Vintage calypso gems at House of Stars tonight
Posted: Saturday, February 7, 2004

By Terry Joseph

WILLIAM MUNRO'S House of Stars calypso tent will tonight repeat Thursday's sold-our vintage kaiso show to accommodate hundreds who could not get into Club Caribbean for the novel mid-season presentation.

Earlybird patrons who managed to get seats under the big top, that in guarding against inclement weather also shrouded a splendid moon, relinquished their advantage when the show really bubbled, by standing on the very chairs to dance.

And they had the best of vintage calypso as triggers for their revelry.

Singing Francine brought tears of joy to a portly lady whose experience must have further endeared her 1970's hit, "Runaway". Singing every line of the lyric and with dismissive gestures to an invisible man, she choreographed the piece to best effect.

Like fellow patrons who lived the original experience, she sang too from Francine's opening song. "Portrait of Trinidad", another period piece and a poignant one for Francine, who was unfairly categorized at original release of Sniper's winning song, for mentioning her Barbadian roots at a time when Trini calypso was perversely parochial.

But there was a lot more to come and indeed, much had gone before, like King Austin's rendition of "Progress", another sing along, and Carndinal's works (including the laugh-riot "No Tailor" takeoff on "Lotay La"), Trinidad Rio's "Travelling Man" and Brigo's new treatment of his benchmark "Mama PoPo".

Add to that well-known works by the former monarchs Calypso Rose, five-time national title-holder and reigning calypso king of the world Black Stalin and, of course, the indomitable Mighty Sparrow.

Rose supplied fresh "Tempo" with "Fire, Fire" and Stalin really brought the house down with selections from his burgeoning catalogue, most notably "Feeling to Party", which conscripted the entire house into its chorus line.

Sparrow had them eating out of his hands as he challenged the thoroughly competent band led by Al Bushe (under the musical direction of Roy Cape) to accompany him on hits selected on the basis of audience demand.

An elated Munro said the first request for a repeat of the show came from a large group of patrons who could not be accommodated.

"We are coming even better with the repeat, as some of the singers who have good vintage songs were not one the cast with that kind of material Thursday, so for the Saturday (tonight's) show, we are unleashing some of the best calypsoes in the history of the are," Munro said.

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