Jamaica’s dancehall deejay Shaggy is the sole reggae headliner for the summer lineup of this year’s free Summerstage concerts in Central Park.
Absent from last year’s stellar presentations of global, eclectic, music and dance showcases, the genre returns the two-time Grammy winning talent with “Friends” signed to the VP Records label.
According to a web portal designated for seasonal productions, an afternoon startime on July 9 resumes tropical rhythms at the Rumsey Playfield for a Caribbean melange.
Reportedly, the gravelly-voiced, hybrid entertainer enjoyed applause from theater audiences in Europe and Australia where he collaborated with pop artist Sting.
Undeniably, a winning combination the two first won Grammy accolades in 2019 when they were presented the prize representing the best reggae album category.
Paired again for success, a reunion reprises a musically staged production based on the Newcastle, Northern England hometown Sting was raised.
Although the storyline does not exactly parallel his own upbringing in the shipyard community of Wallsend, Sting penned the presentation as a love letter to his beloved industrial town.
Titled “The Last Ship,” Shaggy was invited to join the cast in order to sing along with the tale of the working class people.
As the storyline unfolds, citizens in that part of the universe in the 1980s are pre-destined for lifelong commitment to the ship building industry.
Sting’s father did not work in the construction process, but his profession as a milkman indirectly relied on profits from the trade.
According to the successful pop star, his father envisioned a better future for his son and during a recent interview revealed that the patriarch urged him to seek a profession at sea.
Sting rejected the notion, he blazed a different trail.
Instead, the enterprising and talented youth ventured to the music industry; formed a group named The Police and is now a 45-time nominated, 17-time Grammy award winning recipient. Shaggy said initially when he was asked into the project he doubted his ability to deliver a theatrical performance.
But Sting convinced him of his proficiency. Shaggy said even then, he doubted himself and was not quite sure what he had signed up for when he agreed to collaborate with his friend.
In the revival tribute to the town Shaggy is prominently featured with the cast.
After selling out audiences on two continents, the pair are billed to perform next month at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center.
There, the duo will debut their stage collaboration when the former Broadway hit returns to New York.
First showcased at the Neil Simon Theater in 2014, the presentation won glowing reviews and earned a Tony nomination for Sting’s score.
One of the questions Shaggy’s fans are asking is whether or not Sting will surprise his friend in the park. Another focusses on Buju Banton, a controversial reggae artist whose relationship with Shaggy and the label could qualify as “friends.”
Appropriately queried, Banton recently joined the VP roster, which annually struts it’s best selling talents to promote sale.
Banton’s new release could well use a nudge. But with a niche market target audience, another question might engage socially conscientious patrons unwilling to forego past allegations of homophobic expressions from the burgeoning recorder.
While a mostly Caribbean fan base has already embraced the “Voice of Jamaica” recorder in Brooklyn, curious loyals to the Manhattan venue might not be as tolerant in welcoming the twice-repudiated talent.
Regardless, the NYC Parks department, presenters of the national treasure, are hoping that the past remains there.
To that end, they are offering a second reggae showcase in September. That show headlines Kabaka Pyramid at the boardwalk Coney Island location in Brooklyn.
Cinco de Mayo — more than tacos and margaritas
It’s okay to fill up on chips, bust out the best salsa moves, and celebrate Cinco de Mayo on May 5.
But also understand that contrary to popular belief, the date does not commemorate Mexico’s Independence Day, it marks the anniversary of victory over French forces in 1862.
The Battle of Puebla might more appropriately apply to the date because it celebrates a faceoff against Emperor Napoleon III, who wanted to establish a monarchy in the Americas.
The confrontation, allegedly provoked by Mexican President Benito Juarez’s suspension of payments to debts owed, forced a fight. Ultimately, the French retaliated by invading the town of Puebla.
Needless to say, Mexico mounted a fierce defence. They defeated their invaders in a single day. Why not declare a holiday?
Since then, a Mexican memorial holiday, popularly celebrated in Mexican-American communities like California, Texas and Colorado, finds New Yorkers eating a spicy menu, with many exclaiming “holy guacamole.”
Catch you On the Inside!
