Features
Newsday Reporter
Singer LeAndra’s November 5 show Soundtracks Through Time marks a dual celebration, in a way.
A joint production with the Little Carib Theatre, the show fetes the theatre’s late founder Beryl McBurnie, La Belle Rosette, as a part of the theatre’s Viva Beryl! Celebrating the Little Carib Legacy weekend of events.
On a more personal note, the show is LeAndra’s way of celebrating life within the wake of the losses of the covid19 pandemic.
“With the devastation it brought for a lot of, including my very own personal experience of the lack of some six of my relatives, it was heartbreaking for all,” the UTT-trained singer said. “It has been a difficult time for the overwhelming majority, emotionally, physically and economically. It proved to be uniquely difficult for us as artists. Performing live was our bread and butter, not to say feeding off the energy of the audience. A few of us rose to the challenge by going surfing, and it proved to be a superb experience. With restrictions lifted for essentially the most part, things have opened up and we’re in a position to perform live again, which is a joy.”
Since returning to the live stage, LeAndra’s recent credits include a feature performance at North Coast Jazz 2022 and An August Evening.
She jumped at the chance to play the famous Little Carib stage. McBurnie, who was born in 1913 and died in 2000, was a trailblazer in the humanities in TT, and the concert will include show tunes from her heyday.
“I plan to perform songs that span various generations,” LeAndra said. “I hope to hook up with the audience and invoke the complete gamut of feelings and emotions through my performance. The audience can expect to be taken back to memorable times through song, and hopefully a few of the very best of their lives.”
While she didn’t reveal any names, the set list is taken from LeAndra’s extensive Broadway and jazz repertoire.She said there can be “exciting guest performers and a few of the very best musicians in TT featured on Soundtracks Through Time. But I’d wish to keep that a surprise for the moment.”
The theatre’s celebration begins with LeAndra’s show and continues the next day. On November 6, there will likely be a series of movies from the archives of Christopher Laird that showcase chosen productions on the Little Carib Theatre from days passed by. “The Beryl weekend guarantees to be an incredibly wealthy one – from the powerful, young voice of LeAndra to the snippets of nostalgia and magic that took place on the Little Carib stage over time, reimagined through archival movies of veteran filmmaker Christopher Laird,” said Little Carib Theatre chair Shida Bolai.
Tickets for Soundtracks Through Time cost $250 and can be found on the Little Carib Theatre box office at 622-4644 and from LeAndra’s team at 734-8902.
The show is ready for six pm on November 5 on the Little Carib Theatre, Woodbrook.
