Vintage Carnival memories of Blakie the Warlord coming to stage

IN the midst of the Carnival season, playwright Dawad Philip is bringing a unique theatre experience about a vintage calypso legend to the Naparima Bowl, San Fernando, on February 4.

The world premiere of the musical takes place on Sunday with the Warlord…Lord Blakie in Brooklyn, with two shows at the Naparima Bowl and, on February 15 and 16, at the Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook.

The play is based primarily on a true story of Blakie (Carlton Joseph), the man with the infectious laugh and one of the greatest exponents of the artform who achieved major success from the 1950s onwards.

Best known for his Steelband Clash, which won the 1954 Road March title; Maria, which repeated the feat in 1962; and the bawdy Hold the Pussy, Blakie died at 72 in January 2005.

Philip, who is also the convenor of the San Fernando Carnival Committee (SFCC), said the play is part of the experience he shared with Blakie when he lived in the US, and he wanted to share it with the rest of the world and Blakie fans.

The play, which has been a few years in the making, was to be directed by Tony Hall and set to debut at Carnival 2024. After Hall’s death in 2020 Philip was more determined to bring the show, which offers a different kind of adult entertainment and experience.

He recalled what it was about Blakie and that particular time in history that resonated with him and propelled him to write a script to capture his momentous occasions.

Philip said in the 1990s, there was a vintage revival in the US and he was part of living-legend shows in New York, Toronto, Montreal and Boston.

The cast at the time were old calypsonians like Pretender, Terror, Poser, Zandolie, Conqueror, Brigo, Nap Hepburn, Mystic Prowler and Guyana’s Shirland Wilson.

The missing piece was Blakie, he said, and his nostalgic appeal to audiences who attended the vintage shows.

An attempt was made to bring Blakie from Trinidad and Tobago to the USA to be part of these shows, but that is where the trouble began, as the "Warlord" epithet was no accident. Blakie was known as a badjohn and gambler from San Juan, and the violent lyrical content of some of his compositions was attributed to personal experience.

His journey to the US, therefore, Philip explained, was not cut and dried, as he was known as a “tough customer” and met resistance from US immigration authorities.

“To get him to the States – we did, and we got to watch him transform. It was an amazing, amazing experience. I was so happy to be able to write about his first foray into the USA, after a long career, and capture his resurgence at an old age.

“His story seeks to tell of his frustration, his hopes, his aspiration and his triumph by finally hitting the stage and getting the response fit for a superstar.”

The two-man show features the multi-talented Kurtis Gross as Lord Blakie and actress, director, writer and producer Penelope Spencer as Queenie. It is directed by Dr Travis Weekes, award-winning St Lucian poet, playwright, director, actor and critic.

The musical director, who will provide live vintage music, is the renowned Marva Newton who has worked extensively in music and theatre.

Philip said there is an appeal for the show, which is set in both Trinidad and Tobago and New York, from foreign visitors as well as local Blakie fans.

“This is my way of paying tribute to Tony Hall, but also to those singers who have passed on – Composer, Terror, Mystic Prowler, Zandolee, Bomber – all of these people who were part of the grand vintage presence in the USA.

“It is a feel-good story.”

Tickets are available at the Naparima Bowl box office, the Little Carib and Atherly’s By the Park.