RUSH A Joyous Jamaican Journey Festival Theatre Edinburgh 8th July 2023 Review
RUSH A Joyous Jamaican Journey was at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh tonight for a one date only show that due to different reasons had been re-scheduled from two previously planned performance dates. Was all this waiting worth it though? For myself, as someone who first discovered reggae, ska, bluebeat music a long time ago, the answer to that question is a definite yes, and with many of the audience tonight being of a similar “vintage” (as narrator and comedian John Simmit delicately phrased it) they and younger people too were obviously enjoying this show.
Rush A Joyous American Journey is one of two productions from Rush Theatre Company, the other being “The King of Reggae”, but this one is wider in its scope as in only a few short hours we get a very compressed history of Jamaica from its accidental “discovery” by Christopher Columbus in 1494 through to the main focus of this show, the arrival of the ship HMT Empire Windrush and its arrival at the Port of Tilbury on 21 June 1948. On this ship were 492 Caribbean migrants, many of whom had fought for “King and Country” in World War ll. They had all been INVITED (that is a very important word in this story) to come to Britain to fill what was then a massive shortage of skilled and unskilled labour, and along with this they brought their culture, their music and so many hopes and dreams for a new start in life not only for their own selves, but for their children and future generations.
Sadly, dreams can swiftly turn into something very different and finding that the streets were not paved with gold and that poverty was as common in post-war Britain as anywhere else in the world must have come as an enormous shock to so many people, and John Simmit handles both the historical and contemporary issues in Britain faced by both the original Windrush generation and their children (and children’s children) with both skill and humour. John is a very experienced performer and obviously knows that the audience for this show is a different one from a stand-up comedy one and that tonight most people are here to hear the music and not political commentary. This, of course, gives John a very difficult job as often the music and politics of Jamaican music (like music in so many other cultures) are interwoven at an intrinsic level with one another. For the most part the balance is right here and for anyone that wants to listen there are more than a few uncomfortable truths to be spoken in this show and some pressing answers to some issues so badly needed – the number of deaths in police custody in both England and Scotland which authorities seem to be slow in reacting to being one of the major issues.
What so many people of course came out to hear tonight was not a history lesson, not a political discussion, but the music itself, and here John Simmit was a fine narrator as he introduced us to not only the music, but a little of the cultural background and daily lives of Jamaican (and other nationalities) as they adapted to their new lives in this new country. This is really the heart of this show, the story of people with the determination to deal with many challenges and not only overcome them, but to do so with humour, a joy of life, and of course their music, and it is this music which is perhaps their greatest legacy to not only us but to the world as its influence has been enormous and crossed so many cultural barriers.
If you are expecting nothing but Bob Marley music and the global sounds of his very distinctive style of Reggae then the other show, “King of Reggae” is probably a better show for you. If, however, you like Jamaican and Caribbean music in a far wider variety of musical styles then this is the show for you. A live 10 piece band (the JA Reggae) captures those rhythms and sounds so well as we hear songs from Millie Small, Desmond Decker, Jimmy Cliff and many others as we take a musical trip into Reggae, Ska, Bluebeat, Rock Steady, Calypso and Gospel music. Giving voices to all of this music tonight were the impressive vocal talents of Janice Williamson and Ika who brought this crowd to their feet more than once with songs that included amongst others, “Brown Girl In The Ring” “Young Gifted and Black”, “The Tide is High” and “Help Me Make It Through The Night”.
Jamaican music and “sound systems” are of course forever bonded together and tonight that role and identity was taken on by DJ Ken Dread (where did he get those shoes?).
Rush Theatre Company and this show is, however, not only a show about Jamaican/Caribbean music, history, culture and music, it is also about inclusiveness and the fact that we are all together in this world and this life weaves its way through everything. Perhaps the best way to say this is in the company’s own words from their own website.
“Our objectives include promoting new writing and plays throughout the community, offering training opportunities, scholarships and providing a wider knowledge & understanding of the positive enriching aspects of a multi-cultural society.”
Also in keeping with this message, Bob Marley’s “One Love” was performed tonight. Hearing “Redemption Song” would have been good too though.
For myself, there were some omissions that I wish were in this show. One piece of music needs to be here, the iconic Lord Creator (born Kentrick Patrick) and “Kingston Town”. Also the importance of some major figures in the record industry needs to be addressed, and two record labels, Island (particularly the early 1960s recordings) and Trojan. A little more time given to the many great British reggae bands over the years would have been nice too. Trojan records was of course so important in the formative years of sound system music taking its name from the old Trojan vans that people often travelled around in with their music systems. We did at least get a little slice of music from John Holt who recorded so much on Trojan over the years.
