- JAMAICA, FAREWELL
- Falcon Theatre
- by Carol Kaufman Segal
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Debra Ehrhardt was born in
Jamaica. Her lifelong dream always was to come to America. In her
one-woman show, Jamaica, Farewell playing at the Falcon Theatre in
Burbank, she tells the story of how she achieved that dream, but not
without a great deal of hardship. However, Debra manages to make her
ordeal into a delightful comedy, and in so doing, endears her audience
with her talent and personality. To begin her story, Debra offers a
background into her childhood in Jamaica. Her mother was a religious woman
and Debra had a loving relationship with her. |
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And even though her father was an
alcoholic and a gambler, she cared deeply about him as well. When her
opportunity arrived, it wasn't easy leaving them behind. Performing all of
the roles, she describes her frustration at trying to get a visa to come
to the United States. Finally, her chance arrives when the man she works
for offers to get her a visa, but for him to do so, she has to smuggle a
million dollars into the country. Obviously, she must be very careful to
guard the money which she puts in the bottom of a carryon bag, and
throughout her trip from Kingston, Jamaica to America, she guards it,
almost literally, with her life.
Getting to the airport in
Kingston from her hometown proves to be nearly disastrous. As she retells
all of her setbacks, she does so with humor. Fortunately for Debra, she
had been dating a CIA agent, and without his knowledge of what is in the
bag, he is able to march her through security without a hitch and at last,
her dream comes true. At the end of her 90 minute performance, Debra
offers more about herself by telling the audience what has occurred in her
life since that fateful trip to America. Jamaica, Farewell was written by
Ehrhardt and directed by Joel Zwick. It plays Wednesdays through Saturdays
at 8 PM, Sundays at 4 PM, through April 17, 2011, at the Falcon Theatre
located at 4252 W. Riverside Drive in Burbank. Tickets are available
online at
www.FalconTheatre.com,
or by calling the Falcon Theatre Box Office at (828) 955-8101.
Recommended.
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