Oct. 20, 2006 – The University of the Virgin Islands Little Theatre will present "Dance Bongo," a folk fantasy written by the late Caribbean playwright Errol Hill. The show will open at 8 p.m., on Friday, Nov. 3, and will run through Monday, Nov. 6. The Little Theatre is in the Classroom Administration Building on the St. Thomas campus. The play will move to Tortola and St. Croix in coming weeks.
At the center of the action is old Sarah, (Christina Harper), a woman who will not rest until she avenges the death of her grandson, Sammy. The village accepts the death as an accident, but Sarah insists he was murdered by his cocky best friend Jeremy, (Jae Knight), so that he could replace Sammy as the village's best bongo dancer.
"It's a play about revenge and a grandmother's struggle to address the death of her grandson, which she refuses to accept as anything other than foul play," David Edgecombe, the director, said. "It's a very moving and exciting play. It deals with forces beyond the power of ordinary men."
This is the director's first play since accepting the position as head of the theater department this fall. He said he chose this play to honor Hill, one of the most significant figures in Caribbean theater and to involve both students and members of the community, since the play calls for a large cast.
The play is choreographed by Monty Thompson. Other cast members include George Silcott, Clarence Cuthbertson, Afreekan Southwell, Jason Fahie, Kishma Harrigan, Samantha Mathurin, Heidy Jacobs, Ayesha Morris, Sharon Simmons, Janice Popo, Raymond Winspeare and Patricia John Baptiste.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students and are available at UVI Bookstore, the Humanities Department, UVI Little Theatre and Dockside Bookshop. For more information, call 693-1340.
