Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
'Janice' (Deon Silvera) and 'Paul' (Orville Hall) get close in 'Below the Waist'.
Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer
If your main reason to go see a play is to get a bellyful of laughter, then Orville Hall's Below the Waist is just for you. Starting promptly at 8:30 p.m. last Saturday, to an almost full house, the cast of six had the audience laughing from the start.
The characters are obscure and mostly one-dimensional, frustrated or angry. There is Paul, the stereotypical Rastaman, who "burns everybody except himself" for his unemployment. But he has no issue sneaking in and out of his girlfriend Janice's house.
Janice works at a bank and is up for promotion. She is also reading for a master's degree at 'university'. Despite her seeming success, she still resides in the family home.
There is also Janice's father, trigger-happy Sergeant Livingston, who initially does not approve of his daughter's relationships.
Characters obscure
The most obscure character of the lot is Brenda, who constantly reminds everyone that she is from the inner-city. She is a cosmetologist, Janice's best friend and a tenant in the Livingston's house. The basis for her best-friend status with Janice is not established.
Also, there is Carlton the accountant, 'Brenda's boops' (voiced a member of the audience), and Rohan, Janice's gynaecologist and lover.
Below the Waist is definitely from the roots or dancehall theatre genre. It contains lewd language and jokes with some sexually explicit scenes. The story, which is as obscure as the characters, spans one year. It comprises many twists and turns, with each scene producing a new revelation. In essence it is about two women, each caught up in their individual love triangle.
At the beginning, the plot seemed to be linear in structure (that is, a plot with rising actions ending with an explosion). But as the play progressed, the plot seemed to be more mosaic in structure (that is, it goes around in a circle ending with an implosion).
The cast comprised Volier Johnson as Sergeant Livingston, Deon Silvera as Janice, Orville Hall as Paul, Abigail Grant as Brenda, Richard Stephenson as Carlton and Junior Williams as Rohan. At times, one or the other seemed to be 'tripping' over his or her lines.
The characters were written to produce laughter and generally the cast carried out their roles with efficiency. The best was Hall's attempt at purging when 'Paul' discovered that he had drank vegetable soup "spiced up with pigs' tails". On the flip side, although, producing the required laughter, Grant needs to work on her articulation. It is also not clear why her acting style (a more exaggerated style) contrasted with the other members of the cast.
Director Paul Beale's blocking (the movement and placement of characters on the stage) is commendable. He should, however, review the entrances and exits for the first set of scenes. He might also want to reconsider opening the play with a 'chillum pipe' and ending it with a gun.
Fantastic set
The set was fantastic; the majority of the stage was decorated to depict a living room/dining room area. The relevance of the room on stage right was unclear, except that it was designed for actions that reinforced laughter. The costumes were simple and appropriate.
No programme was provided and the explanation provided by a very confident box office attendant was "this is not a concert, it is a play". Will someone inform this unlearned young lady that a play bill, among other reasons, provides biographical information on the cast and crew as well as gives the audience a better understanding of the director's views?
Below the Waist is on at the recently refurbished Green Gables. Should you decide to see it, leave your children and the pious adults at home.
