Laura Lindsay, Contributor
The cast of Country Duppy (front row, from left) Peter Heslop, Tulip Reid-Sutherland, Leonie Forbes and Christopher Daley. (Back row from left), stage manager, Stallin Brown, actor, Clifton Danvers and director Michael Nicholson.
THE ATMOSPHERE at the Barn Theatre was spooky as 'Country Duppy' revealed itself in an outrageously hilarious old-time Jamaican duppy story filled with laughter, dramatic lighting and outstanding acting. Country Duppy is Aston Cooke's latest play and boasts an outstanding line-up of some of the finest actors in Jamaica, led by the experienced Leonie Forbes.
Country Duppy is set in a rural district called Bamboo Belly, somewhere in Jamaica and tells the story of a village set upon by the restive spirit of a recently departed member of the community. Hell breaks loose as the villagers try to contain the duppy with the help of a traditional obeah-man. The chase and capture of the duppy develop the plot of Country Duppy as it unfolds the lives of a group of Jamaicans intertwined with strong religious beliefs superstitions and burial customs.
It is a joy to watch Leonie Forbes acting in the role of Beatrice. Her experience and expert stage craft is evident in her sound interpretation and clear deliver of this character. This queen of Jamaican theatre delights the audience with her portrayal of the strong-willed dressmaker in the village who is driven by traditional values and deep-rooted Jamaican cultural norms.
Tulip Reid and Christopher Daley are also outstanding in their portrayals of Clara and Moses respectively. Christopher Daley is a gift to local theatre and it has been a pleasure to see him mature on stage.
His Moses is very amusing and he gets a chance to develop a well-rounded character in this play. You cannot leave the theatre without taking note of Peter Heslop who is a very good character actor and he does his double duty well. Clifton Danvers plays a believable Mass Rocky.
Duppy 'tek set'
One high point of the show is the scene where the duppy 'tek set' on the house and Beatrice (Forbes), Moses (Daley) and Clara (Reid) confront it with nutmegs in their mouths in an effort to stop it from stoning the house. Instead, the duppy throw stones through unbroken windows, shifts furniture and removes needles and pins from Miss Beatrice's sewing machine.
The beautiful set for Country Duppy, designed by Eric Junior, is well executed and worked fine for the small stage at the Barn Theatre. Most of the action in Country Duppy takes place on Miss Beatrice's large country verandah well executed with intricate white lattice work stretching around the front and sides of the house. The verandah doubles as a meeting place and a work area for Miss Beatrice who is the only dressmaker in the district.
An old and obviously worked Singer sewing machine (with pedal and all) adorns one end of the verandah. Appropriate costumes were designed by Quindell Ferguson. Special mention must be made of the special effect costume seen at the end of the first act. Very good use of lighting makes Country Duppy a visual treat.
