JOHNSONMichael Reckord, Contributor
ROOTS PLAYS virtually ruled the theatrical roost for the 12 to 15 years before the mid-90s. The producers and writers of this species of Jamaican-bred farce were many and well known.
They included the pioneer Ralph 'Give-the-people-what-they-want' Holness, Paul Beale, Courtney Howell, Michael Denton, Delroy Roache, Hyacinth Brown, Ruth Samuels and the prolific Balfour Anderson.
However, for various reasons, roots plays got scarce. Production costs became prohibitive, audiences became increasingly sophisticated, fashions changed, energy and talent dried up. Nowadays, only one or two roots producers still make the entertainment news.
One of them is Ginger Knight. He has survived and for the third time, his play Higglers is back (The Pantry Playhouse).
Higglers is in the roots genre not because of its subject - Informal Commercial Importers (ICIs) - though roots plays do, usually, feature 'ordinary'folk. However, really, 'roots' is a style thing.
So this play is fast-paced; the characters are painted with a broad brush. The story, not the characters, is the important component, and its incidents are hinged loosely, with only passing attention paid to logic and even probability.
The set is minimal: a few flats making up the walls, there are three or four wooden stalls and a wooden cart. From the audience Playwright/producer Knight wants more laugher than thought.
But Knight is a 'roots' man with a difference. Unlike other roots writers whose major topic is sex, Knight writes his comedy about serious topics, taking 'serious sinting mek laugh'.
For Higglers he did quite a bit of research, and it is clear that a subsidiary objective was to give us some insight into the lives of ICIs.
The higglers in this play are Tony (Volier Johnson), Girlie (Shirley Henry), Pearl (Nadine Hamilton) and Ragga (Tony Francis). Other characters are played by Charles Knight (a policeman and a thief), Ginger Knight (Trevor, a blustering gunman), Ruth Knight (Desrine) and Dean Martin (Saddam, a customs officer).
Ginger Knight and Johnson staged this production, basing the direction on Keith Noel's original work years ago. The direction, basic and uncluttered, is satisfactory for a roots production.
The cast treat us to loud, energetic, convincing acting. Opportunities to threaten - with guns, fists or acid are always seized but there are few actual violent moments.
We learn that 'higglering' can be very lucrative and about the corrupt and oppressive practices of some customs officers.
We hear how important the goods that ICIs bring in are to certain department stores. We are invited to suffer along with the higglers when the authorities or fire destroy their stalls and hamper their efforts to make a living.
The story is complex, involving a number of hostile personal relationships, drug trafficking, double crosses, romance, snobbery and forgiveness. Like writers of television soap operas, Knight often allows his characters to talk and talk about things happening off-stage/screen.
This can be annoying but those accustomed to the technique may not be bothered. They, and others who are in the mood for light entertainment, should enjoy this production.
Incidentally, the now popular practice of advertising businesses and products within a dramatic work (on television, and in films and plays) is used in this production - and blatantly.
