Andrene Bonner At Her Finest In Theatre
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Performing an excerpt of Dr. Louise Bennett Coverley's, "Jamaica Oman" at Rhythms of Africa 3-16-2024. Dr. Bennett Coverley brought dignity and international recognition to Jamaica's Nation Language. Bi-Literacy and Bi-Lingualism in poetry at its best. Enjoy.
Film credit: Andrea Chase, JTB #biliteracy #BilingualEducation #bilingualism #jamaicannationlanguage #nationlanguage #jamaicanpoet #spokenword #andrenebonner #jamaicapoetry |
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Review: Actress and Author Andrene Bonner – Old Jamaican Bragadaps – New Age Performance
by Staff Writer
Andrene Bonner’s new approach to living room entertainment is a bonoonoonoos boost for the Caribbean and its Diaspora. She is one of a handful who has carried the light of Jamaican theatre to North America. The theatre scene in Jamaica is rich, multilayered, and Caribbean-affirming. It’s black people being able to do classical Equus, The Taming of the Shrew or their own award-winning works. It’s Trevor Rhone, Dennis Scott and Miss Lou and many who have come after. At the core, it’s our own day to day experience, bitter, triumphant, joyful, reflecting back at us. Actors are reflectors and when a good one comes along and mirrors the humor and pathos of our ordinary lives in his or her unique way, we can step out of the immediacy of our problems and smile, even heal ourselves.
We find theatre in the most unusual moments. I’ve done my share of house parties at home and abroad. The Caribbean students’ parties around Howard University in Washington DC come to mind. It was fun to put on good clothes (loud gold brocade for me) and arrive 9 people deep around 12 midnight. We would do everything, Heineken, curry goat, roots Reggae, soca, dancehall, and the requisite dance competition until around 4 am, at which time, police would arrive and lock down proceedings. This was perfect time to linger for an hour, cuss the police from a safe distance in patois and then run off to breakfast with friends. The regularity of the police event added a layer of engagement to the party going experience, street theater if you will.
Before that there was my joy of singing and LTM Pantomime. There was also High Tea back home. Genteel friends and benefactors would gather around the pianoforte in the drawing room to hear the newest voices in Jamaica (I was one of those voices) sing a repertoire of Schubert and Mozart liberally sprinkled with songs like Jamaica Farewell and Evening Time shepherded by Noel Dexter. Of course, my high tea at home was my grandmother’s fortifying early-morning bissy tea or fresh picked mint which I could cool and slurp contentedly. One can’t do that at High Tea. Still, the tea parties were a fabulous window into some of the goings on among the hoity toity class. The show, the drama in the living room was formal but fun. It was quite the change from my drama at home. In the yard, every time I raised a song (classical) like Handel’s, And He Shall Purify, my neighbor Lloydie would start one of his own, without fail, a revival rendition of My Journey Man Jesus and have us out sing each other. And then, things would steadily go downhill with the two of us furiously competing for loudest singer credits. I would lose to him every time because it would be straight nine-night alto while ignoring my mother’s repeated cry to “let her ears eat grass.” Looking back, it was classic zinc fence theatre.
Read the entire article at Jamaicans.com
About the Author:
Faith Nelson comes from a tradition of music and theatre in Jamaica. She now lives in the Washington DC where she continues to perform and work as a writer and brand strategist.
We find theatre in the most unusual moments. I’ve done my share of house parties at home and abroad. The Caribbean students’ parties around Howard University in Washington DC come to mind. It was fun to put on good clothes (loud gold brocade for me) and arrive 9 people deep around 12 midnight. We would do everything, Heineken, curry goat, roots Reggae, soca, dancehall, and the requisite dance competition until around 4 am, at which time, police would arrive and lock down proceedings. This was perfect time to linger for an hour, cuss the police from a safe distance in patois and then run off to breakfast with friends. The regularity of the police event added a layer of engagement to the party going experience, street theater if you will.
