Santa Monica Playhouse (Santa Monica, CA)
There are large obstacles in Debra Ehrhardt's way out of Jamaica: an alcoholic father, a bible-spouting mother, the price of an air ticket, U.S. government suspicions. But she uses her wits, beauty and courage to convince a CIA agent to help her reach Miami. Every part is impersonated by Ehrhardt, an actress capable of amazing mimicry. This one-woman caper's got generous dollops of humor, laughter and light.
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It was excellent. We love it. It is must see.
Very enjoyable especially from about the middle of "the story" to the end. No scenery to speak of but you don't miss it. Anyone who can memorize that much unbroken dialogue and assume various personalities is to be admired. Perfect size theater for this type of performance.
Great story telling. Ehrhardt's takes you in as a guest in her home and keeps you captivated throughout..
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Since its inception in 1962, the Santa Monica Playhouse has been providing the finest in theatre entertainment and theatre-related workshops to the Los Angeles area and, through its international programs, to the world.
It has two intimate theatres. The Main Stage is 88 seats and the Other Space is 70 seats. Not a bad seat in the house.
Website: http://jamaicafarewelltheplay.com/
Written and performed by Debra Ehrhardt
Jamaica Cultural Alliance presents award-winning playwright and actor Debra Ehrhardt's Jamaica, Farewell, based on her true-life story. A 2007 NYC Fringe Festival award-winner, Jamaica, Farewell comes to the Santa Monica Playhouse following sell out and critically acclaimed runs in New York, London, Santa Barbara, Atlanta, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Virginia and Toronto.
Jamaica, Farewell tells the story of Debra Ehrhardt's journey in which she escapes revolution-torn Jamaica in the 1970's. Left to her own devices, she risked prison time, and even death in an attempt to pull off a daring and dangerous caper with the unwitting help of an infatuated American CIA agent to fulfill her lifelong dream of starting over in America.
Debra Ehrhardt (Writer/Performer). A native of Kingston Jamaica, Debra Ehrhardt fled to the US during the politically unstable seventies. This is her third one-woman show. Previous productions include Mango, Mango which received two NAACP Awards and Invisible Chairs, which was produced by David Strasberg at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre in West Hollywood and later optioned as a situation comedy by Fox. She received a 2007 Proclamation from the City of New York for Jamaica, Farewell for her "Outstanding Contribution to the Jamaican Community." A member of the Writer's Guild of America, Ms. Ehrhardt is currently adapting Jamaica, Farewell for the big screen.
Francis Megahy (Director) is an ex-UK TV director, who has made his home in Hollywood for the past decade. He began as a BBC documentary director, and then wrote and directed for many top-rated series, including Lovejoy, Minder and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. He was also a stand-up comic, working in Peter Cook's Establishment Club, and with the Johnny Dankworth Orchestra. His dramatized documentary about the robbery of the vaults of the Societe Generale in 1982, starring Ian McShane, remains the third-highest movie ever shown on UK TV. Among the actors he first gave leading roles to are Pete Postlethwaite [in Minder] and Pierce Brosnan [Hammer House of Horror]. Megahy has wrapped post-production on a documentary about the influence of Big Business on US politics; and has a romantic comedy movie, Only in LA, coming out in 2009.