A St Mary Me Come From headed to ‘town’
ASt Mary Me Come From, the stage show heralded by reggae artiste Capleton will be making its way to Kingston this year.
For the first time since its inception, the event, which is usually held in the artiste’s birth parish, will be moved to the National Arena.
According to Capleton’s manager, Claudette Kemp, the decision was one that had to be made for the sake of the show and its intended charities.
She explained that last year, rains affected the turnout, which in turn affected the outreach initiative the show has become known for.
“The event was outdoor and it rained and rained. So it’s not that we want to move it from St Mary, but we have to think about the legacy of the show and the fact that it must go on rain or shine,” she said. “We also have to think about our patrons. If you were there last year, you know that people were standing in the rain and the place was muddy and it just wasn’t comfortable. The only person who made money last year was the umbrella man.”
She said that production for a show like this is extremely costly, “and if we’re going to spend all that money, we can’t watch it go to waste so we have to put some plans in place”.
The weather also influenced the decision to keep the show in November instead of its usual time in August.
She explained that November is at the end of the rainy season and weather conditions are usually expected to improve.
NATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Kemp also revealed that the date change was also due partly to the venue change.
She explained that the National Stadium has become the new home of the Independence activities during August and her team would not dare compete with the national activities.
Saturday, November 10 is the date that has been set for the show’s 2018 staging. Bookings have not yet begun, but according to Kemp, the show should live up to its usual high-energy billing.
This will be the 14th staging of the event which was first held in 2000. It went on a three-year hiatus between 2013 and 2015.
Proceeds from the event have gone towards a number of educational and health institutions, including Port Maria Hospital, Islington High School, Annotto Bay Hospital, and the Haile Selassie High School.