Wednesday December 19, 2007

Glen “Titus” Campbell takes on multiple roles … again.

Audiences have now come to expect it – seeing Glen Campbell take on multiple roles in the annual Jambiz Christmas productions. Last season in CUTIE AND THE FREAK, Campbell took on all of four (4) roles and made them into four distinct and memorable characters.

At the beginning of CUTIE AND THE FREAK, we saw Campbell in a minor role – as a "maama man". He then seamlessly made the transition to play the major character Ben – the Freak”s imaginary friend. During the course of the story, Campbell pealed away the Ben character and appeared as suitors competing for Cutie’s affection. He first appeared as Killer, the tough talking Rasta man, whose role model is Bounty Killer. He later returned as the pastor’s son Ezekiel, the perfect nightmare for any young damsel.

In RIVER BOTTOM, Campbell will only be called upon to play two (2) characters. The challenge though is that one is “Mr. Chin” – who operates the community’s inevitable “chiny-shop”. His other character is “Half-Q” – the perennial drunk, and die-hard supporter of the status quo, in the hope that some benefit of the sort will accrue as a result.

Half-Q and Mr. Chin  are characters known in virtually every rural district across the length and breath of Jamaica. However Campbell takes the characters created by the playwright Patrick Brown, and adds his own inimitable style, as only Glen “Titus” Campbell can. Both portrayals are worth going miles to behold – especially Mr. Chin’s oriental accent.

The play is set in the district of River Bottom - a dirt-poor, isolated “fishering” and farming coastal community located in deep-deep rural Jamaica, where there is no running water and rural electrification has not yet ventured. Its inhabitants have not been able to keep pace with modern developments, and as such are hardly aware of what happens outside the geographical boundaries of River Bottom.

The main protagonist is Cappo (Oliver Samuels) - River Bottom’s spiritual leader, faith-healer, prophet, MP, obeahman, storm whisperer … and whatever else works. As the only one in the district with financial and other resources, Cappo reigns supreme. He is very aware of the ignorance of his people and uses it to his advantage.

But with all the money in the world Cappo is still unable to get the one thing he has had his eyes on for years – Cherrie’s one daughter Pearle (Camille Davis). His main nemesis is Quatty (Courtney Wilson / Christopher Hutchinson). Cappo “generously” helped Quatty’s father Half-Pint (Glen Campbell) to send Quatty to school overseas. We soon learn that Cappo’s generousness had rather sinister motives.

Quatty finishes school and soon decides that his mission is to lead his boyhood community from darkness into light, and to help them to unshackle themselves. But he also has something … or rather someone else on his mind – the “Pearle” of River Bottom - his childhood playmate.

Both men - Cappo and Quatty - go head to head to win the affection of Pearle. Cappo draws on what he knows best – skullduggery. Quatty however takes the high road and resolves to expose Cappo for what he is. He encounters many obstacles along the way, as the story ebbs and flows like the Caribbean Sea which washes the shores of the rural community.

The cast also includes  Belinda Reid (as Pearle’s mother Cherry) and Megan Lewis (as Mums).

The creative team comprises artistic director Trevor Nairne, in a co-directing arrangement with Patrick Brown. Also in there is multi-award winning composer Jon Williams with responsibility for creating the musical moments and Barbara McDaniel who will create the “picture” on stage through movement.

After the December 26 opening, River Bottom will play daily throughout the holiday season until January 13, 2008. Thereafter it will play Wednesdays to Fridays at 8pm and on Saturdays and Sundays at 5pm and 8pm.

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Contact: Rosemarie Williams/Lenford Salmon – 929-1280/383-1033; lenfords@gmail.com