Ras Noah (Glen Campbell), God (David French) and a 'sketel' angel (Loeri Robinson) go over the plans for the ark.

IN RAS Noah and Di Hawk, playwright Patrick Brown and director Trevor Nairne take many liberties with the famed Noah and the ark tale. The Bible story is a mere distant relative (a third cousin at least) to the tale that unfolds, often to uproarious effect at the Centrestage Theatre.

Ras Noah and Di Hawk begins during Hurricane Ivan. Butcha (Oliver Samuels) is a shopkeeper who is awaiting the return of his son Noah (Glen Campbell) from his doctoral studies in the United States. Noah's return should mean Butcha's elevation in status. His dreams are dashed when Noah returns with dreadlocks rather than a stethoscope. Noah has not simply changed faith; he has never embarked on the social status ladder of 'doctordom'.

The situation is further complicated because Noah now believes that he is the chosen one. Left at the behest of a confused 'sketel' angel who keeps getting divine messages wrong, Ras Noah and his father become the pariahs of their community.

Much of what fans of Jambiz International productions have come to expect can be found in Ras Noah and Di Hawk. At the top of the list are the satiric darts aimed at society. Like most of their Christmas shows, Ras Noah and Di Hawk takes a satiric look at much of the real world. As a result, jokes about Kingfish, Hurricane Ivan, the United States of America presidential elections, price gouging and a plethora of other issues make their appearance during the production.

IMAGINATIVE AND ENGAGING

The production also goes to great lengths to include the audience and uses the selection of the animals on the ark to get a delightful level of audience participation. The lighting and music were imaginative and engaging. However, the pre-recorded music took away from the live voice element of a musical, though the humour of most of the songs came through well.

Oliver Samuels and Glen Campbell are at the helm of the generally impressive cast and, along with Dahlia Harris, set the tone of the production. Neither Samuels nor Campbell gives the performance of a lifetime, but both are skilled enough that the result remains enjoyable and their chemistry is always engaging. Interestingly, Campbell gives a much more clearly defined performance for the few minutes that he is a gun-toting, trigger-happy security guard trying to

stop looters (and line his own pockets). Again released from the 'Oliver' pressures, Samuels gives one of his more refreshing performances in recent years.

Harris, who played 'Go-Go' and 'Cass-Cass', also performed well.

The production stretches the skills of the cast, requesting that most of them play double roles. Impressively, the younger actors, many of whom are taken from the Centrestage Theatre workshop, rose admirably to the challenge. David French was particularly good as 'Spliff', though his role as God was more questionable. This was, however, as much a result of costuming and direction as it was the young actor's skills. In this version of the story, God looks like a combination of an unimpressive Gandalf (from Lord of the Rings and Captain Caveman.

Loeri Robinson also gave a good account of herself as the angel Rachel. However, in her more extended role as Norma she fell short in delivering any nuance. Christopher Hutchinson was making his second stint in a Jambiz production, having appeared in The Last Stand. His performance in this production declares that his role as Simone was not an accidental success and so he can hold his own on the stage.

Ras Noah and Di Hawk is not one of Brown's best. It has a cohesive point of action, but its theme are less evident, in part because Ras Noah's characteristics are not clearly defined. If one is simply looking for a healthy dose of laughter, Ras Noah and Di Hawk should easily provide.