Jamaican Playwright Patricia Cumper's THE KEY GAME Will End New York Run Sunday, October 28
By: Julie Musbach Oct. 25, 2018
The Key Game, the critically acclaimed play by London-based Jamaican playwright Patricia Camper, will end its limited American premiere run at the New Perspectives Studio in Manhattan this Sunday October 28 with a matinee performance at 3pm.
The production opened to solid houses and excellent audience reviews on October 17 and is the latest Jamaican play showcased in Manhattan to attract a distinctly diverse audience spanning a range of different ages, cultures and ethnicities.
Audiences representing the Caribbean, New York and the wider diaspora have responded positively to the four-character drama, which had its world premiere in London in 2004, and which is currently produced by Banana Boat Productions in collaboration with New Perspectives Theatre Company. Artistic Director of Banana Boat Productions, Merlina Rich directs.
Set in a rundown psychiatric hospital in Jamaica during the 1990's, The Key Game tells the story of the hospital's last three in-patients and their male nurse, who are forced to ponder their uncertain futures when they learn the facility is to be demolished by the Jamaican government in favor of erecting a new high rise complex.
The cast features James Foster Jr, Leajato Amara Robinson, Jonathan Michaelson Swain and Marc Webster.
According to Jamaican born Director Rich, audiences have been responding with laughter and tears to the production, which she believes speaks to the universal nature of the story.
'From the first time I read the script I recognized that the play had great crossover appeal, despite being set in Jamaica over twenty years ago," she says. "Playwright Patricia Cumper was able to capture the unique cadences of the Jamaican rhythm and way of speaking in such a way that the dialogue is very easily accessible to any ear, but yet remains distinctly Jamaican. And the themes explored in this story- friendship, brotherhood, the resilience of the human spirit and gentrification, are issues every one of us can understand and relate to. I'm very proud of the piece and the responses we have been getting. It was a wonderful choice for our 2018 mainstage production."
Next up for Rich and Banana Boat productions will be a staged reading tribute to the work of Trinidadian playwright Zeno Obi Constance, scheduled for December.
The Key Game will play Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm until this Sunday October 28.
The New Perspectives Studio is located at 458 West 37th Street at 10th Avenue in Manhattan.
Comments
Videos