Before that there was my joy of singing and LTM Pantomime. There was also High Tea back home. Genteel friends and benefactors would gather around the pianoforte in the drawing room to hear the newest voices in Jamaica (I was one of those voices) sing a repertoire of Schubert and Mozart liberally sprinkled with songs like Jamaica Farewell and Evening Time shepherded by Noel Dexter. Of course, my high tea at home was my grandmother’s fortifying early-morning bissy tea or fresh picked mint which I could cool and slurp contentedly. One can’t do that at High Tea. Still, the tea parties were a fabulous window into some of the goings on among the hoity toity class. The show, the drama in the living room was formal but fun. It was quite the change from my drama at home. In the yard, every time I raised a song (classical) like Handel’s, And He Shall Purify, my neighbor Lloydie would start one of his own, without fail, a revival rendition of My Journey Man Jesus and have us out sing each other. And then, things would steadily go downhill with the two of us furiously competing for loudest singer credits. I would lose to him every time because it would be straight nine-night alto while ignoring my mother’s repeated cry to “let her ears eat grass.” Looking back, it was classic zinc fence theatre.
Read the entire article at Jamaicans.com
About the Author:
Faith Nelson comes from a tradition of music and theatre in Jamaica. She now lives in the Washington DC where she continues to perform and work as a writer and brand strategist.
Johnny Reggae by Barbara Gloudon, Dir. Bobby Ghisays
With Garey Bushi Harvey in Johnny Reggae, National Pantomime 1978.
O the glory of youth.
Review:
Andrene Bonner played the mother, Miss Inez with sensitivity and feeling, but seemed a trifle young to be Donglas' senior. This part was boviously written for Louise Bennett along similar lines as was, for exampkle, the mother in Trevor Rhone's Music Boy (1971) and Rashana O' (1976), and clearly illustrates the bankruptsy of Pantomime script ideas.
Reviewer: Norman Rae
O the glory of youth.
Review:
Andrene Bonner played the mother, Miss Inez with sensitivity and feeling, but seemed a trifle young to be Donglas' senior. This part was boviously written for Louise Bennett along similar lines as was, for exampkle, the mother in Trevor Rhone's Music Boy (1971) and Rashana O' (1976), and clearly illustrates the bankruptsy of Pantomime script ideas.
Reviewer: Norman Rae
| johnny_reggae_bonner_excellent_counter_weight_to_oliver_samuels.pdf |
| johnny_reggae_bonner_played_with_sensitivity_and_feeling.pdf |
Anansi & Unsung Heroes Out West by Stafford Ashani Harrison
Dir. Trevor Nairne
In Stafford Harrison's "Anancy and Unsung Heroes" with John Jones at Ward Theatre in Kingston 1978. Photo: Courtesy of Jackie Guy.
Andrene Bonner played the mother, Miss Inez with sensitivity and feeling, but seemed a trifle young to be Douglas' senior. This part was obviously written for Louise Bennett along similar lines as was, for example, the mother in Trevor Rhone's Music Boy (1971) and Brashana O' (1976), and clearly illustrates the bankruptcy of Pantomime script ideas.
Reviewer: Norman Rae
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Director Trevor Nairne once or twice tried something interesting like the "Follow That Train Line" sequence when Madda Wire valiantly attempted by Andrene Bonner tromps along the human rails (and we realise we're leaving the "Hair" atmosphere behind).
Reviewer: The Tower of Babble
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Heading the talented cast will be seasoned entertainers John Jones, Bob Andy and Winston MacAnnuff; as well as well-known actors Munair Zacca, Charmaine Hemmings, Baldwin Howe and Andrene Bonner. Jason's sick mother, whose death starts Madda Wire (Andrene Bonner) on her search to find the God of the Web.
Reviewer: Unknown
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Andrene Bonner having a ball as Madda Wire, the village Cassandra.
Reviewer: Harry Milner
| anansi_well_know_actor_andrene_bonner.pdf |
| anansi_bonner_having_a_ball.pdf |
| anansi_abundance_of_heroes_overview.pdf |
| anansi_madda_wire_valiantly_attempted_by_bonner.pdf |
| anansi-top_entertainers_and_actors-show_closes_sunday.pdf |
Moon on a Rainbow Shawl by Errol John
Directed by Jeffrey Anderson Gunter
Andrene Bonner as Sophia Adams and Gordon Greene as Ephraim
Review:
Andrene Bonner was a towering pillar of endurance as the long-suffering wife of the cricketeer (Austin Stoker), and Veralyn Jones provided comic sparkle as a sassy, unrepentant prostitute.
| moon_on_a_rainbow_shawl_la_times_1996_review.pdf |
Interviews & Conversations
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(c) Inside The Vibe TV book talk, Broward County, Florida
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(c) Shelf Life Television Show with Judith Falloon Reid doing a book talk.
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