‘3rd Street’ a laugh-a-minute fest

A new play, 3rd Street, opened at Johnny’s Place to rave reviews and strong word of mouth last weekend. The play, written and directed by Orlando Sinclair, is aptly described as “a laugh-a-minute fest that will have patrons rolling in the aisles”.

Sinclair has a brilliant knack for writing about ghetto women and his latest effort is perhaps his best so far, as the play showcases different women, showing their different approaches to relationships, their differing opinions, and their individuality.

Actress Latoya Malcolm plays the central character, ‘Bibi’, a sharp-tongued firecracker of a woman who is intent on ‘retailing’ her physical assets to secure her financial future, catching hapless dancehall deejays in her web. She has her hooks in a character, a Rooster, (played by Shaun Drysdale) a determined student of the ‘dunce’ culture and the ‘chopping’ culture, and is happily fleecing him when we first meet her.

Bibi’s free-wheeling lifestyle puts her in direct conflict with her nosey Christian neighbour, Michelle, (played by the scene-stealing Belinda Reid), in the Trench Town tenement yard. The two trade verbal fisticuffs that serve as comedic high points throughout the play. In one hilarious scene, Michelle rebukes Bibi in the name of the “Mighty God of Daniel”, while she returns her rebuke in “the name of Vybz Kartel”.

The witty one-liners flow fast and furious. Michelle reserves most of her stinging barbs for Rooster, whom she mocks relentlessly, calling him at least eight different kinds of bird, including pigeon and chicken-hawk, instead of his Rooster nickname throughout the play.

Another of Bibi’s neighbours is Pebbles (played by Trishana Wright), an ambitious straight-shooter facing financial challenges to fund her college education. The cast is rounded out by Mr Sherman, (played by the versatile and capable Michael Nicholson), a shadowy underworld figure, who serves as a don for the community, dispensing jungle justice, helping citizens, and ‘badding’ up Rooster to kick up a tribute from his criminal endeavours.

Michelle, a Bible-thumping Christian, is also the wife of the don, Mr Sherman, a moral conundrum that only makes their relationship even more interesting given that Mr Sherman is keeping secrets from her. These secrets explode with the grenade of a melodrama that will keep the eyes of audience members glued to the stage.

Overall, the play delivers great comedic moments, some unexpected twists in the narrative in the final act and the actress Latoya Malcolm does a great job navigating the final scene, delivering emotional pathos to show the devastating consequences of infidelity on Bibi’s future.

3rd Street continues its run with shows at Johnny’s Place this weekend.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com