BY TYRONE S REID Observer staff writer
Sunday, January 07, 2007

Cutie & the Freak (Jambiz Productions) Director: Trevor NairneCast: Oliver Samuels,
Glen Campbell, Camille Davis Venue: Centerstage Theatre

TWho would have guessed that a Jamaican spoof of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale would turn out to be such a funny piece of work? But leave it to Patrick Brown to reimagine such a famous story and pull it off with visual wit and elan, that is testament to his skill, experience and ambition.

Just one problem: the very few musical numbers scattered throughout the show add nothing to the presentation. Thankfully, the very large comedic element more than gets the job done.
Cutie (Camille Davis) is a 21-year-old university student who longs for romantic freedom, but her dad, Tiny Adams (Oliver Samuels) is an overprotective father, who is seemingly allergic to proper Standard English and is treated as a gofer by his rarely visible wife "Victhoria" (Belinda Reid). His constant bitter verbal exchanges with the fiery housekeeper, Munchie (Sharee MacDonald-Russell) elicits the big laughs. On the other hand, Frank the Freak (Courtney Wilson) is an outcast of society (due to his repulsive physical appearance), who is sent an imaginary friend, Ben (Glen Campbell) who, instead of

encouraging and comforting Frank, mostly depresses him - describing him at one point as the visual embodiment of "labour pains".
As a revenge tactic to drive her controlling father over the edge, Cutie befriends Frank, but ends up falling for him - for real! What plays out is a very funny piece of theatre that tackles family relationships and love, with the premise that people are oftentimes someone other than they appear to be.
Samuels displays comedic brilliance in the role of Tiny, moreso in scenes where he tries to convince his daughter to stop seeing Frank - who he refers to as "King Kong cousin" and tells that "fi yuh ugliness famous".
Davis, who is rapidly gaining experience in the local theatre biz, is convincing, as is Wilson, who delivers the grunts and raspy voice needed for such a part. Campbell provides much humour in his three roles as Ben, Killer (Cutie's Rastafarian friend) and as the nerdy Brother Ezekiel, who Tiny tries to use as competition for Frank. McDonald-Russell's turn as the loud-mouthed helper is okay but her comedic timing needs a little more work. The set design, costuming and lighting brings off the action onstage.
Overall, the duo of writer Patrick Brown and director Trevor Nairne has scored another hit with their tenth annual Jambiz production, but the poorly written musical numbers make no solid contribution to its success.