Review: Reggae, dance and history entwine for Rush: A Joyous Jamaican Journey

There are many things that Jamaica is known for but if you had to narrow it down, there isn’t a chance that the country’s music and parties wouldn’t be in your top three. Writer and narrator, John Simmit, used Jamaican music to create a performance that took the audience on a journey of education which not only felt engaging and informative but somehow felt more like a party than your standard history lesson.

Our narrator, John, started in the 1400s and continued through Jamaican history to the modern day. Accompanied by the JA Reggae Band and two incredibly talented singers, there was music to accompany the explanation of travel through each era.

The show started with two Jamaican latecomers running towards the stage, one white one black. John jested: “You do get white Jamaicans you know!”. As he kept reminding us, there is no such thing as white history or black history, there is just history and it belongs to all of us.

Sadly this five second sprint was the only bit of acting that would be seen for the rest of the show but with a few real latecomers surfacing amongst the audience it was hilarious to see them receive a personal welcome and there was plenty more audience interaction to come.

Appreciation was shown for the men and women who have contributed to Jamaican culture. There was a significant age range throughout the crowd with John giving warnings to ‘pace yourselves’ and not run out of dancing energy too quickly. With such a wide audience, healso took the liberty of explaining the proper ways to pronounce words in patois rather than Queen’s English.

There was an abundance of musical talent on stage with Janice Williamson and Daniel Bowen-Smith both demonstrating powerful voices and adding twists to songs which always received hearty applauses and woops from the audience. The show gave opportunity for each musician to showcase their individual talent, not just as part of the ensemble.

Wayne Scott on the drums initially set the tone for the show and there was another memorable guitar solo from Orvil Pinnock. It was great to see the band as a centre point of the whole performance rather than just optional accompaniment as they boogied across the stage and were all introduced by name. However, DJ Ken Mclean really stole the show as he returned after the interval in a hot pink top suit and light up trainers to accompany his floor length dreadlocks. Ken stayed energised throughout the entire performance, pushing the energy levels even higher with his mixes that took us back in time.

Before seeing this performance, there were limited parts of Jamaica’s history which I would have described as ‘joyous’. From the times of slavery and invasions from other countries to the more recent false promises made to the Windrush Generation. ‘Out of many one people’ narrator John repeated.

I left the performance realising that the joy comes not from the treacherous things that have happened in Jamaica’s history; but that the history is what has shaped the people as they are today. The joy comes from the people, their attitudes, and their resilience.

Rush: A Joyous Jamaican Journey is another great example of innovative performance that is becoming more common in modern theatres. You might not see the words ‘history’ and ‘party’ associated with each other very often but these two words are the only way to summarise the performance. They did things slightly differently. Even the merchandise store lacked the usual tacky souvenirs, opting instead for handmade jewellery that would make great gifts or treats.

This show at the Lyceum really encompassed the welcoming and fun loving culture of Jamaica. If you’re looking for traditional theatre then this isn’t the show for you. However, if you’re open to good vibes and learning a thing or two along the way then Rush is a great experience for the whole family.