Music
Celebrated playwright Uncle Ebo Whyte has drawn the curtain on his latest production, Order for Four, which entertained audiences with a mix of politics, love, hardship and music during its run from November 28 to 30 and December 5 to 7 at the National Theatre.
In an exclusive engagement, Uncle Ebo shared the inspiration behind the play.
“I think we are all given different talents and different gifts, and that is my gift. My gift is to tell a story. So we can watch the same thing, we can experience the same thing, and my mind will process it differently because of the gift of storytelling that I have.
And because I’ve done this since 1974, I’ve learned a few things on how to get the audience engaged and get them sucked into the story,” he explained.
The play explored the political landscape and how people navigate relationships, travel, and ambition. According to Uncle Ebo, the political scenes were inspired by the way politicians interact and the public perception of politics.
“I have always wondered why non-politicians take politics too seriously because my experience is that the politicians don’t take themselves too seriously. Not that they are not serious people, they are very serious people, but it’s a game and they understand that. Unfortunately, those of us whom they are serving do not recognize that it’s a game for them.
“In fact there will be people who will be surprised to find that the politicians are friends. But they are, and they understand that. They understand that the fact that I am NDC and you are MPP doesn’t mean we should be enemies,” he highlighted.
The story also focused on love, with Uncle Ebo reflecting on the small things that affect relationships.
“I’ve always been a student of love. I know how wonderful love is. Unfortunately, I find that we allow little things to come between us and love. If you find a love relationship that has collapsed, it is often not the big thing that killed it. It is small, small things.
“A temper, a word that was said at the wrong time in the wrong way, an attitude, more than even the affair. So my life goal is hopefully to let people know love can be sweet, less painful. Let’s work at ensuring that our love relationships are rich and can be sustained, “he noted.
Speaking on the cast, he praised their commitment and performance.
“The cast have excelled and they have done the very best they can do. The work of an author, you as the director make certain demands of the cast, and when they rise to it and respond to it, you can only give them their due, which is they’ve done well,” he commended.
Uncle Ebo Whyte also spoke about this year’s Festival of Plays, an annual tradition where he brings all his productions together for the festive season.
“I write, direct, and produce four plays every year. And then at the end of the year, I put the four together and then pick two plays from my repertoire, which is over 60 plays. And then we make a festival of six plays. And this year, it begins on the 24th and it will end on the 4th of January.
“And every day a different play. I hope that people would even use the tickets as handpicks for their friends, for their staff, for their customers, for their clients because then whenever the person you gave a ticket to remembers a line in the play, he would remember that, oh, you gave me that and I experienced that. So that is what it is,” he added.
He also highlighted the Roverman Loyalty Card, which rewards regular patrons with 25% off on shows and other benefits from partner companies.
“We’ve been looking for a way of building a community, one, and also rewarding those who come quarter upon quarter upon quarter. And so we came up with the Roverman Loyalty Card that entitles its holders to 25% off anything that I do, anything with my name, anything with Roverman Productions. So far it’s working, but we’ve done more than that.
“There are companies that are signing on so that if our patrons turn up at the yard door either to buy a product or to experience a service from them, they also get some benefit from that. So we’re hoping it will create a big community and not just of our patrons but also of companies that want to delight people and want to reach more people especially as you are in this festive season,” he expanded.
Speaking on the music in ‘Order for Four’, the music director, J.B., revealed the complexity behind the many musical interludes.
“It’s not easy working with them as individuals and also getting them to do exactly what you want in terms of song choices and delivery. But we have 17 years of experience and we make it work,” he underscored.
The cast also shared their reflections on performing the play.
“There is something unique about the process that brings out this kind of plays. I’ve worked with a few people, but with Roverman we have what we call the Rover Process. That is what ends up translating any piece of work into a beautiful piece like this,” one of the cast said.
Audiences also shared their thoughts, praising the production for being both entertaining and insightful.
“Roverman plays are fantastic, exciting, and give meaningful lessons about life. I just want to say thank you, Uncle Ebo, for helping this society a lot. May he leave long so that this generation and the next can transform their minds through the advice he passes out from his play,” he appreciated.
With Order for Four, Uncle Ebo Whyte once again demonstrated his mastery of storytelling, blending emotions, politics, and music to deliver a production that engaged, entertained, and inspired.