‘Queen of the Road’ and ‘Deception’ Well-received by Audiences in Toronto

 Neil Armstrong

From left to right: Christopher Smith, Dana Seitler, Dwayne White Jr., Rayshawn Pierre-Kerr, Rhoma Spencer, Tracey Ramsubaugh-Mannette, Stacey Sobers, Kedisha Thomas and Shakeil Jones

 

Lovers of Caribbean culture in Toronto were in for a treat over the Father’s Day weekend as two seasoned thespians and directors presented performances on stage that had their rapt attention. 

 

“Queen of the Road—The Calypso Rose Musical” written and directed by Rhoma Spencer, the 2022-2023 artist-in-residence at the Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto was presented as a free event at the 428-seat Hart House Theatre on June 17. On that same evening, Marcia Brown, founder and artistic director of Marcia Brown Productions premiered her dramedy, “Deception,” at the Jamaican Canadian Centre with two more shows the following day. Both events were well supported and the congratulations and comments continue to pour in about the shows.

 

On June 12, the Consulate General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago held a reception for the members of the Tobago Performing Arts Company who were here rehearsing for the musical. This was where some of us who could not make it to the one-night only workshop production later that week got a sneak preview of it. The reviews from those who attended the Calypso Rose musical have been stellar.

 

“Collaboration with others is the key to success in any venture. Audiences will now stand in awe of the outstanding success and the deeply felt artistic fulfilment that we have crowned the musical, ‘Queen of the Road.’ This production represents a triumph for equity, inclusiveness, mutual solidarity, and mutual respect among all communities. “It is a refusal to accept discrimination and a refusal to wallow in the pains and the victimhood of being marginalized. In one phrase, they cyaan keep we down, they cyaan hold we back,” said Michael Lashley, project manager and chef de mission of the Canadian-Caribbean Arts Network (C-CAN).

 

The presentation of “Queen of the Road—The Calypso Rose Musical” concluded Spencer’s residency at the Queer and Trans Research Lab of the Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies where she developed the musical drama over the academic year.

 

Linda McCartha Monica Sandy-Lewis, known to the world as Calypso Rose, is the “Calypso Queen Mother of the World.” The 83-year-old, Black, queer Trinidadian vocalist and composer was born in the village of Bethel, Tobago and has well over 800 music compositions under her name. The lone female in the calypso arena for some time, Calypso Rose paved the way for other female calypsonians and broke down many barriers in a mainly patriarchal space. 

 

Spencer told those gathered at the consulate that she Calypso Rose musical was to have happened in 1996, a year after she did “Bassman—The Mighty Shadow Musical.” Her plan then was to call the production about Calypso Rose, “Fire Fire,” which is from Rose’s 1966 calypso “Fire in Me Wire.”

 

“Of course, it never happened and I wasn’t able to revisit the idea of doing it again until there was this kind of revival for Calypso Rose music and all things Calypso Rose in the last ten years when it seemed she was all over Europe singing. She was literally living out of a suitcase touring the world and that was the inspiration again to revisit the idea of doing this Calypso Rose musical. And then I saw “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” and that was like, Aha, yes, I really have to get on with the job of doing the Calypso Rose musical.” 

 

In 2017, when she won The Victoire de La Musique Award in Paris (known as the French Grammy) for her album Far from Home, it  was a result of the widespread revival of her music in Europe under the world music category. Later that year she became the eldest artist ever to headline the Coachella Music Festival in California. “

 

In 2019, Spencer flew to New York to visit Calypso Rose and interviewed her for two days to write a jukebox musical on her life using her discography.

 

When Spencer returned to Toronto, she started thinking about how she could secure funding to start the writing process to make the musical happen.

 

“The more I questioned myself is the more I was coming up with no, it was not sufficient enough a Canadian story to have public funders give me money to write the story that is basically a story of a Trinidad and Tobagonian icon.  Where is the Canadian content in this? It wasn’t sufficient that I was Canadian, a Trini-Canadian.”

 

All those questions resulted in her shelving her plans because she was not sure of the path to follow.  That, however, soon changed when in 2020 a friend, Nikoli Attai, encouraged her to apply for the residency at the Queer and Trans Research Lab.

 

Attai had seen a production that Spencer did outside her house during the pandemic when there was no Pride Toronto festival, but Buddies in Bad Times Theatre had put out a call for persons to celebrate Pride in their community — on the sidewalk, veranda, wherever. 

Spencer chose to do “Queerantine,” a physical theatre piece using a particular style of theatre called viewpoints in which there is no narrative; the story was told for thirty minutes by movement only. 

 

After deciding to apply for the residency, Spencer still had doubts concerning what she would apply with and more questions arose in her head such as would they see this story as enough, in terms of its Canadian content, to say we at the Centre would want to fund this development work with you through the residency? 

 

An Aha moment came again when Spencer realized that the album that Calypso Rose won the prestigious French music award with was produced in Toronto with two of the backup singers being Judith Charles and Michelle Walker, who attended the reception. That became Spencer’s Canadian spin and so she applied and was selected out of fifty applicants. 

