Lacklustre start to Mash Week

by A1 Creighton

WITHOUT fanfare, celebration or ceremony, and without even applause from a generally dissatisfied crowd, Kaiso Kid of Linden was crowned as Guyana’s Calypso King for 1991 at the Mashramani Calypso Finals last Sunday night at the National Park. He won narrowly and controversially from a field of 13, scoring 237 points to edge out runner-up Calypso Stella (235) and third placed Sweet Patsy (231). The 1990 Monarch, Ras Marcus, finished down the field in eighth place with 199.

Although the Sunday night show seemed much better handled than in previous years, it was a very lacklustre start to the Mashramani week. M.C. Basil Bradshaw was, like the fair-size crowd, without exuberance, but proved better, more efficient and less long-winded than some MC’s the crowd has had to suffer in the past.

There was however, very little to cheer about. While the tarmac and Eastern stands were full, the entire row of west stands was completely empty and the northern pavilions at half capacity. The stage was again without any design or decoration befitting a grand national event.

It was, as usual, stark and bare with a bright floodlight shining in the audience’s eyes rather than away from them, onto the stage.

The calypsoes were low on quality and very few of them drew spontaneous appreciation from the audience. Many passed without even polite applause, as they failed to inspire the crowd.

One of the very few that were enthusiastically received was defending champion Ras Marcus’s “Licks in Round Six” David Chee’s ‘Aids-the Mighty Dragon’ in full flow at the National Park last Sunday night. The costume won the Queen of the Band Competition for Chee and his sponsor, the Guyana National Pharmaceutical Corporation (GPC).

in which he cast the national political arena as a boxing match with Dr. Jagan scoring a knockout in the sixth round (after losing five).

But the judges once again showed a disinclination to look favourably upon political or social satire and he was dethroned.

Marcus’performance was the only one in the second segment of the show that sounded like a calypso, although his punchlines were often too ordinary. The extremely well-behaved crowd was audibly shocked when he was announced in eighth place, just as they voiced disapproval at Calypso Stella’s second placing.

While the number of King and Queen costumes appearing was, surprisingly, very few and most from just one band, they were not as mediocre as the songs. There were very good ones in terms of colour, workmanship and spectacle, designed by Peter

Tang for G.N.E.C.’s band “FANTASEA.”

“The Sea Devil” (Brenda Hooper) and Aids, “The Mighty Dragon” were the two most impressive Queen Floats w h i l e “Poseidon” (Randolph Scott) was foremost in the King category.

It was, however, not easy to get the names properly since there were no programmes and they were repeatedly mispronounced by M.C. Hector Stoute.

The Mashramani Steel band and masquerade band competitions will take place tonight at the National Sports Hall. In the steel band competition, a showdown is anticipated between the Police Force band, the GDF band, the GNS band and BIDCO Invaders, the four bands which will be vying for top honours.

The highlight of Mashramani activities will be the hoisting of Guyana’s flag ‘The Golden Arrowhead’ on midnight next