Father Ho Lung

Struck by tragedy almost four years ago when two trainee priests were mysteriously killed at the Missionaries of the Poor complex, downtown Kingston, Father Richard Ho Lung and Friends have been motivated to turn misfortune into a musical masterpiece, Jam Reggae Opera.

Serving a two-fold purpose of musical therapy for those involved in the tragedy and striving to teach the lesson of forgiveness, Jam Reggae Opera pairs two unlikely genres - the Jamaican originated reggae and the Italian opera. The musical will be staged at the National Arena on October 3, 10 and 11 with two shows each day. Father Ho Lung, founder of Missionaries of the Poor, said Jam Reggae Opera has been a long time in the making.

More than a year ago, Father Ho Lung, after years of producing successful plays, wanted a challenge, which came in the form of combining one of his loves, reggae music, with the classical structure of opera music. Not a trained musician, but having been 'sensitive' to music his whole life, Father Ho Lung enlisted the help of musician Winston Williams to write the musical composition for his latest work. Known for shows such as Moses and Yes! among others, Father Ho Lung said Jam Reggae Opera was a challenge on many levels compared to past works.

deep mature themes

When The Sunday Gleaner spoke with him, he explained that the play was partly inspired by the French novel, Les Misérables, which was made into a play. He said, "Les Misérables took on some serious, deep mature themes, such as the question of what is justice, what is mercy. What is forgiveness when somebody has really hated you and you turn a loving hand towards him or her?" This theme, Ho Lung feels, hits home with the deaths of Brothers Suresh Barwa and Marco Candelario Laspura in October of 2005.

It was reported that the two slain brothers were with 15 others washing dishes in the kitchen at the complex when a single bullet punched a hole into Barwa's head. The bullet went through and struck Laspura who was standing beside him. The pain from the incident is what Father Ho Lung conveys in the play.

"What do we do serving the poor in Jamaica? Do we run because two of our brothers were killed? That was a real question in the minds of all the press. But we said no. This was the time for us to show our love and so we stayed and we have increased our works," he said.

Father Ho Lung wrote the entire story, lyrics and co-wrote, with the help of Williams, the play's melodies. "The feelings come out in the play of what do you do when you know two of your brothers were murdered? What does the priest do who's in charge of them? The questions of what does it means to be faithful to vows, to commitment," he said. Father Ho Lung said the structure of the play follows classical lines of opera story telling, similar to Les Misérables, but with a lot of reggae, deejaying and rap on dancehall rhythms.

a challenge

Father Ho Lung admits it was a challenge combining reggae and opera - two seemingly conflicting genres. He recognises that this production, which features 70 persons and has no spoken lines, is more complex than any of his previous works. An admirer of musicians Buju Banton, Luciano and Bob Marley, Father Ho Lung is no stranger to reggae music, recognising its power to cleanse the soul and reflect Jamaican culture. The mix of reggae and opera is also reflected in the costumes as well, with monastery garb as well as what he calls "very Jamaican clothes".

Father Ho Lung and Friends are optimistic that like past performances, which has sold out the National Arena with persons coming from all demographics and social stratums, Jam Reggae Opera will be a crowd-pleaser. And also like previous productions, Father Ho Lung plans to carry Jam Reggae Opera across the world, to the United States and Europe, among other places.

"I think it will touch something that is very Jamaican, the struggle with poverty and justice. But it will also touch on people's lives in so far as the universal theme of learning to forgive after being so terribly hurt by others and that the only solution really is love and forgiveness. There is a therapy, or a cleansing that happens with good theatre," he said.