A few technical issues could so easily have been fixed too. At times the sound was not as sharp as it should have been (although limited set-up time might have been an issue here), but making sure that people in the balconies could see the top of the screen at the back of the stage for graphics should have been dealt with.
Review by Tom King © 2023
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Rush A Joyous American Journey is one of two productions from Rush Theatre Company, the other being “The King of Reggae”, but this one is wider in its scope as in only a few short hours we get a very compressed history of Jamaica from its accidental “discovery” by Christopher Columbus in 1494 through to the main focus of this show, the arrival of the ship HMT Empire Windrush and its arrival at the Port of Tilbury on 21 June 1948. On this ship were 492 Caribbean migrants, many of whom had fought for “King and Country” in World War ll. They had all been INVITED (that is a very important word in this story) to come to Britain to fill what was then a massive shortage of skilled and unskilled labour, and along with this they brought their culture, their music and so many hopes and dreams for a new start in life not only for their own selves, but for their children and future generations.
Sadly, dreams can swiftly turn into something very different and finding that the streets were not paved with gold and that poverty was as common in post-war Britain as anywhere else in the world must have come as an enormous shock to so many people, and John Simmit handles both the historical and contemporary issues in Britain faced by both the original Windrush generation and their children (and children’s children) with both skill and humour. John is a very experienced performer and obviously knows that the audience for this show is a different one from a stand-up comedy one and that tonight most people are here to hear the music and not political commentary. This, of course, gives John a very difficult job as often the music and politics of Jamaican music (like music in so many other cultures) are interwoven at an intrinsic level with one another. For the most part the balance is right here and for anyone that wants to listen there are more than a few uncomfortable truths to be spoken in this show and some pressing answers to some issues so badly needed – the number of deaths in police custody in both England and Scotland which authorities seem to be slow in reacting to being one of the major issues.
What so many people of course came out to hear tonight was not a history lesson, not a political discussion, but the music itself, and here John Simmit was a fine narrator as he introduced us to not only the music, but a little of the cultural background and daily lives of Jamaican (and other nationalities) as they adapted to their new lives in this new country. This is really the heart of this show, the story of people with the determination to deal with many challenges and not only overcome them, but to do so with humour, a joy of life, and of course their music, and it is this music which is perhaps their greatest legacy to not only us but to the world as its influence has been enormous and crossed so many cultural barriers.
If you are expecting nothing but Bob Marley music and the global sounds of his very distinctive style of Reggae then the other show, “King of Reggae” is probably a better show for you. If, however, you like Jamaican and Caribbean music in a far wider variety of musical styles then this is the show for you. A live 10 piece band (the JA Reggae) captures those rhythms and sounds so well as we hear songs from Millie Small, Desmond Decker, Jimmy Cliff and many others as we take a musical trip into Reggae, Ska, Bluebeat, Rock Steady, Calypso and Gospel music. Giving voices to all of this music tonight were the impressive vocal talents of Janice Williamson and Ika who brought this crowd to their feet more than once with songs that included amongst others, “Brown Girl In The Ring” “Young Gifted and Black”, “The Tide is High” and “Help Me Make It Through The Night”.
Jamaican music and “sound systems” are of course forever bonded together and tonight that role and identity was taken on by DJ Ken Dread (where did he get those shoes?).
Rush Theatre Company and this show is, however, not only a show about Jamaican/Caribbean music, history, culture and music, it is also about inclusiveness and the fact that we are all together in this world and this life weaves its way through everything. Perhaps the best way to say this is in the company’s own words from their own website.
“Our objectives include promoting new writing and plays throughout the community, offering training opportunities, scholarships and providing a wider knowledge & understanding of the positive enriching aspects of a multi-cultural society.”
Also in keeping with this message, Bob Marley’s “One Love” was performed tonight. Hearing “Redemption Song” would have been good too though.
For myself, there were some omissions that I wish were in this show. One piece of music needs to be here, the iconic Lord Creator (born Kentrick Patrick) and “Kingston Town”. Also the importance of some major figures in the record industry needs to be addressed, and two record labels, Island (particularly the early 1960s recordings) and Trojan. A little more time given to the many great British reggae bands over the years would have been nice too. Trojan records was of course so important in the formative years of sound system music taking its name from the old Trojan vans that people often travelled around in with their music systems. We did at least get a little slice of music from John Holt who recorded so much on Trojan over the years.
A few technical issues could so easily have been fixed too. At times the sound was not as sharp as it should have been (although limited set-up time might have been an issue here), but making sure that people in the balconies could see the top of the screen at the back of the stage for graphics should have been dealt with.
Review by Tom King © 2023
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com