The Revenge of King Jab-Jab, Play Mas With Shakespeare!

February was a very busy month so for a creative caught in a pandemic, I’m very grateful for that! The month kicked off with the opening performances of Brown Cotton Outreach’s staging of the political satire ‘The Revenge of King Jab-Jab, Play Mas With Shakespeare’ at the Little Carib Theatre on the first weekend in February. Now, I was brought into the process late as a replacement for another actor who was unable to do the show and I had reservations knowing my tendency to over-commit. I received a phone call from Ellen O’Malley Camps and as anyone who ever received a call from Ellen knows, you don’t say ‘no’ to Ellen. I do think she was euphemistic in her description of what was required of me lol, perhaps so as not to scare me away. By the time I was in rehearsals dancing and attempting to sing, it was too late. I was a part of this production and had to deliver as best as I could.

As a newcomer, I was happy to have a couple familiar faces in the cast and team, and was ecstatic to work with Ellen again because she is such a giant tower of knowledge of theatre and the human condition. I couldn’t shake the feeling of not being fully prepared for my part as the Pierrot Grenade (a role previously played by my mentor Raymond Choo Kong many moons ago so… you know, no pressure lol.) Honestly, it is perhaps the least prepared I have ever been for a part which made me feel guilty but I accept that in life, sometimes we are carried to where we have to be and just have to accept our fate during the ride. It was my first time doing Carnival theatre as a traditional character so I loved the costume and makeup! I particularly loved that I was learning things about myself as a person as well as an actor.

Show nights finally came and I was genuinely nervous for the first time in a long time. The Saturday was better for me performance-wise than the Sunday which ended up being a showcase for my voice limitations. With more than a year since I have been on stage or worked on my voice, it was little surprise that it got the better of me with such a short prep time, but I am aware of the work that has to be done so I am fighting the urge to crucify myself for a poor showing in that regard. The biting satire of the show is really the highlight and if you are a fan of vintage calypso, it is a treat. We will be performing again in March for International Women’s Day in case you missed us the first time. See the Loop story here: https://www.looptt.com/content/revenge-king-jab-jab-heads-little-carib-theatre