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ASHE spins Grinch storyline with ‘Crinchy Mon: The Christmas Thief’

Published:Monday | December 14, 2020 | 12:09 AMShereita Grizzle/Staff Reporter
ASHE Academy and Ensemble members on set of ‘Crinchy Mon: The Christmas Thief’.
ASHE Academy and Ensemble members on set of ‘Crinchy Mon: The Christmas Thief’.
Muiscal director, Shereida Sharpe, applies makeup to Crinchy Mon, played by Naima Scott.
Muiscal director, Shereida Sharpe, applies makeup to Crinchy Mon, played by Naima Scott.
Writer and director, Michael Holgate, says COVID-19 is the Grinch that is stealing Christmas.
Writer and director, Michael Holgate, says COVID-19 is the Grinch that is stealing Christmas.
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The story of the Grinch who stole Christmas has been re-purposed and re-told countless times over the past five decades. But this Yuletide season, Jamaicans at home and abroad will get to experience the storyline in a way that connects uniquely with the culture as the ASHE Academy brings the classic to life in an exciting new children’s musical titled Crinchy Mon: The Christmas Thief. According to writer and director, Michael Holgate, the production will incorporate different lessons learnt from COVID-19, which is this year substituting for the green-skinned monster that usually ‘steals the joy of Christmas’.

“It’s almost like there is a grinch that is stealing Christmas right now and it’s not the government, it’s this thing called COVID. It feels like there is something that is taking Christmas away from us, from our kids especially with the lockdowns and everything and so the story is a perfect story to kinda show us the real meaning of Christmas,” said Holgate.

“It’s a story that will tie in different things that we’re dealing with right now as a result of this COVID-19 virus but it’s not a COVID play. It’s a story to kinda get us to explore within ourselves, what are those monsters that are stealing Christmas and are they really monsters or are they really blessings in disguise giving us an opportunity to pivot and re-shape the world. And, of course, we had to put the Jamaican spin on it because we are talking to our own people. Jamaica is going through it as much as the rest of the world and we have to deal with it in our own ways and we need to tell our stories. I am aiming for this production to strike a chord in humanity because we’re all going through this together,” he explained.

Commitment

Speaking of experiencing the difficulties of 2020 together, Holgate said putting the production together was a necessity as it acted as a source of healing for the cast and crew. “We feel we have a commitment not just to the general public who watch the show but also a commitment to our members who are performing in the show. It’s been a really difficult time for performers all around the world because the Arts is one of the last thing that people have on their minds when they think of people who need healing. When something is going bad, they really start thinking about the doctors and the nurses, this industry and that industry and rightfully so but the Performing Arts if you think about it, is just as important,” he expressed. “If there were no music, no films to watch in this lockdown, nothing to read, we would go stark crazy, we would be lunatics and so the Arts is healing in itself. And so as we heal the nation, our commitment is to heal our own members as they go through this as well. We didn’t just want to abandon them and make them go mad and so I think its been therapeutic putting this together. It has brought a sense of fulfilment and normalcy to them and their world,” the playwright continued.

Crinchy Mon: The Christmas Thief is set for viewing via Zoom this Thursday. It is a paid production and tickets are available for purchase on Eventbrite. The show features choreography by ASHE Ensemble member, Marlon Tomlinson, with musical arrangement by Rudolph Tomlinson, Ottmas Campbell, ASHE’s executive director, Conroy Wilson. The work was brought to life by musical director, Sherida Sharpe. The production was shot on location in Irish Town, St Andrew.

shereita.grizzle@gleanerjm.com