 

Spencer started writing the musical in October of 2022. In her proposal, she had indicated that she would be bringing in the person to play Calypso Rose from Trinidad for the project. Her plan was only to bring one person but the number grew to five and Spencer thanked Elvis Radgman, CEO of TPAC, for his vision of seeing the need for more to come from Tobago. She also thanked the Tobago House of Assembly.

 

“I said to him I am telling a Tobagonian story, this is Tobago’s shero, a Tobagonian icon and I feel that in order for me to tell the story that the Tobago Performing Arts Company should be able to collaborate on this project. And he said, by all means but not one person, it should be at least two actors and then some observers. Anyhow I ended up with four of them which I am happy for because I didn’t see, I never saw it the way he saw it and I’m really happy that he positioned it in such as way that it is right. Even in rehearsal I am realizing how much it is so right.” 

 

She also thanked the Toronto Arts Council because QTRL only had a specific amount of money to produce the workshop. This meant that with five people coming from Trinidad and Tobago to be a part of the musical, Spencer had to secure money to pay them. She applied to the Black Arts Projects Program at the Toronto Arts Council and got the exact amount that she requested. The writer and director thanked the Queer and Trans Research Lab for choosing her, especially Dana Seitler, director of the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, and Christopher Smith, research associate and QTRL program coordinator. 

Stacey Sobers, 2018 Calypso Queen, Trinidad and Tobago (in the middle) is flanked by members  of the Tobago Performing Arts Company, from left to right: Dwayne White Jr., Rayshawn Pierre-Kerr, Kedisha Thomas and Shakeil Jones

 

Rayshawn Pierre-Kerr, the artistic director of TPAC, thanked the acting consul general Tracey Ramsubagh-Mannette, and Spencer for what she calls “legacy work.”

 

 “We thank you for recognizing that Tobago needed to be part of the conversation and not just from a research premise, but you needed to have the voice, you needed to have the voices, and you needed to have the bodies and you needed to have the spirits inside of the space as we venerate a woman, a shero, an icon, a knowledge bearer, a forward thinker, a poet, a philosopher, in the person of Calypso Rose, who is still very much alive, who deserves all of her flowers, as much flowers as she can be given.” 

Pierre-Kerr noted that the Tobago Performing Arts Company is Tobago’s premier performing arts institution and her colleagues are tremendously grateful to be sharing in what will become a truly successful movement.

 

The workshop presentation featured Trinidad and Tobago 2018 Calypso Queen Stacey Sobers in the title role of Calypso Rose and members of the Tobago Performing Arts Company brought in specifically to further develop the work with Spencer. Joining the visiting cast were local artists, calypsonian King Cosmos and Michelle Walker, along with Trinidadian students at the Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance at the U of T, Aria Sharma and Vandana Maharaj. Musical Direction was by Toronto’s Calypso Performer and Musician, Roger Gibbs.

 

The play 'Deception' by Marcia Brown Productions

Photo credit: @mediabizto(Danae Peart) The cast of 'Deception' left to right: Natalie Camille (Wingie), Marcia Brown (Imogene), Naggo Morris (Bredda), Kennisha "Zill" McKenzie (Dottie/Dotlyn), and Adria Smith (Madge)

Marcia Brown Productions is celebrating 20 years of producing Canadian theatre and keeping culture alive, something that is no small feat especially when independently producing theatre productions with high quality scripting and acting on a budget. Brown has done this over that time and has reached thousands of audiences and their families. This year really would have been the 23^rd anniversary but the pandemic prevented any productions from happening over the ensuing period.

 

“Deception,” written, directed and produced by Brown follows three mature Christian women: Imogene (played by Marcia Brown), Dotlyn/Dottie (Kennisha “Zill” McKenzie) and Madge (Adria Smith) as they navigate singleness while also being active church members. Joining them on stage are actors, Bredda played by Naggo Morris and Natalie Camille as Wingie.

Imogene, Dotlyn and Madge realize that being in the church is impeding them from finding a male companion, “because let’s face it; there are no men in the church, and at their age, the chances of this becoming a reality is even more daunting — unless they are open to exploring other options such as on-line dating suggested by Madge. Imogene is not so thrilled at this idea as in her eyes it is not Christian-like to embark on the worldly path.” However, she is promptly reminded by Dotlyn and Madge that she should be more accepting of any option as she is illegal in Canada — where she has lived for 15 years — so really her only chance of ever getting a landed status is by marriage.

Unfortunately, Imogene is picked up by immigration and deported to Jamaica and must now trust her two friends to handle her affairs in Canada. This is when she learns that “friendship and trust don’t always go hand in hand.” While in Jamaica, she also has to contend with her brother, Bredda, who she left in the island to take care of her house but who, it turned out, was swindling money from her for years. He had moved into her house with the expectation that Imogene would not be returning to live in Jamaica because of her illegal status in Canada. The synopsis of the play ends with this line: “Imogene has really hit roc bottom BUT…wait for it…If God is for you WHO can be against you!!”

