The old Bliss was in many ways a monument to Neo-Colonialism and Hoity-toity Land. The dramatic works performed there were by and large culled from Mama Britain’s greatest hits. Namely Shakespeare, Shakespeare and more Shakespeare. And a few forgettable Shakespeare wanna-be sycophants thrown in for good measure. The plays and actors stressed impeccable Brit-inspired enunciation and a nitpicking attention to the Western European cultural chauvinism inherent in the pieces. Hail, the conquering colonialists. If the drama was about European intrigues, with European mores and written in prissy, proper English it was good.

Conversely if some upstart young Barbarian playwright dared attack the European status quo of Hoity-toity Land by writing a play in Creole, dealing with Belizean themes that took place in a local setting that playwright’s work was deemed inappropriate to be performed in the hallowed halls of the old Bliss and in effect such transgressing work was pronounced by the Royal Creole elite who ruled the Bliss as bad. So be it.

In 1972 a young social/cultural radical writer authored a play incorporating the three no-no’s: (1) Creole dialogue, (2) Belizean themes, (from a decidedly grass-roots viewpoint) and (3) local setting. The play was titled, “Weh Jon Jon De?” and this so-called transgressing piece, (at least in the eyes of the old timer Bliss culture czars) was penned by social activist Evan X Hyde. In the Bliss’ power-brokers’ view, the barbarian was at the gate of Hoity-toity Land. And they didn’t let him in. The shunning didn’t last forever, but it took five years before ‘Jon Jon’ was produced.

How times have changed. Now as part of the new Bliss’ grand opening weekend the previously spurned ‘Jon Jon’ play was revived and headlined at Sunday’s festivities. The barbarian is now welcomed in the new Bliss with open arms. Adios European elitism, hola home grown egalitarianism.

The play ‘Weh Jon Jon De’ kicked up a lot of dust in its day, so now after a 27 year hibernation how does the drama weather the wages of time? The looming question in this critic’s mind was, does it still have ‘juice’ or has it become one of those eccentrically quaint cultural artifacts that Meg Craig loves to preserve, to be dusted off and displayed at ‘golden oldies’ historical shindigs?

To cut to the chase, it still has juice. ‘Jon Jon’ is a potent brew of street-smarts, cultural critique, class indoctrination, social satire and love-hurts, piquantly seasoned with a subtext of sex interfacing brutality.

The two directors, Michael Coye and Diane Haylock and their large cast of 19 actors went all out in bringing Hyde’s trailblazing opus alive. The play is time-specific, and it captures the ebb and flow of the everyday life and loves of the proletariat Creoles in Belize City to a T, circa 1972. Of note is that none of the 19 cast members was born when the play was written or when it debuted in 1977.

Times have changed since 1972 when Hyde composed this drama. In 1972 the evil dynamic duo, the drug and gang cultures courtesy of America hadn’t moved south to Belize. TV was not transmitting its hyped-up glittering images of consumerism and decadence into Belizean living rooms and bedrooms and the Americanization of Belizean culture was still in its infancy. Guns, crack, AIDS and violence didn’t rule the streets.

Back in 1972 working class Creoles in Belize City still got their drinking and washing water from centrally located stand pipes. Waiting in line to fill up containers was the hub of social life and the opportunity to ‘shush’ to one’s heart’s content. Gossip reigned supreme. Hyde wisely chose it as the superb setting for his first vignette, act one, scene one. As absurd as it might sound to today’s youth, life in Belize City at that time, in many ways, revolved around the stand pipe. And likewise in many ways Hyde’s play revolves around the stand pipe, (along with three titillating bedroom scenes).

The predominately teenage troupe with little to no acting experience gave no-holds-barred performances. Ninety-nine percent of the cast interpreted their parts in spirited, energetic manner.

Of special note were the performances of Melton Morrison, Stephanie Young, Linda Blease, Paul Hope and Shanta Morrison.

Melton’s interpretation of the Policeman ‘Beast’ was drenched in testosterone and sweat. Melton, who in real life is one of the most mannerly, unassertive young men in Belize, on stage, transformed himself into a swaggering brute. Mild-mannered Melton became a loutish, sexed-up macho-man. A performance with bravado galore.

Stephanie Young, the only seasoned veteran in the cast, gave a full bodied performance with her ‘Sketelish’ club gal, Martha. Her scene where she sat on the bed, getting all dolled up for a marathon night of clubbing, chatting obsessively with her friend ‘Beauty’ (Jackline Castillo) was right on the money. A colorful take on a desperate disco-queen.

Linda Blease created a comedic gem in her role as Mary, the stuttering princess of gossip in stand pipe land. Her highly animated, over-the-top interpretation went beyond parody into a goofy place only Lucy Ball and Whoopie Goldberg dare to tread.

Paul Hope as the flashy character ‘American’ gave a well modulated turn in a difficult role. The ‘American’ part is tricky because that character is playing a role within a role. One was his normal persona, a down-home, dice-loving Everyday-Joe and the other was his created persona, a bragging, worldly dude with all the answers back from a stay in the States. There is Hope for Belize’s new generation of actors.

Shanta Morrison tackled the centerpiece role of June with vim and vigor. Shanta played Jon Jon’s love interest in a physical manner, shading her part with comedic twists and pathos turns. She embodied the awkward movements and difficulty in sitting, bending and turning that late term pregnancy causes. Her final plaintive wail at the end of the play was horrific and haunting.

For mysterious reasons ‘Jon Jon’ played only one night, Sunday. The young troupe was only given one chance at the plate. Usually in theatre, the first couple of performances before live audiences are the times the director and actors need to iron out the problems and get the whole kit and caboodle together into one smooth running entity. This talented crew didn’t have that luxury. It was do or die one time. With more stage time the one weak link in the play, the lackluster interpretation of lead character Jon Jon would have surely become more dynamic. As it was played Sunday night just about the entire first act was in anticipation of Jon Jon’s arrival. Jon Jon this, Jon Jon that. Then when Jon Jon finally comes on stage at the beginning of the second act, the first time actor, Shedrac Ariola, was just too non-assertive, laid-back to command all the attention he was given in act one. Charismatic he was not.

That said, ‘Whe Jon Jon De’ was an important dramatic event. It proved that a shrewdly written period play doesn’t lose its vitality over time. It shows that Belize needs more barbarians at the cultural gates. Additionally it shows what a prophetic playwright Hyde is when he puts pen to paper. The climatic scene when Beast senselessly attacks Jon Jon due to a bad case of macho posturing gone wild and deadly has now, 32 years later, become all too familiar. Prophetic. And finally it begs the thorny question; when will Hyde pen his next drama.