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Pitchy Patchy, an explosion of colourful, stylish, dance, drama and music, is back for its third annual run. Hearing the news, hundreds of fans arrived at the Courtleigh Auditorium, New Kingston, on Sunday for the revue’s gala opening.
Created by the multitalented theatre and advertising practitioner Rayon McLean, this theatrical production was born from his decision to combine his two passions. The play was first staged at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, Mona, in 2022. It will be at the current venue until November 17, when it closes with a 10 p.m. show.
McLean, the executive producer, director and chief writer of the revue, was assisted in the writing by Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis, Maya Wilkinson, Tristan Alleyne and Joleen Tomlinson. Fifteen actors, many of them celebrities, project interpretation of their lines in what McLean calls a “mix of magic and madness” from the stage.
The performers are Miss Universe Jamaica 2010 Yendi Phillipps; comedian and actor Evert ‘Evy Royal’ Johnson; actress Daindra Harrison; Miss World Caribbean 2015 and medical doctor Sannetta Myrie; actor Derrick Levy; actor, writer, director Desmond Dennis; singer Jasmine ‘Jaz Elise’ Taylor; actress and drama teacher Joylene Alexander; singer Melbourne ‘dBurnz’ Douglas; recording artiste Jodian Pantry; reggae artiste Adiel ‘King Diel’ Thomas; communication specialist Simone Clarke; recording artiste and actor Kadeem ‘Kenzic’ Wilson; teacher, dancer and choreographer Shavaughn Byndloss; and actor-musician Donald Mamby. Guiding the production in numerous ways are various executives and creative team members.
The huge cast and off-stage assistants listed in the online programme showed something that McLean emphasised in a brief, pre-show address to the audience: he didn’t do it alone.
We patrons sensed we were in for an unusual experience the minute we entered the building. Towering 10 feet above us was a man dancing on stilts; around him cavorted two Jonkunnu characters in the multicoloured costumes of the Pitchy Patchy character; and from the foyer floated not only up-beat pop music, but the tantalising aroma of a variety of food awaiting us.
Inside the foyer, chatting with one another, munching on chips, pancakes and popcorn while sipping cool drinks and wine, slurping ice cream, and occasionally singing along to the music, the fans of the show were all dressed to the nines.
The socialising lasted from about 6:30 p.m. to minutes after 8 p.m. Then it was inside the auditorium for us, and show time.
After an over-long, though energetic introduction of the large cast, 10 skits and sketches were staged. Some I had seen in the 2022 show, but most were new. Their content ranged from the frothy and trivial to the serious, even solemn. The presentation style was generally farcical, with over-the-top acting in loud, too-often quarrelsome tones.
Settings for the scenes included a Pentecostal church; a guardhouse with security personnel who let in people they shouldn’t and refused entry to those they should allow in; a wayside store with sellers catering exclusively to tourists; a classroom of unruly, mostly dunce students; a living room with an “Alexa” which refuses to cooperate with the romantic intentions of its owner; a barbershop; and, my favourite, a lament at dusk for Jamaica, featuring the dramatic recitation of a poem, “ It’s not supposed to be the sound of guns.”
Even among the host of festive events we will be enjoying in the fast-approaching Christmas season, Pitchy Patchy will probably stand out as one of the most entertaining.
English (US) ·