Spred The Word - Jan-Feb 2012

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ALAN CHARLES talks Love, Sax and all that Jazz and De Man Dem

After the success of the highly popular and thoroughly entertaining stage play Love Sax and all that Jazz, Alan Charles and the team are back for another instalment, Love Sax and all that Jazz Chapter 2 (Da Mans Dem). STW caught of with the writer and producer of the show to find out about the new play and what he has been up to since we last talk.

STW By any standard Love Sax and all that Jazz has been a phenomenal success with 15 shows across the UK and a Caribbean tour of the Island of Trinidad. What do you attribute the success of the show to? Without being cliché or predictable I can only attribute the success of the show to God and the amazing and talented cast that he has given to me. The success of the show is just a miracle to me the way God worked everything out I cant stressed enough the favour of God on the project, He has been absolutely amazing. It’s been 18 shows in total and we still have not finished yet.

STW So does that mean that the run of LSJ1 is not yet finished? There is still a lot of mileage in LSJ1 and we still have some cities that we have not touched yet so yes we will be staging the show again.

STW That’s great and will be good news to many, but I want to talk to you about LSJ2 (Da Mans Dem) talk to me bro. Lol well in the first show we told the story from a female perspective with the four friends and their issues as it related to relationship. This time around the brodas get their say as we try to tackle relationship issues from a male perspective hence the Da Mans Dem. STW Wow this sounds like it’s gonna be explosive, so what are some of the issues you tackle and tell us a bit more about the story? In the show we try to address 3 basic questions; What do men want? Why do men cheat? And what defines a man?

STW So Alan you went there? We went there and we are still there!

STW OK so what do men want? We men are complicated beings and it’s not a case of one hat fits all. We all have various needs and wants but I think in a nut shell a part from the obvious Love we also crave acceptance, respect and recognition. The trouble is each one of those words will have a different meaning to different people. So when I speak of acceptance I mean to accept me for me not for who you want me to be. I have found a common complaint from the brothers is “she wants to change me.” And in most case is not necessarily for the better it’s just into someone else. I say “if you wanted that someone else

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WORLD EXCLUSIVE: ALAN CHARLES

then don’t marry me and then try to change me wait until you find exactly who you been looking for”.

STW I hear that and I can relate to that, I am afraid to ask this next question, this is The 1 million dollar question. If we could truly find the answer to this question then the world would be such a lovely place.

Alan the writer of Love Sax and all that Jazz2 (Da Mans Dem) why do men cheat? You mean you don’t know?

STW I don’t know, so share some light my brother?

Well come to the show on 11th and 12th Feb and all will be revealed, gotcha. Why do men cheat? I believe men cheat for 3 basic reasons; 1. They are selfish, greedy and immature and lack self control. 2.

Variety is the spice of life and the thrill of many gardens to graze in is just too tempting after all the grass is always greener on the other side and 3.

Women allow men to cheat! I came across that idea in Steve Harvey’s book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think about Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment. Just think about it for a moment and you will see the sense in the nonsense.

STW I don’t think you are going to get much love from the sisters on this one bro. Lol not true the ladies are going to love this show as we expose ourselves as men in an honest, open no holds bar way baring as it were our very souls, they are going to understand, sympathise and love us more for it.

STW I am sure they will, People always say that a sequel never lives up to the original how do you think Da Mans Dem will stand up to LSJ1? There was always going to be a part 2 there was always going to be the male’s perspective and I knew that and accepted that. But as a began to write it and as the part 1 became more and more popular I started getting anxious about whether or not Part 2 can sit side by side with part 1. And it took twice as long to finish the script because of the fear of not measuring up. However after finishing the script and giving it to the cast they assured me that on paper da mans dem

is a better script, better written just as funny but the I’s were dotted and the T’s crossed better in part 2 than part 1. So I have no doubt now that part 2 is going to be as successful if not more successful than part 1. After all we strive to improve on our previous work.

STW Part 1 had a lot of songs and poetry and was like a show within a show, with snap shots of various situations, does Da Mans Dem follow the same format? I did not want it to be the same exact thing with the only difference being one was with girls and the other with boys. So the Mans have much less songs and poetry. It’s less of a musical and more of a play with a few songs thrown in for good measure.

