'Beef No Chicken'

Perhaps it is best to start with the theatre itself. Seating, at most, 60 people ‘in-the-round’ with seats facing and on either side of the performing area (there is no stage as such) the audience is drawn into the action. There is no air-conditioning but we found we didn’t even need the fans on Friday’s opening night. The folding seats set out in two tiers around the stage are padded, leaving room for one’s knees and are a sight more comfortable than the
seating in the Little Carib.

Beef No Chicken is a farce that pokes fun at local and national politics, corruption and even the crime scene. Briefly, Otto Hogan (Glenn Davies) owner of a roti shop-cum-garage is using every trick in the book to halt the construction of a highway that will run right through his premises. In his plans to thwart the highway project he is aided and abetted by Franco played alternately by Noel Blandin and Leon Morenzie - and oh, how we wished we’d been given a slip with the programme to tell us who was playing which part that night.

While on the subject of programmes, it was nice to have a straightforward, no frills or inane ‘in’ jokes about the cast. However, a cast list in order of appearance would have been most helpful… but, back to the plot.

Franco is playing both ends against the middle. He is also on the local council, is friendly with the mayor (played by veteran actor Stanley Marshall) and the local entrepreneur Mungroo (Keino Swamber).

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The play picks up pace to fast and furious farce when TV producer Cedric (Tarel Laughlin) crashes his car into a heap of building materials left outside Hogan’s caf? and Franco and Hogan try to fix Cedric’s broken arm.

Otto’s niece Drusilla (Princess Donelan) departs with Cedric for fame in TVland, in fact all, except perhaps Otto and sister Euphony (Susan Abrahams) want to be on TV and strive for Cedric’s attention.

As farce invariably does, the plot becomes too involved to tell any more except for one gem when Euphony sells lottery tickets to a couple of bandits and persuades them to rob the Mungroo payroll.

A programme note states “the themes of government corruption and corporate imperialism are quite relevant today.” (Even though, in this play, the “corporation” is definitely home-grown). Nevertheless should proposals to widen the Western Main Road from Westmoorings to Chaguaramas come to pass many small parlours and garages along that route would be threatened with destruction, like Hogan’s small business.

For the rest, Simone Phillips is to be congratulated on the simple yet effective set design, Natalie Phillips on costume and Michelle Hinkson on Sound and Lighting.

What can one say of the acting? This was a true ensemble production.

Leon Morenzie (if it was Leon Morenzie who played Franco on opening night) was excellent, of course, if not then Noel Blandin was most impressive, through no fault of his own, Glenn Davies had little chance to display his comic talents but like the trouper he is, provided a foil for the cast of eccentrics and fools.

Susan Abraham as Euphony was superb, with a lift of an eyebrow or turn of the wrist her body language told as much and more as the words she spoke. Princess Donelan as Drusilla had little to do, but did it very well. Stanley Marshall played the mayor for all he was worth. We liked newcomer Damien Sogren’s Limer with his knowing grin, his athleticism as a TV cameraman determined to catch all the angles was indeed comic.

Stefan Simmons doubling as Bandit #1 and Euphony’s long lost fianc? Aldwyn Davies — and Keino Swamber, doing the same with Mungroo and Deacon — played their respective parts admirably, Ayow made a good account of the minor characters Bandit #2 and Lai Fook. Yvette Adams was an amusing Mitzi Almandoz and Tarel Laughlin’s Cedric, like Glenn Davis’ Otto, was an excellent stolid foil to the lunacy of the others. Theresa Awai’s Sumintra aka “Because” played her small part to the hilt.

In fact apart from a couple of nits to pick over the programme, on opening night Beef No Chicken, like Mary Poppins, was practically perfect in every way. There may, in fact it being first night there must have been hitches — but apart from no more than a couple of ‘fluffs’ they weren’t noticeable from where we were sitting — second row dead centre.
As for the play itself, it was a refreshing change to have none of the nudge-nudge, wink-wink sexual innuendos and antics of bedroom farce in the Central Bank.

You may not think the ticket price of $100 is a bargain in entertainment without air-conditioning, however, the Playwright’s Theatre is an all-inclusive concept, the ticket price covers refreshments as well (they were very good on opening night). One has to park in the road, but we’re told there is security patrolling the area to keep patrons’ cars safe.

With such an excellent production and such limited seating it would be wise for Newsday playgoers to make reservations.

Beef no Chicken continues until Shakespeare’s birthday, April 23.