NCC promises glitzy Dimanche Gras
Posted: Sunday, February 6, 2005
By Terry Joseph
Susan Low portrays "Lady of the Night" at the NCC Queens semi-final at the Queen's Park Savannah on Friday night. Photo: ROBERTO CODALLO
Literally translated, Dimanche Gras is "Fat Sunday", an interpretation the National Carnival Commission (NCC) is confident will be properly defined from 7 p.m. at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain, under the season's theme "Cherish We Carnival"; tonight's revelation to be witnessed by President George Maxwell Richards and a live audience estimated at more than 8,000.
"The opening sequence alone is probably worth the full admission price," NCC chairman Kenny de Silva said yesterday.
"We have retained Norvan Fullerton as producer/director and invested a significant sum to ensure what is, after all, the season's premier presentation, offers both the intrinsic substance and visuals reflective of its positioning in the festival. Even staple items like fireworks have been enhanced and the guiding principle is to keep the production tight.
"We are committed to bringing down the curtain on Dimanche Gras by midnight, complete with results, giving patrons so inclined a bit of a breather before Jouvert which, we must remember, has returned to a 4 a.m. start. And, while I am aware several of my predecessors and, indeed, I myself have promised a spectacular show or predicted closing time that didn't always deliver precisely, my confidence in this particular production is not merely wishful thinking but plausibly informed by the planning team.
"This is perhaps the most maligned show of any Carnival," de Silva remarked with a chuckle, "although a lot of its detractors do not appreciate the hard fact that we are forever faced with the challenge of massaging into a palatable mix, the finals of three separate competitions and at a time when the festival is at the cusp of its climax; requiring an integration of audience expectation and the inescapable formula."
He added: "We remain mindful of the need to have the kind of show that reflects intrinsic song, dance and costuming features of Carnival and that the tone of Dimanche Gras must provide structured continuity, in the context of a build-up to the threshold from which we launch the adult street parades. But there are equally important matters to bring to conclusion like the crowning of the King and Queen of Carnival and the Calypso Monarch; three crucial elements of the festival."
Fullerton is equally assertive, although unwilling to divulge details, saying only that traditional aspects of Carnival will be presented in a different way. "The Invasion", as tonight's opening segment is sub-titled, will present the conflict between determined festival protagonists and those who wished to curtail the merriment and, at the show's climax, "The Confrontation" deals with the final conflict and its outcomes.
With the thrones of king and queen of the festival under siege by eight aspirants in each joust and 11 calypsonians all seeking to topple calypso's reigning monarch, Chalkdust, a victory that brings with it Carnival's largest reward to a solo act, individual tolerance and overall anxiety are palpable, as none of the 28 competitors on show tonight is willing to compromise his or her chance at not only the purse but bragging rights that remain secure for the ensuing year.
In the battle for calypso supremacy, four former kings (including reigning monarch Chalkdust) are among the 12 hoping to cop top honours. In fact, this segment opens with three title-holders (Sugar Aloes, Cro Cro, Singing Sandra) in strict sequence, the defending champion is smack in the middle of the dozen and Delamo, the only one among them with a mere single lien on the trophy, bringing up the rear.
Cro Cro and single-win Aloes have their own private spat over succession plans for The Revue calypso tent where they shared the spotlight up until
last year, one of the latter's songs dedicated to the issue and including a sneering swipe at the diminutive three-time champion, whose stagecraft brings its own bonuses.
Nor is Singing Sandra to be overlooked for top honours, having enjoyed a season that stirred even the most lethargic of calypso fans.
While the selected singers have advanced to the final with particular songs, before this morning's final rehearsal it always is risky business to predict what they will actually sing at the hour of decision, Chalkdust being the master of coming up with a brand new song in the bid to upstage his opponents on more than one level, although punters are likely to hedge bets for the 2005 title on one of the first three singers. King of Carnival hopefuls Roland St George's portrayal of Caryba and
Warchant D' Rise of Tatanka danced by Curtis Eustace, having switched positions between the preliminary round and last Tuesday's semi-final, now separated by a single point, will no doubt be applying every available trick to enhance their costumes and attain the edge.
Among the queens, Boadicea-Queen of D' Barbarians, which put Anra Bobb at the top of the first round, and Pamela Gordon's Fly High Pretty Butterfly, are now pushed to second and third place (respectively) after a surprise ascendancy to top rung by previously trailing Inez Gould (Hispaniola). No queen takes that kind of assault without measurable redress.
Both the kings and queens will draw for performance positions this morning.
Calypso Monarch Contest
1. Sugar Aloes
2. Cro Cro
3. Singing Sandra
4. Devon Seale
5. De Fosto
6. Chalkdust
7. Bodyguard
8. Brother Mudada
9. Lesley Ann Ellis
10. Brian London
11. Skatie
12. Delamo
(Reserves Explainer, Crazy)
Queen Of Carnival
Inez Gould - Hispaniola
Anra Bobb - Boadicea, Queen of D' Barbarians
Pamela Gordon - Fly High, Pretty Butterfly
Susan Low - The Lady of the Night
Gloria Dallsingh - Brazilian Dancer
Leslie Ann Boiselle - The Rebirth, A Tribal Celebration
Deborah Nandah - Pride of the Nation, We Pan
Rose Marie Kuru-Jagessar - Zanaru, Lady of the Plains
King Of Carnival
Curtis Eustace - War Chant, D' Rise of Tatanka
Roland St George - Caryba
Wade Madray - Behold
Innocent Cedeno - Zeus, God of the Sky
Fareid Carvalho - Prince of Deliverance
Errol Phillip - The Invokement of Carnival
Leroy Prieto - Magazany, Bizarre Buffoon/King of Clowns
Hilton de Couteau - D' Mystical Skull Throne of Atilla
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