinary people so that the play feels more relatable.  

“I wanted to include more of my own ideas, but Camoletti's writing is classic. The challenge was changing enough to make it my adaptation while preserving what made the original so strong,” he says.

He explains that the decision to adapt Boeing Boeing came from his admiration for Camoletti's writing, adding that you wouldn’t know that the play is nearly seven decades old since it has a timeless appeal to it.

“The play was originally written in French before being translated into English. I have always admired Marc Camoletti's style, and I felt Boeing Boeing could easily be reimagined in a local setting,” he says.