Brown cleverly crafts a narrative layered in various forms of deception that befall Imogene as she tries to eke out an existence — and thrive — in Canada and Jamaica. The deportation provides a pivotal moment for Imogene to quickly learn that sometimes friends and family will deceive you, even those who share the bond of walking the Christian path. The lyrics of Bob Marley’s song, “Who the Cap Fits,” come to mind — “Your worst enemy could be your best friend and your best friend your worst enemy.”  Ironically, the pace of the play gains momentum after all three women create profiles on a dating site that eventually becomes the site for catfishing and leads to the denouement.  Who gets hoodwinked is telling.

There is recovery for Imogene after hitting rock bottom and, clearly, the audience enjoyed the dialogue and unfolding of the story evidenced in the talkback throughout and thunderous applause at the end of the opening night. The play got a similar reception at both performances on June 18, Father’s Day.

Photo credit: @mediabizto(Danae Peart)  Dottie/Dotlyn, left, is confronted by Wingie and Imogene at Imogene's home in Jamaica shortly after arriving from Canada

What “Deception” reminded me of was the quote from Scottish historian Sir Walter Scott, “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” The deceivers get their comeuppance — and there are several perpetrators — and the deceived wins in the end, with vindication and even forgiveness to boot. What the dramedy also highlights is the plight of those who live precariously in Canada — those who are labeled illegal aliens as they seek a better life — and how they build community and safe spaces for themselves. Imogene survives by working multiple jobs, is the banker in a church pardner, also known as pardna, a savings scheme that originated in the Caribbean, and puts away her life savings in a Milo can because she cannot officially open a bank account. It is also an examination of friendships and familial ties and what can easily present challenges in those relationships. The characters are hilarious, relatable, and fully embody their personas. Those who were wily got their day in ‘court,’ met their waterloo, and paid the penalty, and those who were aggrieved won our empathy, sympathy, and joy.   

The set and lighting were on point and the directing made optimum use of the entire stage with actors entering and leaving scenes through doors or curtains that placed them in different scenes or homes in Canada or Jamaica. The lighting at high points of the play adds to the suspense and expectation of the moments. The production team includes Evon Buchanan who did the set construction and design, stage manager Ingrid Richardson, production manager and technical director, Yvette Martin, and Danae Peart Communications for publicity and marketing.

Photo credit: @mediabizto(Danae Peart)   Wingie and Imogene meet each other for the first time

Marcia Brown has always been a lover of theatre and its power to emote and connect with audiences. Before migrating to Canada she had the opportunity to act alongside some of the greats in Jamaica and is proud of her experiences from being a Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) awardee to Little Theatre Movement (LTM) Pantomimes and later multiple film credits. 

In Canada, she independently produced plays, which always had a slice of real life, and messaging that could resonate with family audiences. They include award- winning productions such as “Common-Law”, “Rosetta”, “I Need to Know My Father” which had a multi-year run, “Blood Ticka Dan Watah” and many more. 

Brown credits the work of the late Aston Cooke for giving her well-written scripts to reimagine in the early years and is grateful for mentors like “Caribbean King of Comedy” Oliver Samuels and the late Leonie Forbes for supporting her work and nurturing her talents. 

In reflecting on these past 20 years, Marcia says: “Time does fly when you are having fun, I looked up and twenty years of touring and staging these productions have passed.”

She, however, does not want to understate the challenges, noting that, “Being an independent producer has meant many personal sacrifices as I came out of pocket to execute the vision with little to no corporate sponsorship, just my commitment to keeping culture alive.” This year, Marcia Brown Productions welcomed corporate sponsor JN Bank onboard.

These sacrifices have paid off in many ways. Brown reflected on being able to provide annual scholarships through the Jamaica Canadian Association scholarship awards and seeing multiple actors she introduced to audiences go on to have careers in film and television. 

Photo credit: bizmediato(Danae Peart)   The three friends and church sisters, left to right: Imogene, Madge, and Dottie/Dotlyn

With the arrival of summer, there are more upcoming events that celebrate Caribbean culture in Toronto: Blocko After Dark, June 24 and Blockorama, June 25 at Wellesley Stage during Pride Toronto Festival Weekend, Durham’s Caribbean Festival, June 24, Toronto Caribbean Carnival, July 11 to August 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Unity Picnic, July 15, Emancipation Day Underground Freedom Train Ride organized by Blackhurst Cultural Centre, July 31, Island Soul at the Harbourfront Centre, August 3-7, JAMBANA One World Festival at Gage Park, Brampton, August 7, Blockobana at Stackt Market, August 6, Jerkfest Toronto, August 10-13, Rastafest, August 17-20 in Little Jamaica, Grenada Day Festival, August 26, and CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, September 6-22. There are also upcoming events to mark Jamaica’s 61^st anniversary of independence, Emancipation Day, and other festivals.