John Thomas on hosting Believe: ‘We need to live too’

John Thomas is still daring to believe and still trying to provide fellow artistes, whose livelihoods have been upended by the pandemic for the past two years, with some measure of work.

It’s one of the reasons why he is staging his Believe franchise concerts which start tomorrow. Believe – Once Upon a Star will celebrate the Christmas Star in the spirit of the season at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s, from December 2-5.

In the face of pandemic setbacks, Thomas is pressing on with his mission to spread some Christmas cheer and also to support other artistes.

“For two years, I have not worked. Not a job, not a thing... I can't sit still, and I have a responsibility to my fellow artistes to provide food on the table (for them), and for me too. This is what I do. What am I supposed to do?” Thomas told Newsday.

He staged his Believe concert in December last year to a reduced audience capacity at Queen’s Hall. Like some other artistes he tried to earn income by doing other jobs and selling food.

“I found myself selling corn soup and I said, ‘absolutely not.’ I can’t do it, not that it is bad, but I can’t do it. I found myself doing clerical work too.” He said he was not up to that either.

He sees the presentation of Believe – Once Upon a Star as his way of bouncing back.

Some of the artistes on the cast have had no work for the past two years and this is his commitment to ensuring they earn some income.

Thomas is appealing to the public to support the artistes “because they need to live.”

“We need to live too,” he said.

In a media release Thomas explained why he chose to celebrate the Christmas Star in the 2021 Believe production.

“The star was all of nature conspiring to guide those wise men to the Christ child. The courage that those men demonstrated in following that star teaches us that life rises up to meet me when we choose to trust it. Our hope this year is that the joy of Christmas can inspire us to be brave enough to trust life during these trying times.”

The concert will feature Christmas classics and new interpretations of some classic, he said.

Among the artistes scheduled to perform are Denyse Plummer, Alicia Jaggasar, Ceceila Salazar, LA Rose, The St Hilaire Brothers, Charlie Griffith, D Piano girl Johanna Chuckaree, Curtis Jordan, Mahalia Pierre, Aurora Tardieu, Clarice Beeput, Justine Zephyrine, Victoria Griffith, Nakita Gadsby, Chelsea Fensom (cellist) Adrian Jaikaran (pannist) and Thomas, a media release said. The supporting cast are St Joseph’s Convent Choir, The Eastern Chorale and the Karline Brathwaite Dancers.

The audience will be less than 50 per cent capacity and Thomas stressed that optimum safety measures are going to be put in place so patrons can truly enjoy the magic of Christmas.

To ensure patrons’ safety Thomas said in the release that the Believe franchise has partnered with Queen’s Hall. The hall will be sanitised by Disin Tech Bio Hazard Solutions Ltd which will use nano technology to create a bio dome for an added layer of protection to ensure all touch points are germ free and covid free.

The concert is also a safe zone so patrons must walk with their vaccination cards.

The opening night will also highlight the launch of the Denyse Plummer Foundation. The release said the foundation “has been working tirelessly to improve the lives of the underprivileged here and abroad.”

There will be a toy drive and patrons are being asked to bring wrapped toys, and to indicate whether the gift is for a boy or girl and the age range.

The event will also feature a Believe Christmas market by Alison Lee Loy with treats, Believe merchandise, jewellery and Christmas décor from up to two hours before the show.

Patrons who purchase tickets online @ queenshalltt.com or at the box office, qualify for discounted rates for a “Believe Staycation” at select hotels in the Port of Spain area, the release said.

Showtime for Believe – Once Upon a Star is Thursday-Saturday at 7 pm and 6 pm on Sunday.