PHILIPSBURG:--- Write in for Love is the latest stage play presented by Judah Jubilee Company (JJC) over the July 4th & 5th weekend. The stage play, written by Jason James and directed by Jamilah Javois, played to sold-out audiences over two nights, and patrons of the arts were treated to a nostalgic, humorous, and entertaining play about Love on Sint Maarten in the 1950s.
Set against the backdrop of the Marigot marketplace, where the market ladies plied their trade, the play depicted life in a period when times were hard, with fishing & selling fruits and vegetables as the primary jobs, and the marketplace as the center of attraction. Despite differing Dutch & French customs, the attraction was a central theme when young fisherman Lucien (played by Vitson Exantus), who is from the French side, developed a love interest for Amara (played by Prisca George), a beautiful young Dutch debutante. However, Amara’s father, who is from the Netherlands and married to a local of color, believes that the societal differences between his wealthy family and the people at the marketplace were too wide. He definitely did not see his daughter marrying someone like a fisherman.
The historical aspects of life on St Maarten back in the 1950s featured prominently in this play by Judah Jubilee Company. From the nostalgic setup of the marketplace, to the periodic attire to the simplicity of courting in those times, “Write in for Love” explored the traditional habits when two young people were in love, and the male would have to write a letter to the parents, usually to the father, in order to be able to court and eventually marry the daughter. Central to the play are the market ladies whose function not only includes selling fruits, provisions & dresses, but also as purveyors of all the melee on the island. The market ladies played by Rita Carty, Joy Carty & Isabella Graneau somehow seemed to know everything that was happening on the island. They even knew all that was happening in the Dutch family's home, even at midnight when everyone should have been asleep, thanks to the nosy cleaner Ernest, played by Sjalmar Rotsburg, who always seemed to be cleaning the house in close proximity to every conversation. Strangely enough, this “Macco” seemed to have had three jobs, while we could only see him doing two: cleaning the rich family’s home at night and cleaning fish at the marketplace by day.
The influence of the mother figure back in that period strengthened the play’s central storyline of young love being allowed to blossom as the mother of young Amara, played by Giselle Jermin, and the aunt of young Lucien, played by Reshma Jermin, used their wisdom in helping Lucien to “write in for Love” and to convince the Dutch father to give the young budding romance a chance.
The play, which received a standing ovation from the audience, indicating that they were well entertained, is the first script written by new playwright Jason James. James had previously featured as a main cast member in JJC’s previous play “Redemption “ and decided to write this play. Judah Jubilee Company has been performing stage plays for the past seven years, and “Write in for Love” is the company’s latest production.
