Lottie and Mabel are back

GOLDEN SOCA PRODUCTIONS is cooking up a special treat for patrons attending its upcoming Golden Soca Show.

The event which is themed It’s More Than a Fete, It’s a Celebration, will feature a revival of the characters Lottie and Mabel best known from production Okras In The Stew.

The characters will bring to life the Jeanette Layne-Clarke-penned sketch Death Duties. Jennifer Walker will portray Lottie and Dame Maizie Barker-Welch will reprise her role as Mabel.

Dame Maizie told WEEKEND BUZZ that she was excited to once again be playing the role of the hilarious Mabel.

“If you come to the show tomorrow you can expect to see the dame speaking Bajan,” she said with a broad smile painted across her face.

The radio production gained popularity back in the 1970s when Marvo Manning played the role of Lottie back then and Vic Fernandes as Seymour.

Recently in an interview at her 2nd Avenue, Accommodation Road, St Michael home, Dame Maizie marvelled that the production still had a following.

“Because the Okras In The Stew was on tape, it still had its audience. People on the country buses – up to this year – were hearing parts of Okras In The Stew and finding great pleasure in it,” she said.

Director of the sketch, Michael Goodman, said this would be the first time that she has played the character in over 30 years, but he said it was still fresh.

“You can still hear the same conversations that Lottie and Mabel had years ago today . . . even I get an opportunity to appreciate how beautiful the writing is and how perfect the characterisations are, because I am seeing it fresh,” he said.

Thus far he said rehearsals were going great: “The process of her bringing the character back to life is wonderful to watch,” he added.

The Golden Soca Show will come off at the Plantation Garden Theatre today and will also feature performances by entertainers such as Lil Rick, Marvay, The Mighty Grynner, Edwin Yearwood, Ras Iley and Romeo.  (TSG)