Jamaican Plays

Having played to full houses since opening over a month ago, Stages Productions newest hit Serious Business is set to delight audiences across the island in an intensive tour starting on February 6, 2010. The play takes an extremely hilarious yet realistic look at how religion can be wielded for selfish and sometimes deadly means. Church leader ‘Shepherd’ (Maxwell Grant) manipulates and extorts the entire community to gain his riches here on earth, using his coloured past to guide his illegal activities in the present. He however has a major problem. He is rapidly losing his flock and with them the church which he needs to front his activities. The church’s co-founder Elder (Volier Johnson), as part of the solution, brings in Brother Shebbie (Keith ‘Shebada’ Ramsay) a loud-mouthed, feisty, imposter, whose presence threatens to dethrone Shepherd as leader of the church. Can they work together to ensure a larger piece of the pie or will greed be their undoing? The battle never stops as they trade not just words n an effort to win over the congregation’s hearts as well as their purse strings!

The stellar cast also includes Deon Silvera…who plays Sister Sonia. Shepherd’s abused wife whose quest for love points her towards a younger man, Abigale Grant…the mysterious Hot Pepper who carries around a dangerous secret, Junior Williams…who plays Shepherd’s hotheaded henchman ‘Finger’ and Pinciana Ennis…the seemingly innocent but sly Creamy Wayne Newby and Trudy Campbell round out the congregation and along with foot stomping music and word-throwing sermons, audiences are in for a truly unforgettable experience!

Written by Paul O. Beale and directed by Michael Nicholson, Serious Business plays Tuesday to Saturday at 8:30 pm and on Sundays at 5:00 pm and 8:30 pm at the Green Gables Theatre, 6 Cargill Avenue in Kingston. Patrons are urged to book their tickets early in order to avoid the rush for the final shows in Kingston. For ticket info, call 926-4966 and 929-5315.