No Ethel Waters here
About the article
This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from January 1978.
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Encouragement always helps to improve a group as time passes. It was not a "Stupendous" show nor did anyone expect it to be in the same category as the original Broadway Show in New York. I saw the original show with Enzio Pinza, Mary Martin and Ethel Waters. However, the Cayman Show was one of willing, time giving and variously talented people. I am sure that some "seasoned amateur groups" in the U.S. may have avoided the production of this show. Was that "sensible" or just cowardly?
Language accents and differing dialects do not matter in this show. It is the players who portray the roles that matter. It is not so much as how the line is said, or the song sung. It is the cast who take their time and different degrees of talent-acting, singing, producing, directing, staging and gathering props to make a complete effort and a good show. I think your reviewer lost sight of this.
Your reviewer was critical of the portrayal and costuming of "bloody Mary." It so happens that it was an almost exact copy of Ethel Waters' original costume of "Bloody Mary." One can't expect another Ethel Waters. The performer has some right to a personal and slightly different portrayal of a role. As to the "Charmingly talented" black woman as the mother of the lovely "Liat?" It is quite believable in the South Pacific.
Has your reviewer been to Hawaii? Michener has and has seen many mixed Hawaiians. Ethel Waters was a talented black woman also. This was, after all, a Grand Cayman Show and not a Broadway Show.
The review that was written in your paper was an intellectual diatribe about people who tried hard to bring and are bringing something to the people of Grand Cayman and to your guests in Grand Cayman. The group is not capable as yet of emulating the "Great Bard"-Shakespeare. There are still great handicaps but no lack of enthusiasm on the part of the Drama Society.
Finally, to the editor-The Cayman Drama Soceity and the Cayman Singers, as amateurs, performed a very fine and entertaining show. everyone in an audience is not the harsh critic that your reviewer is. I am not a reviewer but I believe I am capable of knowing what is good amateur entertainment. To me and to the majority of people in the audience it was good amateur entertainment. It was what it was -- a good shov put on with enthusiasm by the actors, actresses, director, producer, choreographer and all the participants behind the stage. HELEN B. BAILE
