During the current successful run of her play, Cock Tales, Debra Ehrhardt plans to capture the hearts of Jamaicans yet again with the return of the play that cemented her career. Jamaica Farewell will open next month for a limited three-day staging.
Jamaica Farewell is a one-woman play about a young woman’s journey from her homeland plagued by political war and tension, to the United States of America in hopes of a better life. Ehrhardt hilariously recounts her experiences of migration while providing relevant insights into and comparisons between the process and emotional stamina required then and now.
The concept of migration in 1970s Jamaica was vastly different and twice as difficult as it is now. Even with impending immigration fears tied to the newly-elected president of the US, migration between countries in that time of societal and governmental pivot just after the mid-1900s was just a concept, and one that was rarely achieved. Although then faced with this adversity, Debra reveals a heroine that was characterised with determination and a willingness to fight for the beginning of her career, a higher quality and standard of living, better and easily accessible opportunities and ultimately, happiness.
Jamaica Farwell serves as the embodiment of bravery and a bittersweet “see you soon” to familiarity and comfort. It tells a relatable tale experienced by many Jamaicans in the diaspora, and the piped dreams of some residents, who strived, skipped meals, missed their families, or worked three jobs to assure their feet through the door of prosperity.
The play has seen successful performances across the United States in Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Washington DC, and New York; and received exceptional reviews from some of the country’s top media outlets such as the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Washington Post. Jamaica Farewell has been lauded as riveting, nostalgic, brash and precocious by some notable Jamaicans such as the Jamaican Ambassador to Washington D.C. Stephen Vasciannie, and veteran playwright and director Basil Dawkins.
Jamaica Farewell will run for an exclusive stint from Friday March 3 to Sunday March 5, 2017 at the Jamaica Shopping Club Theatre, 6 Cargill Avenue, Kingston.
