Carolyn Johnson, Freelance Writer

Members of the Jamaica Folk Singers perform during their 40th anniversary concert at the Little Theatre last Friday.- Photos by Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

The Jamaica Folk Singers' 40th Anniversary Concert was an entertaining trip down memory lane in which the group reminisced in the company of a capacity audience at the Little Theatre, Tom Redcam Avenue, St. Andrew, on Sunday evening.

The group relived the 'good ole days' in six scenes. The first, the elementary school days, was a lively scene made even more captivating with children.

Next was 'Pap Tory', which allowed the audience to experience life at home: flirting, tracing, sharing andgossiping in the communities along with other playful interactions. From there, things developed with courting and tender love in 'Moonshine Tonight'.

The audience was then invited to experience the excitement and gathering for harvest in 'Harvest Preparation'. Again, the stage was alive with colour as they gathered the fruits, provisions and flowers.

It was then, after all the work, that everyone got all dressed up for the 'Harvest Fair'. Here again children were a part of the action. The mix of old, young adults and children spoke to the fertility of the village, the children were amusing. One baby girl, who looked no more than two years old, walked around the stage as in her own wonderland. L'Andre, a little boy in the group, was the other hit in this scene with his rendition of the hilarious Rio Grande.

Kumina experience

But nothing could outdo the power of the Kumina experience. Here, the drummers took centre stage as the performers gathered around and danced proudly, giving thanks. The lighting, costumes, singing and choreography all worked well to create the ritual.

As always, the singing from the team was exceptional, accompanied by guitars, drums and a flute. These musicians took over from the singers at the break of each scene adding to the variety of the production. The use of colour, costume and props was appropriate for the overall theme of the concert. The people responsible for this year's concert included artistic director Christine MacDonald, who also worked with Juliet Brown on costumes; choreographer Paula Shaw and set deign by Franklyn 'Chappy' Juste.