- FileA scene from this year's pantomime.
Amina Blackwood Meeks, Contributor
IN THE view of many, the entertainment industry in Jamaica is flourishing and theatre continues to be at the forefront. I do not mean to imply that entertainers and theatre practitioners are also flourishing. That is quite another story and one day soon we will talk about how people go broke, go without sleep and keep going in spite of it all just to make sure that when the rest of us feel like being entertained we have somewhere to go to. And they certainly seem to make sure of it over the Christmas season, particularly on Boxing Day.
Four plays opened on Boxing Day 2001: Basil Dawkins's 'Forbidden'; Patrick Brown's 'Oliver and the Genie'; Karl Hart's 'Ban yu Belly an Laugh' and, of course, the LTM Pantomime, 'Chicken Merry'.
Jeff Anderson Gunther, the director of 'Forbidden' describes the heightened activity in Jamaican theatre at this time as "a phenomenon" to which, in his experience, there is nothing comparable anywhere else he has been in the world. "But", he says, "It allows us to showcase what we have so I am happy for it".
Bari Johnson, actor and co-conceptualiser of Nuggets for the Needy among other things, agrees: "In a population of this size, to have theatre going all year round and then to have four plays opening on Boxing Day in Kingston alone, is a hell of a record".
The record appears to have been built on the success of the Pantomime which enjoyed a kind of monopoly on Christmas theatre since its inception. And then Ed Wallace, that brave and sometimes under-rated man of the arts stepped forward on Boxing Day in 1981 with "The Rapist" at Stage One in New Kingston, when people were afraid "of clashing with Pantomime". Even after he broke that ground it took a while before other practitioners made use of the opportunity.
Both Wallace and Keith Noel, who has also directed for Wallace, agree on some of the major factors contributing to the "phenomena" of the Boxing Day shows. Firstly, the shows benefit from the "positive attitude" we tend to have about most things during the season of goodwill. This affects the audience in their tendency to be a "little more sympathetic" to the offerings in the theatre.
Then there is the "financial high". People tend to have more to spend or not care that they are spending. In any case they appear to enjoy whatever they are spending on. This combination is likely to increase the chance of better word of mouth and if the cast and crew can keep the momentum going, then they are on to a good thing.
The good thing has been a long time in the making, long before the pantomime. It is partly rooted in the celebrations and revelry which occurred over those two days of relative "freedom" for the Ancestors during the days of slavery. But it was also affected by travelling theatre companies from Britain, which often made their stops here during the Christmas period. There are records of British companies which toured the Caribbean long before the American Revolution. All of those influences contributed to the establishment of the Ward Theatre and its subsequent role in the Christmas theatre tradition.
Easton Lee, playwright, theatre and communications specialist, now the Reverend Easton Lee and savouring it, informs me that we must also see this tradition within the context of the many Christmas variety shows which used to be held at venues such as Coke Methodist Church Hall, St. George's Hall, Ramson Hall and, of course, the Ward and the Carib cinema.
He reminds us that it would be highly unlikely not to have at least one skit included in any of these concerts and which would more often than not feature the theatrical skills of Bim and Bam, Slim and Sam and aspiring stars of screen and stage from the surrounding communities. The modern Boxing Day shows have learnt from these earlier presentations that in order to successfully benefit from "the more liberal approach to money, they must also be funny".
It is very often not funny for the performers, as much as they enjoy their work. Can you imagine rehearsing on Christmas Eve, foregoing all the partying on Christmas Day, because an audience, no matter how sympathetic, sorrel notwithstanding, expects you to deliver the goods once the curtain rises? And there you are, knowing that you have to make the sacrifice, because Aunt Etta is visiting from foreign with her two good friends who have never been to Jamaica before and she has already staked her reputation on the fact that Meryl Streep cannot hold a candle to her niece who, although she may be appearing for the first time on stage, came out of the womb in costumes for this role.
Yes, the Christmas theatre in Jamaica has produced and/or showcased some of the best talents that will ever be seen anywhere in the world. And many of them have been seen all over the world. Today, we salute them all for showing off how good we can be at our best, for their contribution to the continued development of Jamaican theatre and the maintenance of a tradition. We are most definitely grateful for the sacrifice they make for Aunt Etta and the countless visitors who look forward to what we display at this time, and the many others who live here but who just don't find the time or get a chance to visit the theatre otherwise.
Thank you Miss G and LTM family -- old and new, Karl, Basil, Centre Stage and Crew, Miss Leonie, Mass Charlie, musicians, choreographers, everybody who say it hard and dem love it but me is nat to call dem name, all the people who work unseen and all those who went before on whose shoulders we all stand. And, of course, thanks to everyone who continues to support Jamaican theatre during the season and throughout the year.
