Broadway bound | Caribbean Beat

After decades delighting audiences in Trinidad & Tobago and Great Britain, Melanie (Hudson) La Barrie makes her Broadway debut. Caroline Taylor learns more. Published in the November/December issue of Caribbean Beat It’s what the Independent called “a gloriously silly, unexpectedly poignant” jukebox musical that — using the music of Grammy-winning songwriter and super-producer Max Martin …

Continue reading Broadway bound | Caribbean Beat

Courtesy Jeanine De Bique

Jeanine De Bique: “It doesn’t matter where you come from” | Caribbean Beat

Jeanine De Bique, Trinidad-born classical singer, on the influence of her upbringing, and why Trinis “could do anything” — as told to Caroline Taylor in the November/December 2018 issue of Caribbean Beat I went St Gabriel’s RC School in San Fernando, and was in choir participating in the Music Festival and SanFest. I had a love for …

Continue reading Jeanine De Bique: “It doesn’t matter where you come from” | Caribbean Beat

Anna Deveare Smith brings “Notes from the Field”

October 6th: the promo I saw a Facebook post today that made me smile. Hard. Wide. Wisftfully. Nostalgically. One of my "idols" — the incomparable Anna Deavere Smith — was performing at my old workplace, Second Stage Theatre. Why the wist? A dozen years or so ago, I'd have been working on that show. Seeing that show …

Continue reading Anna Deveare Smith brings “Notes from the Field”

An insider guide to Port of Spain, Trinidad | The Guardian (UK)

This guide was written as an assignment for The Guardian (UK), and published as An insider’s cultural guide to Port of Spain: steel, sass and sweat 1) Your city's culture in five words Steel, seascapes, sass, and sweat. 2) What sound defines your city? The hills and valleys of Port of Spain’s residential communities is a strange combination …

Continue reading An insider guide to Port of Spain, Trinidad | The Guardian (UK)

The Apartment: About Last Night

A couple of months ago, I was happy to be part of what hopefully will be another landmark moment in T&T scripted television drama, when the Pauline Mark-led team behind The Apartment: About Last Night shot the pilot movie for what we all hope will be a successful multi-season local TV series. Next month (the week of …

Continue reading The Apartment: About Last Night

“Theatre is life, film is art, TV is furniture”

I think it's nearly 10 years I've been trying to decide whether I agree with this! I first heard it said by Phylicia Rashad on a New York TV station, and I've been mulling it ever since. I thought I disagreed with it, actually thinking film was more life-like and theatre more "artful" – at …

Continue reading “Theatre is life, film is art, TV is furniture”

Golden voices | Caribbean Beat

Originally written for and published in Caribbean Beat magazine in 2013 The half-century anniversary of Trinidad’s popular Marionettes Chorale It was all a little inevitable. My mother was the conductor, and my two godmothers were the executive management. Some of my best-established blackmailers are those who can recount me “conducting” from the audience as a pre-schooler, with …

Continue reading Golden voices | Caribbean Beat