Photos by Colin Hamilto/Freelance Photographer
LEFT: A scene from Uptown Bangarang
RIGHT: Merriness and suspicion coincide in 'Uptown Bangagarang 2' .
Jenni Campbell, Managing Editor
Basil Dawkins is a brand name in local theatre. If you are looking for a great script, well-drawn characters, authentic dialogue - the total production, then a Dawkins show is one to look for. As a playwright, he has a way of outdoing himself - his dialogue is usually crisp and the storyline razor sharp.
But for every great playwright, there are those moments when some things just do not come together. Dawkins wrote and produced Uptown Bangarang last year and the pleasure of doing this remarkable work, coupled with requests from his audience, prompted him to do it all over again in Uptown Bangarang 2.
Maybe for those who saw Uptown Bangarang, the sequel is a natural follow-up. But for others who have only seen part two, something is just not quite right. It must have been hard for Dawkins to put his finger on it. If he were to look to history for help, he would find that sequels have a way of letting you down.
'Wickedest ghetto slam'
Uptown Bangarang 2 tells quite a mundane tale about a stereotypical pastor, Edgar Webster - played by theatre veteran Douglas Prout - who neglects his stereotypical gym-fit wife, Veronica, played by Maylynne Walton, for the 'wickedest ghetto slam' provided by the nimble domestic helper/his personal assistant Precious, played by Sakina.
His wayward son, Abe (Lawrence 'Max' Woodham), who is hell-bent on pursuing a dancehall music career against the wishes of his father, shares in the sexual abuse of the helper.
Not helpless in the situation, the feisty Precious provides quite a bit of humour. The plot thickens with the introduction of the wife's self-worth-deprived older sister Alma (Ruth Ho Shing) in New York. Alma is madly in love with a younger man, Bobby (Maurice Bryan), who appears to be using her for financial gains.
Dawkins' experience as a playwright is aptly demonstrated in the cleanness of the script and the beautiful interplay of rich dialogue. The interlocking of the telephone conversation in New York with the exchange in the Websters' living room worked excellently in bringing the two storylines together. If nothing else, the play must be celebrated as a fine example of well-written and well-played dialogue.
Theatre practitioners, take note.
Of course, the play is bolstered by a very creative use of space, as the versatile set facilitates the shifts from the Webster's living room to Alma's New York apartment and the private spa.
But Dawkins falls flat with weak characters. As good as the actors were - and many possess very impressive credentials - they still could not rescue the washy sketches they had to work with. Their best effort became stereotypical - nothing to write home about. Director Jeffery Anderson-Gunter, in his programme notes, tries to explain the minds of the characters on the central theme - relationships, but the director's detailed thinking was not transported through the roles. The infirmity was further evidenced by the lack of metamorphosis in the major characters.
Characters flat
Regardless of how the plot thickened and raced towards its climax, the characters remained steadfast in their flatness.
Of all the personalities only the pastor, Edgar, and the boyfriend, Bobby, experienced any change. And when they did, the reason for the change could have been easily missed. Anticlimactic.
Despite the shortcomings, the audience on Sunday evening at the Little Little Theatre, St Andrew, laughed their money's worth. Uptown Bangarang 2 is light, but bursting at the seams with humour. Prout, Sakina and Woodham provided much fun and excitement. The veteran Ho Shing also did very well. The cast must be commended for a great effort, despite the challenges.
