House Arrest is the third annual summer production of Manna Entertainment. The two previous ones were Moon River and Dream Merchant, and from all indications, House Arrest may very well be the most hilarious of the three.

According to playwright Adrian Nelson, “the previous productions received rave reviews from both local and international critics, who referred to them as a refreshing change to local theatre. We have been very successful in creating a new style of drama which caters to a niche market of the theatre goers, who are not just looking for comic relief, but for a play with substance and inspiring moments. The only difference with House Arrest is that theatre goers can expect a whole lot more laughter.”

“Dis ya one gwey have the city under lock and key …. no, not curfew, lock and key,” laughed veteran actor Oliver Samuels. “As Adrian says, our previous productions have always had lots of laughs, but we were more focused on a strong motivational and inspirational message. The intent is the same with House Arrest, but unuh jaw bone gwey hot unuh when unuh done watch dah play yah, cause unuh gwey laugh from start to finish.”

House Arrest boasts an interesting and unusual mix of ‘uptown’, traditional and roots theatre actors – namely Felisha Lord, Nadean Rawlings, Ronald Goshop and Tesfa Edwards – which guarantees a flamboyant journey that is cleverly brought to life by veteran director, Carol Lawes.

The play tells the story of a rookie cop who gets a rude awakening when a man that he sent to jail three months ago escapes. The unsuspecting escapee takes refugee in a house, only to later realize that it is the home of the same cop that he claims wrongfully sent him to jail. He takes the entire family hostage, and now the cop has to race against time to outwit and topple the vengeful fugitive – before he begins to exact his revenge on the entire family.

House Arrest plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and on Sundays at 6 p.m.
Venue – Theatre Place, Haining Road, New Kingston

For more information about House Arrest, please call 908-0040 or 865-9844.

Locations and dates:
Friday May 7 @ 8 p.m.
- Chinguacousy Sec School, Brampton
Saturday May 8 @ 8 p.m. and Sunday May 9 @ 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sir John McDonald C.I., Scarborough

Tickets are $30 advance and $35 at the door.

Most popular West Indian stores will have tickets. Please check the one nearest you for more information, or call 905-887-3297/ 905-450-5831.

One is a fluke, two a coincidence, three a trend. For those keeping count, Patrick Brown’s newly remounted play, Puppy Love, is (at least) the fourth recent Jamaican production to feature a May-December romance. (That’s where one partner is way younger than the other, like Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft in The Graduate.) The other three are Dream Merchant by Adrian Nelson, Me and Mi Chapsie by Aston Cooke and White Witch by Jane Crichton … more

“Truth be told, I have not done many naturalistic pieces over the years, and as such, Puppy Love represented a real challenge for me personally” said Samuels after playing to a full house at the Pantry Playhouse on opening night – last week Wednesday, March 24, 2010.

He went on to add that “we had six weeks of grueling rehearsals under the skillful directing of Patrick Brown and Trevor Nairne – easily two of the best directors with whom I’ve worked. They pushed us beyond areas we never imagined we could have reached, let alone surpass. It is such a wonderful feeling now that the public has had a chance to see the product of our labour of love, and is enjoying it so much. The feeling an actor gets from this sort of actualization is truly amazing“.

Get an overview of Puppy Love here.

Puppy Love is centered around a sultry and precocious 18 year old – Karen ‘Kar Kar’ Cross (played by Natalee Cole), who, under the influence of peer pressure, becomes romantically involved with her father’s best friend, Dick (played by Oliver Samuels), a man who is fast-approaching 60 years of age.

The romantic intrigue creates a nightmare for her overly protective father, Harry Cross (played by Earle Brown), who, when he finds out about his daughter’s relationship with his friend, swears that he has been double-crossed. The situation drives a wedge between the two men, who apart from being best friends for years, are also business partners.

Dick tries desperately to repel Karen’s predatory advances, but weakens and gets sucked in by her alluring and disarming charm, and stunningly beautiful and nubile body.

After years of a boring marriage, this unexpected attention is like a breath of fresh air, and Dick inhales perhaps a little too much. Harry too, finds himself in a quandary, as his ongoing liaisons with girls of Karen’s age rob him of a solid moral ground on which to base his objections.

Dick’s wife of 30 years, Denise (played by Dahlia Harris), turns out to be the only hope for a stabilizing agent in a confused situation, but she too faces her own moments of indecision. Does she walk away from her party of 30-odd years because of his indiscretion, or does she stand by her man irrespective?

