by Howard Campbell
UNITED KINGDOM – The timeless music of Gregory Isaacs filled the Hackney Empire in east London on May 25. This event marked the beginning of The Cool Ruler: The Musical’s eight-show run in the United Kingdom.
Written and produced by Jamaican playwright Anton Phillips, the play is inspired by the legendary singer’s life. Isaacs, best known for songs like Night Nurse and Soon Forward, died in London in October, 2010 at age 60.
Over 3,000 fans attended the opening of The Cool Ruler: The Musical. Notable attendees included Isaacs’ wife June Isaacs and his former manager Copeland Forbes. Other attendees were singer Tarrus Riley, saxophonist Dean Fraser, and Alexander Williams. Williams is Jamaica’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
“It was phenomenal! Everything went well, the public got what they expected and more,” said John “Bagga John” Farquarson, the show’s promoter.
Like the Hackney Empire, most of the venues hosting The Cool Ruler: The Musical are located in areas with strong West Indian communities. They include the O2 Academy in Birmingham. The musical plays there on June 2.
Isaacs, known as The Cool Ruler, is played by Terrence Wallen, a British singer whose parents are Jamaican. He leads a five-member cast backed by the Delroy Murray Band.
Wallen performs a number of Isaacs’ hit songs. These include Slavemaster, Love Is Overdue, The Border, Black A Kill Black, Red Rose For Gregory, Cool Down The Pace, and Night Nurse. The latter, covered by Mick Hucknall of Simply Red, is Isaacs’ biggest hit in the UK.
The Cool Ruler: The Musical offers a detailed look at the singer’s life. It covers his journey from poverty in Kingston, Jamaica to global stardom, as well as his years of cocaine addiction.
