A powerful journey. Calypso Rose fought against all odds. Queen of the Road Musical, a necessary reminder.

Technology, social media and the ease of living that we have all become so accustomed to in this 21st century are a far cry from the problems faced and overcome by so many who paved the way. Last weekend in Trinidad and Tobago, the performance of the musical ‘The Queen of The Road’ reminded patrons of this fact, and much more in the memory of the life and times of the incomparable Calypso Rose.

Created by Yes Productions The musical, directed and written by Rhoma Spencer, opens with Rose’s acceptance of The Victoire de la Musiq Award, France’s equivalent of the Grammy. She won the award in 2017 after releasing the album ‘Far From Home.’ Yes Productions’ rewinds the 84-year-old’s life and takes audiences on a whirlwind – sometimes harsh, often humor-filled, consistently thought-provoking adventure through Calypso Rose’s childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

Her story, a remarkable testament to the purpose of every person from birth, is unraveled bit by bit in the musical, with a young Rose played by 11-year-old Thara Howe, a student at St.Patricks Newtown Girls Primary School. During her performance on stage, you could hear the audience gushing at the effortless ease with which Howe performed her role as the matriarch calypsonian, in her childhood. “She has a big future ahead of her,” said one person in the audience.

The adult Rose, played by 2018’s Calypso Queen Stacey Sobers, was undeniably perfect casting. An almost too easy to understand re-enactment of the Bethel, Tobago entertainer hears Sobers easily release songs like ‘Tempo’, ‘Fire in Me Wire’, ‘Her Majesty’, ‘Leh We Punta’, ‘Young Boy’, and many of the artist’s other memorable hit singles. Supporting cast members included Kearn Samuel as The Mighty Sparrow, Karen Francisco as Rose’s Aunt Edith, Theresa Hope who played the very important role of Calypso Rose’s grandmother and Fabrice Barker who played the role of her father – a preacher who left Rose’s home. mother and their family for another woman.

The reenactment of the life of Calypso Rose – the first woman to be crowned Calypso Monarch in 1978, conveyed the reality of several social issues, which remain central to the lives of ordinary people even today. Her grandmother, a constant source of strength and guarantor of support, helped build the mental strength of the woman she would become, and with what her grandmother called “the third eye,” tells the story of Rose’s connection to the older woman, spiritually . , even after her death. Separately, Rose’s eventual separation from her family in Tobago, after being taken to Trinidad by her father’s brother and his wife, demonstrates the immense importance of direction and positive influence in the life of every child – her Aunt Edith was the tower of support that Rose certainly needed as she grew from childhood to adolescence. In fact, it was Aunt Edith who took Rose at the age of 15 to join the calypso tent of the Young Brigade, which would prove to be a challenge and an opportunity at the same time.

Calypso Rose faced tremendous pressure from church groups during the early part of her career and was even reprimanded by her father, who was a Baptist church leader. They felt her lyrics were too suggestive, leading to calls for her to end her efforts in the Calypso arena. Needless to say, Calypso Rose fought well and hard and established herself despite the challenges she faced back home in Trinidad and Tobago. Her life story and her journey to the Coachella stage in California in 2019 at the age of 78, two years after winning the Victoire de la Musiq Award, is perfectly documented and shared in ‘Queen of the Road’, a story that would constitute an extraordinary and unique element of the culture of T&T, if it were for all to see during the annual carnival celebrations.