Der Real Ting!! A brand-new Eddie Minnis musical

What's your favourite Eddie Minnis song? Pick from these ten selections, all of which are included in SiP 2018's production of Der Real Ting!!

Shakespeare in Paradise announces Der Real Ting!!, an original Bahamian jukebox musical based on the music of Eddie Minnis. As a part of the celebration of the tenth annual SiP theatre festival in October 2018, Der Real Ting!! will hold its World Premiere on October 10, 2018, in the Winston V. Saunders Theatre at the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts.

Director and creator Philip A. Burrows saw his first jukebox musical (a musical based on the work of an era or an artist) on Broadway in the late 70’s while attending acting school in New York City. It was not until the early 2000’s, however, that he seriously became interested in the possibility of creating a Bahamian jukebox musical. He has now done just that.

Jukebox musicals can come in two forms: a revue-style presentation, where the work is predominant (think Ain’t Misbehavin’) and a production where the songs are used to create a story that carries you from beginning to end (think Mamma Mia!). Philip wanted to create a musical with a story.

When considering which musician had the repertoire that would be strong enough and wide-ranging enough to create an interesting story around, Eddie Minnis fit the bill. Not only is his work entertaining, but it is almost all social commentary. Eddie Minnis’ songs touch on every aspect of Bahamian life, from politics to personal foibles. So, Der Real Ting!!, the title of Minnis’ first album, is now the title of a new Bahamian Rake ‘N’ Scrape Musical.

The work, created and to be directed by Philip A. Burrows, was written by Nicolette Bethel and Patrice Francis. All music and lyrics are written by Eddie Minnis and the music is arranged and directed by Fred Ferguson.

Of the eighty-one recorded songs in Minnis’ repertoire, Burrows has chosen twenty-five to tell the story of two brothers, Mike and John Williams, and their mutual quest for the love of Carmen Deleveaux.

Based on the laughter coming from the first reading of the Bethel and Francis script, and the clever lyrics of Minnis, audiences should be in for a real treat!

This year's Signature Shakespeare production will be Much Ado About Nothing, dramaturged and directed by Associate Artistic Director Erin T. Knowles.

Erin's first involvement in Shakespeare in Paradise was as an assistant director in 2010's Horn of Plenty, a performance of Shakespeare's sonnets produced by the College of The Bahamas. She has appeared onstage in Dis We Tings 2011 and, most notably, as the Lady in Orange in SiP 2014's for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf.

But her greatest contribution has been behind the scenes. She has been assistant director for Merchant, The Shrew, Macbeth, and Othello, and has solo directed and/or dramaturged numerous SiP productions, including Paradise Unmasked. This is her first time directing the Signature Shakespeare on her own. Don't miss it!!