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Actor and comedic icon Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis has been a staple in the Jamaican entertainment scene for the better part of 50 years.
With his cool demeanour and infectious smile, Ellis has been capturing the hearts of audiences since his theatrical debut in the 1975 production of Aristophanes ’ Greek comedy Lysistrata, directed by playwright Honor Ford-Smith, all the way to his last major stage performance in 2010.
During his time off the theatre stage, Ellis spent much of his time behind the scenes, nurturing talent and giving back.
“I was doing more offstage work – teaching, facilitating workshops, community development work. My onstage work during that time was mainly stand-up comedy,” he shared, adding that the theatre stage can be challenging.
“Theatre work can be difficult with up to four weeks of rehearsals. Stand-up comedy is easier for me (and it generally pays more),” he told The Sunday Gleaner with a laugh. “So I was happy not doing any plays but Pablo (Hoilett) asked me, and the script looked like fun so I said yes.”
Now he’s just happy to return to the stage after 15 years away.
“My last real performance was in a one-man show I put on in 2010 called Un. It was a comedy about my life and how the days of my youth affected who I am today,” Ellis said.
“It was very well received at the time, but what I am most proud of is that it won an Actor Boy Award for Theatrical Innovation,” he continued.
Ellis wrote, directed and performed in Un, which was produced by his brother, fellow actor and comedian Ian ‘Ity’ Ellis.
Outside of his excitement to return to the stage, Ellis says he is happy to be doing so alongside fellow thespian Rosemary Murray-Tingling. The two have worked together on three separate occasions, starting with Patrick Brown’s Guava Jelly.
“Working with her has always been fun. She’s an amazing actor who takes her work very seriously [and] who is always encouraging me and inspiring me in everything we do,” Ellis said.
“Interesting fact: [About] 36 years ago, Rosemary Murray-Tingling and I played the role of spouses in Patrick Brown’s Guava Jelly in 1989 and returned as young lovers four years later in 1993 for Basil Dawkins’ Same Song Different Tune. We recently got back together as husband and wife for the TVJ sitcom The Johnsons and now here we are again,” he shared.
However, despite working together for so many years, Ellis could not easily determine which production he enjoyed with Murray-Tingling the most, joking that “the next time might be the one”.
And now, with news of the veteran’s return to the stage bubbling in the acting space, a few of his peers are eagerly waiting in the wings to see him return to the art form.
“I’ve always not only admired or respected Blakka’s talent, but I truly believe that he has a special gift for comedy – and theatre [as] a whole,” said fellow veteran thespian Pablo Hoilett.
Hoilett, who is the creative director for the play Fantasy Joe, says he picked Ellis to star in his play because of his extraordinary talent.
“His sense of timing, his understanding of what creates laughter and his ability to deliver that is very important. I think he is an unsung hero who ought to be in many more plays… and I think he has a lot to offer the theatrical/comedic landscape,” Hoilett told The Sunday Gleaner.
Fantasy Joe opens at 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 10 at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston.
It is produced and directed by Hoilett, who also appears in the play, and pairs Ellis with Murray-Tingling and rising actress Dinagail McCalla.
The story centres on Brian Hanson, played by Ellis, a busy corporate attorney, and his wife Mary, played by Murray-Tingling, whose vivid imagination turns their quiet home into a comedic battlefield when an old teenage flame named Peter/Fantasy Man, played by Hoilett, reappears. McCalla plays Tory/Fantasy Woman.
Fantasy Joe explores love, marriage, and the hilarious lengths people go to protect their secrets.
English (US) ·