Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Karl Williams (left), formerly of the University Dramatic Arts Society, teams up with Maylynne Walton for an engaging excerpt from the Tennessee Williams classic 'The Glass Menagerie' at Tuesday's Lymelight 2006 produced by the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, University of the West Indies. - FILE
LYMELIGHT 2006, produced by the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts (PSCCA), University of the West Indies, and staged in its theatre, presented quite a few aural and visual pleasures on Tuesday night.
Lymelight has become an annual fund-raising event for the PSCCA, and though with the medium-size audience which turned out to Tuesday night's show one wonders how much funds were raised, the night certainly had much talent to offer.
Most of the talent on display came from the societies associated with the centre: The University Dance Society (UDS), Camera Club, University Dramatic Arts Society (UDAS), University Singers, Panoridim Steel Orchestra and University Chorale. The mix allowed for a blending of the arts so that Lymelight offered up both the performing arts through music, dance and drama, as well as the visual arts through photography.
GREAT PERFORMANCE
The University Singers delivered a delightfully varied performance through two medleys. The singers first engineered a rollicking fun trip through disco land with the likes of Love Train and Ain't No Stopping Us Now. The group then switched tracks and slowed down the journey slightly with hits from Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.
Without missing a beat or a step, they then switched to tracks from dancehall in a well choreographed and well-sung performance. At the end, they easily earned the 'thunderclap' they had just sung of as the audience showed their appreciation.
Panoridim was in charge of setting the mood for the lyme before the show started and during the intermission, which is the signature element of Lymelight - an intermission where the entertainment keeps flowing.
The University Chorale offered up two servings of gospel music while UDAS brought a taste of political poetry with the dub piece Peace Cry performed by Yuri Stewart and the UDS proffered a touch of dancehall. An interesting array of black and white photography from the current crop of photographers in the Camera Club was also added to the night.
There were also performances by ex-members of the societies. Karl Williams, formerly of UDAS, teamed up with Maylynne Walton for an engaging excerpt from the Tennessee Williams classic The Glass Menagerie. The excerpt gave both actors characters they could happily sink their teeth into, and neither of them choked.
DELIGHTFUL PIECE OF THEATRE
Dancer and choreographer Neila Ebanks, formerly of the UDS, graced the stage with her thoughtful and intriguing piece 'Of attachment and unravelling freedumb ..." The solo explores the confines of relationship and moves between being occasionally whimsical, witty and poignant.
Ruff Draft Productions, also expatriates of the UDAS, added to the night with the monologue Me and My Six Men, a woman's journey through sexual awareness. It was a delightful piece of theatre which touched on issues of female sexuality and managed to be frank and witty without being crude. Moore's unaffected performance quite titillated the audience.
The night also featured a sizzling duet by Kathy Brown on keyboard and Djeanne Greaves on congos. The two have amazing musical chemistry which easily ignites an audience as their talents blaze forth. Leighton Rodney, on keyboard, delivered an impressive version of Changes. The Ratio band gave an ear-opening performance with Arise which suggested that there can be such a thing as a rock violin.
The night had begun with the dance 'The Quest', and ended with a short, engaging performance by Noddy Virtue.
