Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis and Rhoma Spencer to Reunite at Nyam Comedy Show

 By Neil Armstrong

Photo contributed Writer, educator and performing artist Owen 'Blakka' Ellis

 

After an absence of about five years from the performance scene in the Greater Toronto Area, Owen 'Blakka' Ellis of the famed Bello and Blakka duo days will return to the Toronto comedy stage on July 8 at the “Nyam! Caribbean Dinner and Comedy Show” in Scarborough, hosted by the incomparable actor, director, playwright and comedian, Rhoma Spencer. Last September, he did a comedy show in Edmonton, Alberta.

 

Both Spencer and Ellis had Toronto audiences in stitches with their “Frankly Speaking” comedy shows circa 2010 and intend to recall those glory days at their upcoming show.

 

“Frankly Speaking,” which started at artist d’bi young anitafrika’s Theatre Space on Fraser Street in Toronto and then at the Todmorden Mills Theatre on Pottery Road, ran from 2009 to 2011.

 

“This reunion is special for me as I now have the opportunity to not only reunite with Blakka but to share this experience with Canadian comic favourites, Jay Martin and Crystal Ferrier from CTV’s Last Comic Standing, and the burgeoning newbie, Enoje, fresh from wowing audiences in Edmonton at the recently concluded, Francomen Comedy Show,” says Spencer.

 

Prior to the “Frankly Speaking” shows, Ellis and Spencer shared stages at the laugh festivals in Trinidad and Tobago and at the Caribbean comedy shows in Washington, D.C. in the nineties. 

 

Writer, educator and performing artist, Ellis has performed the Caribbean comedy circuit in the Caribbean, London, New York and Canada. His brand of comedy is relatable to all and audiences are assured that Blakka will never make you uncomfortable. 

“Nyam is a long -overdue comedy jam that promises a proper bellyful of Caribbean laughter and I can’t wait! I’m looking forward to the opportunity to joke, poke and provoke in collaboration with my friend, Rhoma.” 

 

Acknowledging that it will take some time to complete, Ellis has started a process of trying to phase out the moniker 'Blakka' for several reasons. “For one, I just feel personally that I have outgrown the name. Kinda just feel juvenile to me as I embrace my sense of my 63-year-old self. I'm not going to be hard and strict but going forward, I'm just going to be intentional about leading by example with the use of my government name.” 

 

Ellis has been doing comedy professionally for nearly 40 years now and his first official gig as a stand up comic was in 1985 as part of the Bello & Blakka duo.

The PhD candidate in cultural studies took a break from academia but he is now trying to return to the focus of his study, Trench Town. Ellis is documenting the history and inscribing its significance as space and place — “Trench Town as a site of exodus, exile and pilgrimage.” 

Photo credit: Jocelyn Reynolds       Actor, director, playwright and comedian Rhoma Spencer

 

Nyam! comedy show is a first for Scarborough’s Spade Bar and Lounge. “There is a perception that comedy shows only happen in various comedy clubs in the city and midtown, so coming to Scarborough is a coup d'état,” says Spencer. 

 

Organizers are leaving no stones unturned to deliver an evening of hilarity while being served a sumptuous Caribbean cuisine dinner buffet. 

Tickets for the show inclusive of dinner are available at http://Nyamcomedy.eventbrite.ca. There is also the option to pay more at the door. For further information, call 416-578-8245.