Patrick Brown answers some of the piercing questions, and leaves others for the audience to ponder.

Puppy Love opens tomorrow, March 24, for a three week run at the Pantry Playhouse on Dumfries Road in New Kingston. After this, it will embark on an overseas tour, with stops in Canada, the USA and the Eastern Caribbean.

Big Yard provides a bellyful of laughter, and is for many Jamaicans who flock to watch it, a perfect taste of back home. Big Yard is a comedy/drama set in Spanish Town, Jamaica, where a diverse group of individuals live in a tenement yard. The main character, Merle, operates a business from a pushcart, and is usually the source of food supplies and gossip in the ‘big yard’.

Daisy, the vivacious female in the play, has aspirations of improving her life. She hopes to migrate after getting married to her fiancé who lives in Toronto, Canada. She also has a hidden agenda for living in the ‘big yard’.

Mr. Richards, the rent collector, tries to solicit favors from Daisy in return for free rent. He is usually intoxicated, however he is very businesslike when he visits the ‘big yard’ to collect rent. A Caucasian Canadian who lives in the ‘big yard’ plays the role of ‘Mr. White’, a rastafarian who uses his religious beliefs to pacify arguments between Merle, Mr. Richards and Daisy.

Big Yard has two other characters – Spot Lamp and Twitter – who complement the story very well. Click here for dates and additional information about Big Yard.

The “Big Yard” comedy/drama is set in Spanish Town, Jamaica, and features a diverse group of individuals who live in a tenement yard. There are musical scores and storyline changes that depict present happenings in Jamaica, and the talented “Big Yard” cast also includes Terri Salmon – a vivacious female who has aspirations of improving her life. She hopes to migrate to Canada after she marries her fiancee who lives in Toronto, Canada. She also has a ‘hidden’ agenda for living in the “Big Yard”).

The new “Big Yard” play is highly recommended for the entire family. It will surely bring laughter and enjoyment for everyone. It is a dramatization of Jamaican life experiences that should not be missed. Click here for dates and additional information.

Written by Adrian Nelson and produced by the King of Comedy, Oliver Samuels O.D. and Adrian Nelson, Dream Merchant has for the past two months played to packed houses at Centrestage, and brought the curtains down July 4th weekend with five shows.

Dream Merchant tells the rags to riches story of a young girl from the country who realizes her career dream only to discover the dreadful hidden consequences that are accompanied with her success. The play stars legendary actress, ‘Dancehall Queen’ Audrey Reid, Dorothy Cunningham, Ronald Goshop, Kedecia Stewart, Elizabeth Brown and Tesfa Edwards, with another veteran in the theatre circuit, Carol Lawes sitting as Director.

“There is a whole lot more excitement and intrigue to the story especially with the characters played by Audrey Reid and Dorothy Cunningham/Elizabeth brown, a real roller coaster ride that leaves you on the edge of your seat during the entire presentation,” Nelson said.

Nelson guaranteed that patrons would be pleasantly surprised and thoroughly satisfied at the end of the performances, especially because you got a chance to meet and greet with Oliver Samuels who welcomed patrons at the door some nights.

Adrian Nelson’s Dream merchant is rated ‘General’ for the entire family and is again cleverly written to captivate from the roots play lovers to the uptown and even Christian audiences.

Adrian Nelson’s Dream Merchant is a revolutionary comedy/drama with such mesmerizing acting, that the play seems to have won over theatre lovers from all walks of life, because it is not uncommon to see a buoyant mix of high and low end vehicles, taxi-cabs, and even chartered bus loads pulling into the Centrestage car park in New Kingston each night with patrons eager to view the play.

The storyline of Dream Merchant and the dramatic way in which it is told by the actors easily makes it, for most patrons, a personal past or present experience being dramatized by skilled actors. As one young lady who asked to remain anonymous and who was watching the play for the fourth time in six staging commented: “Dream Merchant is the ideal therapy for persons struggling with cheating spouses, heartbreak, fragile faith, despair and career ambitions. I laughed ‘til I cried because this play is great entertainment, but I also cried for another reason, because there were some very harsh lessons that I learnt as well”.

Dream Merchant, written by Adrian Nelson and presented by the King of Comedy, Oliver Samuels O.D. and Adrian Nelson stars legendary actress, ‘Dancehall Queen’ Audrey Reid, Dorothy Cunningham, Ronald Goshop, Kedecia Stewart and Tesfa Edwards.