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Dara Healy

I’ve found a girl
A wonderful girl
A girl of magic and beauty
She has that kind of look
She has that kind of touch
That makes me feel
Nothing is too much to achieve
But I’m beginning to believe
The thing that have me hook
She can cook!
– Ti Jean’s Love Song, From Ti Jean & Mariquite by Eintou Springer

This week, the Tony Awards for excellence in plays and musicals on Broadway honoured Joel Grey and John Kander with Lifetime Achievement awards.
From Fiddler on the Roof, to the song New York New York, from Chicago the film to the audacious Cabaret set in 1931 Berlin, Joel Grey and John Kander unflinchingly placed their creative stamps on Broadway and Hollywood.
What is the value of musical theatre to our lives and is this an artform that we should see more of in TT?
Like other theatrical forms, musical theatre revolves around key elements. The songs, music and movement further the dialogue and the plot. There are main characters, conflict and resolution. I highly doubt that classics like Jesus Christ Superstar, The King and I, Lion King, Annie, Porgy and Bess, Hello Dolly, or the Wiz would have had the same impact if they were not musicals.
In TT and the Caribbean, our musical performance traditions are linked to our shared histories and quest for self-determination.
Performance arts are celebratory, but they are also about claiming the right to inhabit this space. Errol Hill recalls early Caribbean dramatic presentations about Marcus Garvey staged in Jamaica in 1930 and an exploration of Toussaint L’Ouverture by CLR James’ performed in London in 1936.
The world was struggling with global economic depression, while at home, we raged over social inequity and racism during labour riots led by Uriah "Buzz" Butler. Some calypsonians denounced colonial bureaucracy, corruption and discrimination.
Hill makes the point that plays often drew from European traditions in how they were structured or staged. Indeed, there was a belief that these forms were superior to local theatre.
However, after independence, efforts were made to reject external interpretations of local life and reclaim ancestral cultural forms of the peoples who inhabited this new space.
These included dramatic festivals such as Ramleela from the East Indian community, Chinese theatrical practices that incorporated music, dance and pantomime among others, and African traditions of dance, song or storytelling.
Theatrical protest expanded to the masquerade.
Peter Minshall is quoted as saying, “carnival is theatre.” He incorporated choreography and other theatrical devices into his portrayals, highlighting social challenges and global issues that impact us at home.
In 1987, Eintou Springer presented Ti Jean and Mariquite, a musical play for children with Wendell Manwarren in the lead role and music by Andre Tanker.
The love story addressed questions of good, evil and the importance of community and family. Critically, the play contained a significant patois content, reflecting her concern over the potential loss of our nation language.
In 1991, Rawle Gibbons’ calypso musical Sing De Chorus (first of a trilogy) confronted questions like the impoverishment of ordinary citizens in Port of Spain and the injustice of colonial life. These are just two of the classics.
Since then, production companies continue to bring musicals to the stage, but it seems largely based on personal interest in the genre and not because of incentives for this aspect of the performing arts industry.
One theatre critic observed that the show Cabaret “…doesn't fall for the old cliché that musicals have to make you happy.” I agree.
The song “I don’t know how to love him,” by Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar haunted me for a long time as a child. But it made me think about love, relationships and the vulnerability even of the son of god.
I think that is really the answer to my question about the value of musicals. Many young people respond to music, dance and songs that reflect their lives and express their dreams. We must educate our youth in ways that resonate with their reality.
The arts allow for a collaborative, nurturing space that moves away from the punitive, colonial teacher-student formula which no longer serves us.
Our stories, from Charlotteville to Icacos need to be told. So yes, more musicals and more local awards to honour our talent. As Liza Minelli sings, "what good is sitting alone in your room? Come, hear the music play.

Dara E. Healy is a performance artist and founder of the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN.
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