Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
From left: Ann (Keniesha Bowes) Grease, (Ronald Goshop) and Aunt Hilda (Dorothy Cunningham) in a scene from 'Moon River' at the Centerstage theatre on Friday June 13.

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

The performance of Adrian Nelson's play, Moon River, was recently booked as a fund-raiser for the Westwood High School Old Girls' Association, but for the large-size audience the play was much more.

It was the experience of sharing in a gripping story and witnessing acting of a high standard.

But, the strongest elements, as should be the case, in this cast of six play are the plot and developed characters, especially the character Grease, played by Ronald Goshop.

With so many one-dimensional characters presented on the Jamaican stage, it is refreshing to see an actor with Goshop's experience and talent given the opportunity to internalise and execute a role as demanding and complex as the gangster character, Grease.

A don

Grease is more than a gangster. In him Nelson has created a don, a lover, a husband and a father. But Grease, the don, capable of extortion and other organised crimes, displays emotional turmoil at the memory of his deceased wife, and shows anguish at the near death of his stepdaughter Ann.

Another demonstration of Adrian Nelson's success in crafting developed characters is presented by the character Kim. Representing the negative attributes of inner-city women - relationship for monetary gains - the feisty Kim (Kedecia Stewart) shows that such women are capable of love. Thus, aggression is merely a façade. This was clearly shown in her attempt to annihilate Grease after he ended their relationship.

The other characters, Ann (Keniesha Bowes), Bleachy (Sheldon Shepherd), Pinciana Ennis (Melissa) and Aunt Hilda (Dorothy Cunningham) were treated to some detail by Nelson and executed accordingly by the actors.

Cunningham's portrayal of Aunt Hilda, the returning resident from England, was fantastic. She (Cunningham) honed the character into a gentle and believable Christian, despite her shortcomings. Also, Cunningham's consistency in speaking with a British accent is commendable.

Pinciana Ennis also played a convincing Melissa. Melissa, the nervous and very cautious uptown Christian girl visiting an inner-city community, gradually grows into a more relaxed individual in the same space.

Bowes and Shepherd also had to dig deep into their talent to perform their individual roles. Shepherd's success may be measured in the obvious dislike some members of the audience showed towards the character Bleachy.

The cast

The cast is guided by director Nicholson. Generally, the blocking is commendable, but some decisions made by the director are questionable. For example, it is not clear why Kim came onstage with the bowl of conch soup, especially when no reference was made to it, or that the presence of the bowl does not seem symbolic in anyway. However, other directorial decisions, such as the tendency to concentrate most of the actions downstage centre, may be attributed to the admittedly small space.

Designed by Michael Lorde, the set is well constructed and quite relevant. It is not known why the carton boxes were placed on the settee located downstage right.

Moon River is written in two acts and the language is simple. the play begins three years after the death of Grease's wife. As the story unfolds Grease, who has forsaken his Christian beliefs, finds himself in a situation where the people he cares most about are devout Christians. And he must make a choice.

Moon River's current venue is Centerstage Theatre in St Andrew. And, as noted in the programme, it is "laced with humour, suspense, intrigue and soul-searching moments". It is worth seeing ... Oh, by the way, in order to be realistic there are a few 'oops' moments, so be prepared.