‘Delcita country, straight!’
Despite personal losses overseas, Andrea Wright is pleased with the response to Ex-Baby Motha in the Cayman Islands and Toronto.
Wright, who plays the lead role of Delcita in the comedy, was accompanied by a five-member cast.
“It was tremendous. The fans screamed, howled, laughed, and applauded. Canada and Cayman are Delcita-country, straight!” she exclaimed.
The opening show, on June 18, at Lions Centre in Cayman was a bitter-sweet occasion.
Although the show attracted over 1,000 patrons, Wright’s uncle died that day.
There was more grief as, while in Canada, cast member Kai O’Conner’s father died.
The shows in the Greater Toronto Area (Brampton, Toronto and Ajax) were also well-received. That region has a large Jamaican community, members of which, Wright said, turned out in numbers to see the play.
While the loss of relatives put a damper on the trip, there were silver linings to the clouds.
“How to smile in the face of adversity was a significant highlight. There are those times that you have to quickly flip the script, change the plot, or even the entire cast. Life will throw you hard balls that make you think on your feet. No time for tears, just solutions,” said Wright.
It was the first time since May 2021 that the veteran actress took a show overseas, and her first appearance in Canada in 13 years.
Her previous venture abroad was The Baby Motha, a modified version of Ex-Baby Motha, which showed in Miramar, South Florida.
Ex-Baby Motha debuted one year ago in St Andrew and has played in most of the 14 parishes.
Written by Wright, it looks at how broken homes affect children.
Wright told the Jamaica Observer that the play — which also stars Derricka Johnson, Trudy Campbell Fraser, Calneth Reid, and Dreanna Williams — is scheduled to return to Canada for four shows in September.
