Dr Zippy Okoth stepped into her performer role with ‘Foolish Forties’, a one-woman storytelling piece presented at the Kenya National Theatre last weekend. Humour runs through the performance with her dating life as a divorced woman in her 40s at the centre.
The show opens on a minimalist set – a sofa, an office desk, and some plants – and we come to discover her preference for functional props later.
The lights shine on Dr Zippy at the sofa, and she breaks out millennial-era dance moves to Missy Elliott’s 2001 song, ‘Get Your Freak On’.
As she explained later during our conversation, the dance was aimed at taking the audience back in time and to complement her desire for romance, a theme that drives her story. Dr Zippy is a celebrated performing artist, author, theatre arts lecturer, and filmmaker popular for her unapologetic and cheerful takes on relationships.
She steadily built her audience on Facebook with captivating tales of relationships and her life as a successful woman in her 40s.
Much of her online following, between the ages of 25 and 45, filled the auditorium for this lively show that she both scripted and directed.
Unlike her previous one-woman storytelling shows with intense themes, like ‘Stranger in My Bed’ – about domestic abuse, ‘Strange Voices’ – about divorce, and ‘Side Chick Wife’ – about cohabitation, ‘Foolish Forties’ is light and funny. As a storyteller, Dr Zippy intricately observed and packaged her dating experiences into ‘Foolish Forties’, exploring the human desire for love. The show defies societal tendency to overlook women’s accomplishments in favour of marital status and motherhood.
“I have a need to feel loved. “Despite my shortcomings in relationships, God has been gracious to me with a fulfilling job, disciplined children and good health,” she says, adding: “This is a story that resonated with a lot of single women in their 40s. Some audience members told me they were surprised that many of us deal with this. I want my stories to resonate and change perspectives.”