Dancer Christopher Sheppard and Ella Andall (Mother Earth) give the audience
a taste of shango.

Carnival Messiah opened to a sold-out audience on September 14 at Harewood House in Leeds, England.

The cast featured many of T&T’s leading performers including Orisha chantress Ella Andall, chantuelle Sheldon Blackman, opera singer Ronald Samm, dramatic soprano Anne Fridal and lyrical high baritone and Trinidad Guardian employee Marvin Smith, with dancers extraordinaire Alyson Brown, Christopher Sheppard and Natalie Joseph-Settle, fully complemented by the unique acting skills of Camille Quamina and Caroline Taylor.

A Big Top was erected on the grounds of Harewood House with a large stage and backstage area that seated 1,000 people.

This year marks the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade, and Harewood House, built on the riches made from the sugar plantations of the West Indies, (Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago) was the perfect site to host this commemorative celebration.

Carnival Messiah brings together the cultures of the Caribbean through Trinidad Carnival and Handel’s Messiah and shows the story of Jesus Christ through the religious diversity of the West Indian diaspora.

At the beginning of the show the blessings from the Orisha voice of Andall set the high standard that was maintained throughout the production.

Samm’s singing was heavenly; Fridal, heart-pounding and dramatic and Smith caressed each note with heartfelt emotion. The dancing of Brown, Joseph-Settle and Sheppard was exciting and superbly choreographed by Carol La Chapelle.

Wayne Berkeley’s sets brought the entire piece to life and complemented the fantastic costumes designed by Clary Salandy.

The spectacle received thunderous applause at the end of each show and had the entire audience on their feet, clapping, dancing and singing along to the music of the band which included Sheldon Blackman, Jegbe Andall and Redman Watson.

The show also included a performance of the Halleluiah Chorus played by the Leeds-based New World Steel Orchestra and arranged by Dudley Nesbitt.

Geraldine Connor’s Carnival Messiah has once again proven that it is the musical success of the century and continues to move in an upward direction around the world.

Producer David Lascelles is to be highly commended for giving Carnival Messiah the opportunity to showcase the greatest show on Earth, Trinidad Carnival. Carnival Messiah ended its run at Harewood House on September 30.

Photos: Lamisi Blackman and Guzelian