There are people who cling to a family name for inheritance sake only, while others hold onto it because of what it stands for, and for two engrossing hours Antigua’s Owen SS Jackson explores this in his feature play for Carifesta X.
My Birthright hilariously follows the Jarvises as they struggle with the loss of their matriarch, but also seriously addresses greed, deception and injustice within the family.
Jackson looks at desertion and its sometimes negative impact on households as he chronicles the life of Mary Jarvis, a strong and entertaining character beautifully played by Melissa Mcliesh. Jackson also underscores the importance of caring for the elderly in his play.
There is this one moment nearing the end of the production when Mary’s sister, Beatrice, points out how things just fell apart in the home after she left.
Though not directly tying her to any of the misfortunes Beatrice implies that her departure opened up a door of continuous hardships for the family.
“I enjoy playing the role of Mary. Every time I play the role I get a new appreciation for it,” Mcliesh said in the production notes.
Guyana certainly showed its appreciation when the curtains came down and people stood and applauded. Mary is bitter, calculating, hasty and full of hate for her family, but she is also irresistible and fun. From the minute she waltzed onto the stage at the Theatre Guild on Friday night looking like a million dollars and flashing an infectious smile the audience fell for her; it was like love at first sight.
Throughout the play, Mary plots against her family showing no respect for her dead mother, and still people loved her.
Mary’s story is appalling; she had abandoned her family and the life she knew in Antigua and lived the life of a prostitute in England, and she returns home after ten years not to comfort her mother in her last days but to take over the family home after she dies. In the ten years that she was away, Mary neither called nor wrote.
It turns out Mary’s father who died a long time had left her name on the deed to the house so she believes it is her birthright to claim the property. But there was one small problem, her older sister Beatrice.
Beatrice, played by Sharon Joshua, martyr-like, gives up her work and her life to care for her sick mother even neglecting her young daughter, Evette (Tiffany Smith). Evette is later discovered to be pregnant after searching for comfort and love outside the home.
Whenever Mary and Beatrice are in the same room sparks fly but Beatrice is easygoing. She has issues with Mary for obvious reasons but they also share a bitter history; she got involved with Mary’s fiancé and the wedding never happened.
“You could at least pretend to be happy to see me,” Mary says to her older sister upon returning home and Beatrice scoffs. There was no deep sisterly bond between the two women but Beatrice clearly loved her sister.
Between the arguments and the physical clashes, she cared for Mary.
At the end of the play, she stretches her arms out to Mary, but Mary walks away vowing to come back stronger. Beatrice cries that she loves her sister and that it is hard to watch her go off a second time.
Jackson, who wrote and directed the play, takes you on a wonderful journey inside the Jarvis home beginning with Mary’s return. He allows the audience to drink in Mary and get comfortable with her despite her ways.
He has Mary returning home in all her glory and bullying everyone around the home. She schemes with her brother Denfield (Jeremy Thomas) to tear down the home after the funeral because she has plans to turn it into a brothel.
She is a much stronger woman than Beatrice and easily overpowers her.
Mary’s birthright, which she spoke of countless times, is not the property as she believes it to be. It is her place as a member of the Jarvis family but she never realizes it and leaves the home for a second time as the play ends failing to see it.
Though her name was on the deed Mary’s mother had a will and had actually left the home to Beatrice. Mary had no claim to the home; it was a blow she struggled to accept.
The cheers and the standing ovation from some members of the audience was enough to say that Jackson staged a brilliant play and that he worked with an incredible cast of mostly young performers from the National Youth Theatre Company of Antigua and Barbuda.
Jackson also used the recently formed National Dance Company of Antigua and Barbuda at various periods during the play. The dancers were mesmerizing and always seemed to appear on stage at the right moments such as the wake for the Jarvis matriarch where they danced to express the sorrow of the family. It was a poignant moment.