Samuels raises the roof

There’s only just a few days left to catch some of Jamaica’s leading actors who were brought together in London for a series of productions of the hilarious comedy ‘Puppy Love’, written by Patrick Brown. The mini tour sponsored by Digicel starred leading actor Oliver Samuels whose larger than life performance raised the roof in Catford last week.

The final UK shows will be at the Hackney Empire this weekend.

Twenty year old Karen Cross (Natalie Cole) is adamant that her feelings for Dick Johnson (Oliver Samuels) – the married, middle aged friend and business partner of  her father is not ‘Puppy Love’, she is determined to win his affection at all costs.

After years of marriage to his wife Denise, (Dahlia Harris), this unexpected attention is like a breath of fresh air. “I have life in my belly.” exclaims Dick.

This romantic intrigue creates havoc on the imagination of over protective father Harry Cross (Glen ‘Tittus’ Campbell) but when he discovers that his daughter’s liaisons are with his friend and business partner, Harry looses all sense of reason and goes on the offensive.

Fully aware of the consequences should they be discovered, poor Dick tries desperately to repel Karen’s predatory advances. The temptation to resist the beautiful Karen’s charms finally gets the better of Dick and he is reeled in to a web of intrigue and deceit.

Denise, Dick’s wife is the only stabilising force in this confused and chaotic world. She faces a dilemma, does she admit to the fact that her marriage is over or does she take the morale high-ground and support her man despite his betrayal.

Playwright Brown answers some piercing questions, leaving others for the audience to ponder. His exploration of the challenges experienced by young people when exposed to peer pressure, that faced with couples when the heat of romance had extinguished by the passage of time, and the significance of class and ethnicity in relationships in the Caribbean, forces the audience to draw their own conclusions.

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