Tonight, ‘Signature Productions’ will host Romeo and Juliet with a Guyanese twist. The production, scheduled for the National Cultural Centre tonight at 20:00hrs, will mark Leza Singh’s (Radika from Parika Backdam) directorial debut, although she is no stranger to theatre in Guyana.

Leza is confident that patrons will love her show! She told the Buzz that while she feels a mixture of emotions at this point, to say she is nervous would be an understatement. However, the help she has received from the rest of the cast has only made things easier for her.

“This is the first time I will be directing a full-length play, but the cast makes it easy. Their suggestions, advice and the pooling of their ideas, are sure to guarantee a great product,” she expressed.
The play was written by her, Maria Benschop and Clemencio Goddette, all faces behind the very popular and well-loved ‘Nothing to Laugh About’ Comedy Show.

Tonight, two families will showdown when the play gets underway at the National Cultural Center (NCC). This version of the play puts a Guyanese twist to the story of two lovers and the heavy strife between their families.

The two families, Bharrat Persaud (played by Michael Ignatius) and David Blackman (played by Mark Luke Edwards), are all fictional, but they do draw elements from real situations in Guyana, Leza said, adding, “The play addresses some serious issues and it utilises comedy, sarcasm, drama, farce, dark humour and satire to achieve it.”

The producers of the show are bringing to the Guyanese audience a play that was deliberately written to target typical problems around elections time, and will be working along with some of the country’s most loved, talented, and versatile actors and actresses.
These include, apart from those mentioned above, Ladonna Kissoon (Aunty Baby), Aleena Hoalim (Juliet Persaud), Mark Kazim (Anil Chatree), Charles Adrain (Irfaan Alleyway), Sophera Waldron (Sandra Blackman), Denzil Jones (Romeo Blackman), Yohance Koama
(Chris Jones), Andre Phillips (Pope London), and Nirmala Narine (Narrator).

According to Leza, the play will tackle such issues as racism, the political divide, suicide and mental health. “We are smack in the middle of the election season, so the play is deliberately written to target the typical issues we have around this time,” she said.

In fact, Leza has always tried to keep things real, even in her comedy. “I try to be realistic with my comedy, and most of my jokes come from what actually happens. And I don’t even think people know that,” she said. “They think I’m just talking ‘stupidness’ on stage. Most of my jokes are true; it might be slightly exaggerated, but most are true. It’s things people tell me or things I would have experienced growing up,” she’d told this publication in a previous interview.

Tickets are out for $1,000, $1,500 and $2,500. The show is expected to start at exactly 20:00hrs.

Meanwhile, patrons can expect a sizzling show and performance from the cast members and producers of the show, who have a track record of producing high-quality entertainment in Guyana.