Play Mas fails to live up to its promise

The joy of carnival is infectious. Dressing up, getting drunk and parading around town to the sound of steel drums: what could be better? Every culture has a different spin on carnival, but few know how to do it better than the Trinidadians’ annual Play Mas.

Written in 1974 by the Trinidadian playwright Mustapha Matura, once referred to as “the most perceptive and humane of black dramatists writing in Britain”, Play Mas is a sharp, witty and at times beautifully poignant script illustrating a touching picture of Trinidadian culture.

Focussing on the years leading up to Trinidad’s independence and the spirit of carnival, this revival might not be as relevant now as it was forty years ago, but it still hits home with its questions on political power and national identity. Despite this, with the direction of Paulette Randall leaving a lot to be desired, my pick for March was little more than a luke-warm laugh.

Set in Miss Gookool’s tailor shop, the first act details the relationship between her, her son Ramjohn and their assistant Samuel. Exploring aspiration and inspiration, the sharp dialogue characterises the warmth of Trinidadian culture and touches on the ideas which led to independence from the British. While little is done to directly develop a plot, the play’s distinct focus on the importance of carnival draws a parallel to the powerful undertone of identity.

Play Mas is a sharp, witty, and at times beautifully poignant script

The performance of Johann Myers as Ramjohn is exceptional. Subtle and enticing, Myers’ dedication to his character and striking focus heightens both the drama and the comedy of the piece. With the core cast completed by Melanie La Barrie as Miss Gookool and Seun Shote as Samuel, their performances bring the most out of Matura’s wildly entertaining dialogue. Unfortunately, the supporting cast fail to live up to their counterparts.

From what feels like misguided direction, the supporting cast’s desperation in trying to squeeze another laugh out of the audience sidelines the deeply serious undertone of the play. Added to Rob Heanley’s irritatingly bad attempt at an American accent, Randall’s production comes across as farcical. It’s certainly funny, but as a complete play it doesn’t work.

Performed in the round, The Orange Tree’s signature space can do wonders for a show as easily as it can break a show. Although the staging doesn’t fail the space completely, a degree of poor blocking leaves parts of the audience wondering why they are only seeing certain actors from behind.

It’s certainly funny, but as a complete play it doesn’t quite work

While the problem isn’t particularly pervasive, the oddly long scene changes make the production feel distinctly disjointed. It is a shame really because the script offers an excitingly upbeat tempo, but too often little details are pushed too far at the expense of the play’s clarity. With a little more focus on the serious moments and a little less forcefulness with the comedy, I imagine this revival’s shortcomings could have been easily resolved.

Despite its faults, Play Mas still offers an impressive two hours of entertainment. With Samuel rising to political power in the second half, it is refreshing to think that occasionally even politics can be funny. With black theatre so underrepresented, Randall does throw in a few moments of genius, giving The Orange Tree’s distinctly middle-class audience an enjoyable snapshot of Caribbean culture. Overall though, _Play Mas _wasn’t quite what it was made out to be.

Play Mas is on at the Orange Tree Theatre until 11th April. Tickets from £10