Valentine’s night, Sunday February 14th, the Miramar Cultural Centre in Broward County, Florida was jam-packed with a near capacity crowd who came to see the Valentine’s Day extravaganza “Love Is a Funny Little Thing”. The spectacular variety show was a smash hit, thrilling and titillating the audience of couples and ‘lovers of Love’ alike, who were enthralled as they were regaled with performance after scintillating performance, featuring Dobby Dobson, Gem Myers, Chris ‘Johnny’ Daley (of ‘Lime Tree Lane’ fame), Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Elva Ruddock and Bahamian singer Endel-I, all backed by the Eugene Gray and Company band with WAVS Radio personality John T doing MC duties.
Presented by Riddims Marketing, the show, in its second year, brought the house down with a sure-fire formula of sensual poetry, romantic love songs, and relationship humour for lovers. Guitarist Eugene Gray opened the show with an original composition entitled, Ancestral Dance, followed by traditional Emanuel Road and closed with Street Life. Comedian, actress and author Joan Andrea Hutchinson entertained the crowd with several selections from her latest works Kin Teet Kibba Heart Bun. But it was Comedian Elva Ruddock who brought the house down with her comedy. The crowd loved Elva as she had them in stitches covering such topics as the versatility of wig wearing and aging. She left them begging for more. Dobby Dobson thrilled with winning hits such as Loving Pauper, Sweet Dreams and Muriel, with which the audience sang along.
The second half of the show opened with Eugene Grey’s jazzy No Woman No Cry and vocalist Tasha covering Chaka Kahn’s Everywhere. Endel-I wowed the crowd with a crisp presentation of I Want Your Love, Wild World and wildflower. Chris Daley had the audience in stitches with jokes about relationships, condoms, bubble gum and a Trini heckler in an airport! Show stopper Gem Myers appeared in a lovely red gown with matching voice. She opened with I have Nothing, the Whitney Houston classic, delivered a medley of Jamaican Classics and closed with I’m Telling You I’m Not Going to thunderous applause and a standing ovation. Her twenty minute set was much too short.
The show was a rousing smash hit, and received many accolades and from the audience, many of who lingered after the show to meet and congratulate the performers. Make a date for next Valentine’s Day!