Patrick Brown takes aim at Ponzi schemes in ‘Boopsie’s Homecoming’

Prolific playwright Patrick Brown takes viewers on a hilarious romp to witness how Boopsie’s homecoming unfolds as much as it unravels in his latest stage comedy of the same name. Boopsie’s Homecoming will have its world première at the Courtleigh Auditorium on Boxing Day.

After “slaving in the freezer for eight years” and sending home almost every dime he earns to his wife Petal to build their dream mansion, Boopsie gets the shock of his life when he makes an unexpected, unannounced return to Jamaica. He was not prepared for what he saw – an overgrown plot of land, with five rows of concrete blocks rising out of the foundation, and some rusty steel sticking out of them.

This discovery sets off a continuous stream of lies and deception, as Petal tries to put a lid on a fuming inferno. Her father, Papa, and her brother, Larry, find themselves as unwilling confederates, caught between loyalty to blood and sympathy for a bitterly disappointed Boopsie. Their attempts to convince Petal to come clean with Boopsie, and her desperate but frail attempts to explain away her indiscretions, heightens the drama as an increasingly infuriated Boopsie gets more and more “bringle”.

All this in the hands of a master of theatrical comedy inevitably results in a minefield of laughs which will keep knocking patrons off their chair, often in the most unexpected moments. Boopsie’s Homecoming is awash with Patrick Brown’s signature laugh-out-loud comedic moments, providing patrons with an evening of Jamaican theatre at its very best. But this is what has become synonymous with this award-winning playwright/director, who delivers every time.

And Patrick Brown is back with the dream team – the Jambiz Krew led by the inimitable master of comedy Glen ‘Titus’ Campbell (in the title role of Boopsie.) This group of actors has become the darlings of Jamaican theatre, with a throng of followers which trek to the Courtleigh Auditorium every time they hit the stage. Also returning are Glen’s ever-present comedic sidekick Courtney Wilson (as Larry) and David Crossgill (as Papa). The team will be bolstered by two refreshingly exciting young actresses – Diandra Harrison and Renea Williams, alternating as Petal.

These young ladies may be new to the Jambiz Krew but they have excelled in several other local productions over the past few years.

After its world première at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston on Friday December 26, Boopsie’s Homecoming will play thereafter from Wednesday to Friday at 8p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays at 5 p.m. and 8p.m.