STW So I take it we will be seeing the same characters from the first show? We have some new characters and we lost a few. We lost the interfering always chatting people business and crowd favourite Mildred, but we kept hold of everyone’s favourite grand ma and grand pa Betty and Leroy Smith. The four girls are still there and we see how there live have progressed after 4 years with Lisa miss singleness is not a crime now married. But the main stays of the first show are all still there.

STW Sounds very exciting, so what does the future hold for Alan Charles? Well I am just holding my corner doing my thing as the Lord leads. I do have a major collaboration with John Fisher of IDMC that we are working on for mid part of 2012 so look out for that. We also have plans to take both Part 1 and part 2 to St Lucia and Antigua in 2012. In the mean time it’s all about Love Sax and all that Jazz Chapter 2 (Da Mans Dem).

To book tickets for Love Sax and all that Jazz Chapter 2 (Da man dem) call 020 8690 0002 or visit www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk.

For more information 07989 574 066 or focusarts@yahoo.co.uk

H

ave you ever said these famous lines ‘I just don’t understand her’ or I just don’t understand him’. The truth is ‘understanding’ is the major key to having a harmonious relationship with the one that you love.

The first thing to understand is that even though you may be the closest of soul mates & spiritually like-minded – you are still different people are different. We all have our different temperaments, ways of doing things and our likes and dislikes. Each one of us have our own

traditions and cultures we were raised in and various life experiences which have shaped the way we think. When we lay a hold of this truth before entering a serious relationship – it enables us to have a more balanced view of what we should expect from our partners/spouses once we’re in it.

As Christians our core values and principles are to be biblically based – but having an inaccurate understanding of these principles can often bring conflict into what should be a very simple solution to a problem. When

each partner does not understand the other partners form of communication, misjudgements are often made, which can often end up in very unpleasant situation at hand.

The truth is even though we may be equal men and women are different. God designed the man and the woman in the way he did so that we would ‘compliment’ one another. Each one of us is designed with a divine purpose in mind of God and he brings a man and woman together to fulfil that purpose that he has placed in our hearts.

It’s important that we may the decision to seek first to understand before being understood.

Many a time we want to prove our point first before truly understanding where the other person is coming from. Each person has their own paradigm in any given circumstance, therefore many a time there needs to be a paradigm shift before we really understand the other person. The easiest way in which one can do that – is by first placing yourself in your partner’s shoes. How would you act if you were in their same position? How would you ‘feel’ if what you said to you? We need to take time to ‘listen’ and understand exactly what they are trying to communicate. Many a time what a person is saying is not being received by the hearer because the hearer has a preconceived idea of what the person actually means. It is always advisable to communicate back what you feel the other person meant so as to determine whether you understood them correctly and to clarify any miscommunication.

When we understand that men and women’s needs are different – one is able to see more clearly why a partner may not be feeling very fulfilled in the relationship. Committing to

being an understanding partner, and meeting the other persons needs will cause each person to be more thoughtful, sensitive and respectful towards their significant other. Many a time people give the other what they want and need for themselves not necessarily what the other partner actually needs – which many a time causes much frustration within a marriage/relationship.

When we operate by the principle of ‘seeking to understand before being understood’ most of the misjudgements that are usually made are eliminated and each person is able to discern how to respond and take the right course of action in any given situation as well as knowing what the more appropriate thing is to say.

Becoming an understanding person is a conscious choice one has to make and does not always come easy for some. Our minds through the years have been trained to think and perceive things in a certain way by default therefore it is only through conscious effort, prayer and patience do we master the art of understanding our significant other in a more loving and effective way.

Understanding your significant other gives them the ‘freedom’ to be themselves without the fear of being misjudged & feeling that they do not meet up to your expectations. When they can feel that they do not need to put up a front before you because of your negative reaction stemming from a lack of understanding - the trust, openness and transparency of the relationship will grow so much deeper...creating an unbreakable bond between the both of you.

If this article has been a blessing to you or if you have any comments please email realtalk@ministryinart.com