WEST PALM BEACH – Nominated for 9 Actor Boy Awards and winner of Best New Jamaican Play, Which Way is Out comes to Palm Beach on Fathers Day, Sunday, June 21 at the Royal Palm Beach High School (10600 Okeechobee Blvd.) starting at 6pm.
Its second South Florida run, the popular play, written by noted playwright Basil Dawkins, created such a buzz during its first showing in Miami and Broward counties, producers were forced to bring it back. Palm Beach county residents will get their chance to see the play everybody is talking about.
Basil Dawkins
Dawkins, a multi-award winning playwright and producer, uses this new stage vehicle to look at the harsh realities of poverty, yet tempers it with the love, resilience, and triumph that kicks in as the human spirit fights to survive. With a cast of seasoned and remarkably talented young actors, the story of unlikely love between a poor country girl and a well-to-do American tourist sets the stage for strained family relationships, culture clash, and tragedy that mark the young couple’s lives.
Not your typical slapstick comedy, actors Sakina Deer, Rush HoShing, Jerry Benzwick, Maylynne Walton, Jean-Paul Menou, and Donald Anderson bring to the stage a sense of reality and raw emotion that the audience can identify with. Life in “farrin” is explored without the sugar coating.
Which Way is Out also brings with it a ‘belly full of laughs’ as its characters’ mishaps and missteps dish out comic relief in all the right places.
“I can’t wait to see it again, says Gloria Christian, who enjoyed the play in Broward county in May and plans to travel to West Palm Beach to see it a second time. “It was everything one could experience in true life situations, that’s what made it so meaningful for me. Yet, it was also light-hearted,” she adds.
Indeed, Which Way is Out is drama, it’s comedy, it’s history, it’s a psychological thrill ride. Skillfully produced and directed (Douglas Prout), the play also showcases some of the actors’ other talents; come prepared to be entertained. The tightly woven production also moves seamlessly from scene to scene, keeping patrons fully engaged.
Noted playwright and producer Basil Dawkins has earned the respect of the theatre industry with the depth of his on-stage productions over the years. In fact, he was awarded the Bronze Musgrave Medal in 2004 for his contribution to drama.
His plays including Toy Boy (1996), Feminine Justice (1998), A Gift for Mom (2004), and Uptown Bangarang (2007) have been singled out for top dramatic awards. Many have made their mark on stages in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Caribbean Islands such as St. Lucia, Trinidad, St. Kitts, and Guyana.
Promoter Kareem Ali of EVI International, a Palm Beach resident himself, has been bringing quality stage plays to the county since 2007. His business acumen and keen instinct for connecting with the right partners is key to his success.
“I am honored to bring this high caliber of stage production to Palm Beach,” says Ali. Basil Dawkins produces dramatic plays that truly resonate with audiences. And, I think Palm Beach residents will be extremely pleased with a production of this magnitude.”
