Lenya Wilks closes in fine Whitney style

Laughter was expected at Scotialink, Liguanea, St Andrew, on Sunday. After all, the event was billed a s Laugh Till Yu Bely Buss.

But there was brawta on the chuckles from Elva, Christopher Johnny Daley and Joan Andrea Hutchinson, as Dance Theatre Xpressionz provided dynamic, coordinated moves before and there was song after.

And Lenya Wilks anchored the song in excellent fashion to close off the concert segment of an event that had begun much earlier with a childrens fun day, Jerry Benzwick coordinating some of the fun and games.

Glee aplenty

There was glee aplenty during the daylight hours, hosted by Jerry Benzwick, what with the mechanical bull tossing quite a few wanna-be urban steer busters and two young men getting entangled and falling to girl power in the three-legged race.

Co-hostess from the audience

Everaldo Creary hosted the concert, plucking a co-hostess from the audience. And when Wilks sang clearly, accurately and powerfully that do what you want as long as youre with me, he trotted out and became her brief romantic interest, getting a few faux caresses to go with the song as she sang directly to him.

On an evening of brief performances, Wilks showed her versatility, rocking the house with The First Cut (Is The Deepest) and Hideaway. And when an encore was required, Wilks asked if she could sing a slow song. Getting a yes, she said that Whitney Houston was her favourite singer and the whoops went up as she invited share my life.

She hit the required highs in I Have Nothing and closed on a high of a different kind.

Song had also come from Albira and Suhverto after Joan Andrea Hutchinson had wrapped up the rib-tickling, more so than belly bursting, comedic segment.

Hutchinson read the poem of an ICI who marked her box F-R-A-G-G-L-E and the contents were duly broken up through rough handling. More word play of the Jamaican kind came with olabammy on a restaurant receipt and a man ordering a freshly squozen orange juice. Ivan Lef Me Inna Grief spoke of a wanna-be crook who camped out in front of Courts and was disappointed and she also read about De Hog Name Crowd, as well as her Bad Advice on a relationship.

Childhood

Elva, who started off the jokes, said that there are some people who stay at your home, licky licky and when their stay is up yu no see dem a move. Wha dem name? she asked. Some said squatter, but Elva corrected them and said pickney. She compared her kind of childhood to those which are enjoyed now, saying that her mother would conduct spot check like police. If she fin nutten whe she no buy, straight back to de owner.

And once her mother hit her when she had done nothing wrong. When Elva protested her mother said yu gwine do suppen tomorrow an I don have de time.

Licks were also on Johnnys mind, who said his mother could throw pot covers around corners like a boomerang. He worked in the message to the children that stealing is wrong and told the story of two troublesome boys, Paul and Peter. Peter was sent to the pastor for a good scare, the preacher demanding where is God?! And Peter told Paul that God los an dem tink is we tief im.