THE National Drama Festival continued on Monday night with two plays in the junior category, ‘The Professor’ by Randolph Critchlow and ‘Planned to Perfection’ by Mark Luke-Edwards. 

They hit the stage in that order, Critchlow’s being a classic Caribbean production set in Trinidad during the mid twentieth century.
The plot in it centres on the middle class Jordan family who were visited by an art professor, purportedly visiting from England.
The Jordans’ maid, Mabel, who hails from Grenada had been keeping her personal life secret from her boss, including the fact that she was married and had a baby. The baby’s existence was only revealed when the child started crying in the kitchen.
But, still, the Jordans did not know the identity of Mabel’s husband.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Jordan who was an avid art student had invited Professor Waters to her home to give her some tips on painting. While they waited for him to arrive, she gushed about her coming guest, causing Mabel to ask how the professor looks. Unfortunately, Mrs. Jordan could not come up with an accurate description, except to say that he “looks like all artists look, I suppose.”
Pretty women
However, after the professor arrived, it was clear that he had an eye not only for painting but also for pretty women. In this case, Mrs. Jordan was squarely in his sights and he duly put his moves on her in his exaggerated high class English.
Mr. Jordan did not seem to pick up on this as he, himself, suddenly, became intensely interested in art.
When the Jordans’ daughter emerged from the bedroom, the professor eyed her, as well, making her question whether he was really an artist. This inflamed and irked the learned man, to the point, where he decided to paint a portrait of Mrs. Jordan while he was in the nude.
Mr. Jordan, though, would have none of it and attempted to restrain the professor who, nevertheless, managed to strip down to his brief.
With the professor subdued and, finally out of the room, Mabel re-emerged to tell Mrs. Jordan about her troubles with her husband.
Mrs. Jordan sends her back into the kitchen, temporarily, to get something just as the professor returns and they miss each other. When Mabel re-emerges from the kitchen, she comes face-to-face with the professor and recognises him as her troublesome husband.
Just then, the Trinidadian immigration authorities, who had been tracking him, barged into the house determined to arrest the professor. The scene ends with Mabel pleading for clemency on behalf of her naughty husband.
Next on the platform was ‘Planned to Perfection’ which began with an office scene showing a secretary making moves on her boss, the company accountant.
However, as hard as she tried he remained focused on the task at hand and the woman, who was so busy trying to seduce him failed to notice the entry of the company head.
Needless to say, the bigger boss was not too pleased and sent the secretary out of the office. The reason soon became obvious, as she, too, began moving on the accountant, who rebuffed her approaches.
Fired him
This infuriated her so much that she ordered him to manipulate the company’s financial statement and when he refused, she promptly, fired him.
That very night, after the accountant left, a bandit entered the office building and killed the company’s boss. Mr. Phillip Williams, the former accountant became an immediate suspect and was arrested. Not only did he have a motive, but he also had an opportunity, as he couldn’t provide a corroborated alibi.
While Williams sat in jail, his wife was visited by her husband’s former secretary and it quickly became obvious that the two were lesbian lovers and she actually had planned the murder of Ms. Boswick, the head of the company and implicated Williams by leaving some of his hair at the crime scene.
What they did not count on, though, was Williams’ daughter recording their entire incriminating conversation as well as the murder of the hitman, who was killed because he wanted more money for the killing of Boswick.
Armed with the new evidence, the Police arrested the duo, who thought they had it planned to perfection, only to realise that the daughter held the ace in the end.
Both plays were refreshing and entertaining, according to opinions offered by some members of the audience, who all declared they thoroughly enjoyed them.

(By Jimmy Roos)