Entertainment...

The Pantry Faces A Delightful - Dahlia Harris-Directed And Penned Script, Funny
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Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

When a Jamaican tells you that it will be "judgment between you and him/her" be prepared for a revengeful act to be taken against you. So it is in the Dahlia Harris-penned dramatic production Judgement being staged at the Pantry Playhouse, New Kingston.

With all three characters bent on revenge, the performance on Monday was an exhibition of great humour, reinforced by a fantastic set and ideal costumes. Other technical areas were also good. The plot, for the most part, is friendly; the directing appropriate; and the roles were well cast.

Judgement is set in the high-rise apartment of 'Janet' who resides in Brooklyn, New York.

It begins with Janet who works at a hospital, preparing for the arrival of 'Antonio', a Jamaican she met on the Internet. Her friend and co-worker, Sasha Baker, also a Jamaican, arrives. She was invited over to assist in the preparation but she, in turn, tries to discourage her friend from meeting Antonio.

In dissuading her friend from having her first face-to-face meeting with Antonio at her flat, Sasha's background is unveiled. Harris, however, stopped the flow of background information just before boredom set in. And the tempo of the story picks up. Antonio arrives.

He turns out to be Richard Thompson, an affiliate of Sasha whom she conned out of US$500,000.

He is there for revenge but the tide turns on him. Sasha and Janet join forces, and it is Judgement for Richard.

The language allowed for easy following. That, along with the actions, generated much laughter, but if there was a lesson, it was obscure.

However, Harris's use of dramatic irony was quite effective, so were the references to and use of modern means of communication such as texting.

There was a flaw in one scene, where there is eavesdropping. That scene sticks out in the mind because it was the only bad one. The set did not allow for it to be made clear how the eavesdropping took place.

It also seemed to have been a problem for director Dahlia Harris, who replaced Michael Nicholson as director at the last minute.

Marred directing Harris's otherwise brilliant directing was marred when she switched from the already established naturalistic style to an abstract one.

And while the roles do not allow for major growth, the three actors Deon Silvera (Janet) Dahlia Harris (Sasha) and André Morris (Antonio/Richard) were wonderful. Of the three, Morris seemed to be the most in control of his character.

He was convincing as the ruthless Richard. With eyes flaring, and temple pulsating, he commandeered the audience's dislike for the character.

Harris, took off her playwright's hat, to play Sasha Baker in a positive way for the most part.

However, Harris must take responsibility for the use of the profile stance which often resulted in her back being turned to the audience.

Silvera gave a secure display of Janet, the only character who showed any growth. She played the naïve Janet, as well as the more aware Janet.

But it was the set that took the cake. With much attention paid to detail, it would be hard not to believe that it was an apartment in Brooklyn. A backdrop boasting high buildings created a New York skyline which was visible from a wide window placed upstage centre.

This was complemented by classy décor, tasty-looking furniture matched by suitably shaded drapes.

The costumes and props too, were of high standard. The matching dress and shoes for the females, polo shirts and jeans for Richard showed signs of well thought out designs that were pleasing to the eye.

Judgement is worth seeing.