Psychiatrist Dr Winston Delahaye plays the conga drums at Powerful Women and Men Perform for Charity at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Sunday. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

The National Indoor Sports Centre was crammed from the floor to the stands and, at times, the stage also full of performers (especially wondrously so for the ladies of FUSE who showed many a glorious glam and glute as they gambolled and glided in dance) on Sunday night.

Apparently, many a heart was also overflowing as powerful men and women performed for charity, the Mustard Seed Communities, for the ninth time. The event fused song, dance, drama, fashion and especially humour, the costumes of many performers (Cordel Green's comical conical hat included) adding to the laughs.

It was the last performance that carried the evening at an event where mainly persons outstanding in various fields, far removed from entertainment, let it all (or at least some) hang out in public and for the posterity of the camera. (Where else would one see a former Public Defender, Howard Hamilton, do the 'Bogle' and 'Nuh Linga', famed dignity well intact?)

Naturally, then, the audience's expectations were that of seeing professionals perform, rather than professional performers, and they got their money's worth. In fact, they may have got more than their money's worth, because what should have been the closing surge in the second segment of a number of tributes to standout entertainers flagged somewhat, although the applause was still there.

It took an injection of rotund rotations from a trio of ladies, including Glynnis Salmon and Aloun Assamba, who were literally 'Big on Dub' as they danced to the Heptones' Fatty Fatty, to tip the scales in favour of whoops and hollers again. And the audience was rapt as Charmaine Limonius wrapped her voice around Cynthia Schloss' songs, including Love Forever.

In good nick

Norma Brown-Bell was an excellent host and In2Nation Band in good nick, especially considering the variety of music and performers they played for.

Some of the powerful men and women who opted for straight up song instead of snickers surprised and impressed with their delivery, Dwight Moore looking In Your Eyes and Wayne Lawrence's deep voice rolling out Can You Stop The Rain to very good effect. Roy Anderson was cool in black, one hand in pocket, Always and Forever among his selection of love songs that hit home.

Glynne Manley settled the audience back into their seats and concert mood post-intermission with a classical style a'capella Swing Low (Sweet Chariot).

And the audience was forgiving, too, as a throaty Ali McNab rasped through a Freddie McGregor suite and missed the music a tad on Wait For You but recovered his balance well enough to stay on the ball.

But from the waggling of tights-clad legs by the Doquette Divas (Jennifer Mamby-Alexander and Jacinth Wright) near the end of the opening dance 'Simply The Best' through to the 'Ole Time Tea Meeting', filled with malapropisms, and Lyle Armstrong's 'House of Law', humour rocked the "audient". Included in the laughs which took the house down were Cordel Green and Lloyd B Smith's Hocus and Pocus, who reported in their news segment that the anti-gay coalition is complaining there are too many by-elections in Jamaica. "The coalition say they see no difference between bi and gay," they said, sending another peal of laughter to the rafters.

Michael Abrahams (one of a few performers to come onstage more than once) said the women want to feel "Obama stimulus package". Fallen Stars was a take-off of Digicel Rising Stars, where the absolute best of the worst performed and Blossom O'Meally-Nelson's broadcast from 'Claat 69 FM' was an absolute riot.

Laughing money

Blossom O'Mealy Nelson impersonating a radio disc jockey.

O'Meally-Nelson took on 'currency affairs', speculating about more money banknotes being printed with the images of various prime ministers. So someone could go to Coronation Market and ask "how much fi deh breadfruit deh?". The answer would be "tree Bruce!" And a fashionable jeans in a store downtown would be "20,000 Portia!".

The audience gave O'Meally-Nelson a warm greeting before she started, indicating their anticipation, as they did for Carol Francis and her 'dancehall Progression'. Her welcome was also justified, as Francis was a ball of energy in dropping dancehall moves from the early 1990s to present, in tandem with a quartet of lither, younger ladies.

There was a welcome surprise as Clyde McKenzie turned Terror Fabulous (dropping a nifty leg in the process) and a jolly Nadine Sutherland came out to do Action with him. Maurice Henry and Mary Isaacs did not quite gel as they strolled down "lovers' lane".

Athletic frames were paired to display fashion, Kathy Rattray and Ali McNab taking to the runway first and Grace Jackson accompanied by Nehemiah Perry and Aaron Lawrence.

The second segment of Powerful Men and Women Perform for Charity was laden with musical tributes, which did not end up in the run of musical mayhem that was probably anticipated as the standard of the impersonations was inconsistent. Roy Anderson and Robbie Robinson went over well as the Blues Busters, the audience whooping for Behold, but the I-Threes (Jacqueline daCosta, Angela Patterson and Donette Bailey Smith) had some vocal missteps on Stepping Out of Babylon. The Alton Ellis tribute was rescued by the harmonies on the closing Muriel. The Heptones (Dennis Brooks, Mario Guthrie, Emerson Henry) relied mostly on the strength of the songs.

The Paragons (Linroy Edwards, Andrew Lawrence, Dimario McDowell and Michael Powell) had fun wearing their partners, the National Geriatrics Dance Troupe, to the ball.

The performances on an entertaining night for a cause ended with the second instrumental, after Winston de la Haye's decent work on the congas in the first segment. Celia Christie-Samuels (clarinet), Julie Meeks-Gardner (saxophone) and Joe Williams (clarinet) combined for a delightful Skamania, Sammy Dead and Amen among their selections.

Clyde McKenzie and Nadine Sutherland sing 'Action' at Powerful Women and Men Perform for Chairty at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Sunday. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer