'One Love' reggae cabaret hits Boston theater

Banner Staff

A new style of musical narrative hits the Theatre District tomorrow night, as “One Love — A Reggae Cabaret” makes its world premiere with a two-night stand at the Stuart Street Playhouse.

Produced by Tempest Theatrical Group and directed by New York-based playwright and composer Florante Galvez, “One Love” traces the development of the popular musical form through the eyes of a spirited young woman named Marcia and the wise aunt who visits Marcia as she prepares to leave for college. The production features cover versions of some reggae classics and original music from the Reggaelution Band, a ska- and rocksteady-influenced group born in Jamaica and now based in Brooklyn, N.Y.

To help theatergoers get into the island spirit, the playhouse lobby will open doors to audience members an hour before the curtain rises for a street festival like the one depicted onstage in the cabaret. The lobby festival will feature live music, Caribbean drinks and light fare available for purchase, and Caribbean-themed paintings, handcrafted jewelry, woodcarvings and other works produced by local artists.

“One Love” features Jamaica native Sharon Tsahai King, now a New York-based actor and educator trained in classical and black theater. King’s use of theater as a teaching tool and her involvement in the performing arts has been chronicled in The New York Times and The New York Daily News.

It also marks the professional stage debut of Daniella Matalon in the role of Marcia.

Matalon represented the Jamaican Dance Team in the 2007 Performing Arts Olympics, held in Los Angeles, and has starred in past productions of “Romeo and Juliet” and “Second Class.” Like the character she plays, Matalon — a native of Kingston, Jamaica — is college-bound in the fall and has her eyes set on a career in the arts.

“One Love — A Reggae Cabaret” runs Friday, July 11 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 12 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., at the Stuart Street Playhouse, 200 Stuart Street, Boston, in the Radisson Hotel complex. All tickets are $37.50. Discounts and priority seating are available for groups of 10 or more by calling 617-338-1111. Parking at the Radisson Hotel costs $10 with box office validation.

For tickets, call 1-800-447-7400 or visit www.telecharge.com. For directions, theater information and more, visit www.stuartstreetplayhouse.com.