Pantopia musical inspires tears, laughter

There were tears and laughter, joy and sorrow, and lots of applause during the performance of the steelband musical Pantopia, written by Rawle Gibbons and inspired by the music of legendary pan arranger Ray Holman. The play was a shining example of how Trinidad and Tobago’s history can be told through using the country’s own art forms.

The play follows John “Solo” Henry, a steelpan player and arranger caught up in the stormy 70s which saw a change in how steelbands were seen and participated in the country’s culture. Gibbons drew on his encyclopaedic knowledge of Trinidad’s cultural history to write a story which incorporated the courage of steelpan players who were often shunned by their family and society, the connection to Black Power and revolution, the fights between steelbands in the 50s and the 70s, the initial allegiance of the bands to playing the music of calypsonians, the move towards pan songs and the the negative reaction on the part of the calypsonians. The play also looked at the corruption often exhibited by steelband managers, the move towards sponsorship and the changes which came with that, and steelbands beginning to play on cruise ships and at official functions.

The story follows Solo as his rejection by the band’s new management causes him to move to south Trinidad where he is taken in by an East Indian family and incorporates their music into his arrangements, coming up with chutney soca and soca tassa. The family is an integral part of the Ramleela celebration, which was reenacted during the play. The play ends with Solo happy with his old and new families, as his steelband comes to seek him out to arrange for them.

The play was built around Holman’s music, either with original lyrics or some composed by Gibbons as he wrote the script. In total, 17 of his songs were used, with others by the Beatles, the Mighty Shadow and the Mighty Sparrow also being incorporated. The incorporation of these melodies and the words into the play provided insight into the breathtaking work produced by Holman.

Some of the songs included First Love, Pan Woman, Pan on the Move, Pan on the Run, Ray’s Saga (composed in 1961), Sapna (The Dream), and Pan Revolution.

There were stellar performances by Syntyche Bishop as Bazo, the beggar woman/music teacher who guides Solo through his entry into music, Kymani Mc Phie as Solo, and Derron Ellies as Captain. All 11 members of the cast are to be commended, as not only did they have to each sing, act, and play pan, but they each embodied multiple characters during the production.

The musical accompaniment by the National Steel Symphony Orchestra also added to the ambience created in the yard of Phase II Pan Groove's panyard, Tragarete Road, Port of Spain.

Audience interaction was key to the play, with Bishop and other cast members asking spectators what they remembered about certain eras in pan, encouraging people to sing or hum along, or handing out items.

A particularly heartwarming moment was when, in response to a call by Ellies for people who had brought their sticks to come up and play, Holman and pannist Natasha Joseph came up and played together, with a reverential hush coming over the audience.

Another heartwarming moment was when the cast joined hands with the audience and each other to recite the Pan Pledge: “We will fulfil the promise of this beautiful planet, we people of pan, that all races are one and the winner will be all, that for everyone there will be a place, for each of us is a gift given and a giver to all, a place where what was waste becomes wealth, hammering from the hardness of then and now, a song for all humanity.”

It is to be hoped that Canboulay Productions can mount Pantopia again, as it not only plays tribute to our national instrument but is also an eye-opening education for those who want to learn more about Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural history.

About Ray Holman

Born in Woodbrook in 1944, Holman has been associated with steelbands and pan since he was six. He saw the Fernandes brothers play pan in 1950, and met tuner and pannist Ellie Mannette at Invaders' panyard in 1956. One of his first compositions was Ray’s Saga for Invaders, at 17.

Holman helped revive Starlift Steelband in 1963. He assisted them in placing third in Panorama in 1964, and in 1969, the band won with his arrangement of Kitchener’s The Bull. In 1970, Starlift became the first band to perform at Madison Square Garden. Holman and players from Pandemonium, known as Showboat, were the first to play at the Super Bowl in Miami.

Holman was the first arranger to compose and perform his own music for Panorama, with Pan on the Move in 1972. He composed the musical Black Orpheus for Crossroads Theatre in New Jersey, US, in 1991. In 1993, he was the musical director for the Caribbean Show in Miyazaki, Japan, which opened the Japanese market to steelband music.

He arranged an album of Disney songs called Beauty and the Beat in 1993 and his compositions were performed by the WDR Orchestra in Germany.

He was the composer/arranger for Roderick “Chuck” Gordon between 2014 and 2015, and continues to arrange for other steelbands.

Holman was awarded the Chaconia Gold medal in 1988 and an honorary doctorate from UWI in 2021.