12 events for Under the Trees

Fred Chin Lee, owner of the new and improved Normandie, The Hotel at right, is greeted by Winston “Gypsy” Peters , chairman of the National Carnival Commission, at the launch of the hotel’s Under The Trees Carnival programme.
Fred Chin Lee, owner of the new and improved Normandie, The Hotel at right, is greeted by Winston “Gypsy” Peters , chairman of the National Carnival Commission, at the launch of the hotel’s Under The Trees Carnival programme.

SOME 12 events have been planned for this year’s edition of the new and improved Normandie, The Hotel’s Under The Trees Carnival programme.

This was revealed at a launch held at the hotel Wednesday.

Under the Trees, neatly tucked between the hotel and the walls of the official prime minister’s residence in St Ann’s, has been a favourite of patrons who prefer to sit or dance in comfort to the various genres of Carnival music. This year is no different as among the events that are being produced are The David Rudder Show, featuring the former Young King, Calypso Monarch and Road March champ, Rudder on February 27, Strength of a Woman with Patrice Roberts on February 28, and the G Show on March 1, featuring National Carnival Commission (NCC) chairman, Winston “Gypsy” Peters.

Speaking at the launch Gypsy said: “We are indeed having a very vibrant programme this year. Under The Trees as you well know is one of the premier locations in Trinidad, and one that Mr, (Fred) Chin Lee (Owner of the hotel) has developed and now become synonymous with Carnival and its activities.”

The Under The Trees programme actually began last Friday when Gypsy brought his Back to Basics Calypso Tent to entertain guests. The show will be repeated tonight from 8 pm.

The programme will also feature the 2018 version of Rawle Gibbons’ calypso musical Sing De Chorus, a production that highlights conditions of colonial Trinidad as part of the background to the growth of calypso as a force for social and political change. Those shows will be held on February 25 and 26 for adults, and there will be a children’s version that will take place on Wednesday 20.

The Signal Hill Alumni Choir out of Tobago will also grace Under the Trees on February 22 and 23.

Under The Trees will also be the venue for two all-inclusive events to complete the programme, the first on February 15 when the TT Lawyers’ Cricket Association presents Caught of Appeal, and the second, Rotaract on March 3. Part proceeds from both events go to charity.

Endorsing the programme Gypsy said: “The NCC is working in collaboration with all these fete promoters to ensure that we have a better product that is Carnival, Under The Trees is no different. We are putting on a Carnival for the rest of the world that can in fact bring monies to our coffers where we can have a real diversification of our economy.”

In response Chin Lee said: “This is the reason why I designed this music programme not only of the back to basic type, that is traditional...the music of the last half of the 19th century.... but when I talk about the music, we also have to give kudos to Tambu (Christopher Herbert) and his journey. The emphasis now is how we carry this music. The voices are failing and I think we have to lift it and reset it. The chairman (Gypsy) has started it. I would like to continue it, to help it. Our programme is designed along that line, where we have brought in the theatre to express that music.”

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"12 events for Under the Trees"

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