THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE AUTHOR of the article 'Staging history' (Sunday April 3, 2004) advises readers that the script of the LTM National Pantomime Combolo, now playing at the Little Theatre "is itself a re-make having been rewritten (by its original playwright) Barbara Gloudon." Since The Sunday Gleaner is a respected publication of record, I feel it necessary to correct this, if only so that someone researching at a later time will have the facts. As your writer has never sought my opinion as the playwright, I can only assume that she got the information through a source which also began with inaccuracy.
Combolo is not a re-write. It is a new work which could be described as a sequel to Hail Columbus to which the writer makes repeated reference, but apparently has little knowledge of. Hail Columbus was a satire on the landing of Christopher Columbus in Jamaica. It never purported to be 'accurate history'. While it did have some points of fact e.g. an eclipse which scared the devil out of the Arawaks, (this was before the Tainos designation became fashionable), it was a work of fiction, designed to entertain. So it is with Combolo. It bears no pretension to being a factual representation of the Columbus saga, so there is little point in questioning its historical accuracy.
MANY WORKS
There have been many works by various writers staged locally which have had an historical base. It would have been helpful to share such knowledge rather than stretch for a comparison or tenuous link between Combolo and some other work. As far as Combolo and Hail Columbus go, each has its own dynamics although the names of some characters are utilised in both productions because they provide occasion for comedy Bitter Cassava, Periwinkle, Don Diego Dutty Water, etc. Hail Columbus pitted the Discoverer against the Discovered. Combolo is built on the premise that somewhere in the world, there are persons who have borne the guilt of what their ancestors did and feel strongly enough about it to try to make amends. (e.g. reparation and slavery). As to the debate about Arawaks/Tainos, that has just started, so until it is resolved, I have no reservation in using 'Arawaks', the name known to most of us.
I am aware that in our theatre scene these days, broad farce is more acceptable than subtlety. Perhaps it is in that spirit that your critic proclaimed Combolo a big "yawn" when it opened. However, I am pleased to report that thousands of adults and children who have seen it since, have shared laughter and wonder, with no time to yawn. Houses have been excellent and performances continue to Sunday, May 2. Michael Lorde's outstanding set deservedly got an Actor Boy Award, as did Michael McDonald's lighting and the Cooper/Gloudon song Higher Ground. Our Spaniards, Jah-Mekyans, Arawaks (Tainos, whatever), have earned the applause accorded them at each performance, proving to me that theatre is still about imagination and the creative courage to take chances, even if the point of the exercise sometimes proves elusive to some outside looking in.
I am, etc.,
BARBARA GLOUDON
Little Theatre
Kingston 5
