Serious Tings?

Mervyn Morris is well known as a poet, mentor, and literary critic. This essay examines a lesser-known area of his activity as a theater reviewer, based on selected drafts over the most active decade of theater production in Jamaica. Picking up on the keyword in his seminal essay “On Reading Louise Bennett, Seriously,” the author discusses the place of humor in Bennett’s performance and onstage in Jamaica generally. Local language and sensibility also have a role to play in the theater’s rejection of solemnity. These samples of his review writing offer insight into his approach, interests, and objectives. The reviews are an invaluable record of the efforts of practitioners in a period when it was still difficult to imagine the performing arts as a profession.