Crista Henry, Staff Reporter
ROYAL PALM'S legacy still burns strong after 12 years and 25 seasons on air.
What started out as a response to the need for indigenous programming has grown into a show of mass appeal.
Royal Palm speaks to the reality of Jamaica in a number of ways. Lenny Little-White, the show's producer and director, claims, "the plantation is a metaphor for Jamaica. The show that we did 10 years ago, young people in Barbados can relate to". The show makes a statement about Jamaica today. Jamaica is controlled by the same persons it was in plantation societies", Little-White says. "Who are the big players in banking, tourism, etc. Black people don't control the country".
The show in a subtle way represents class contradictions in Jamaica today.
Beth Hyde-Parnell (Julia Blackburn) also remarks, "That's why the show's so popular, its real life, that's what everyone keeps saying to me," she said.
MIRRORS LIFE
Little-White gave a recent example of how the show mirrored life and sections of society. One episode featured a deaf lady dancing, and a similar incident was reporterd soon after where there were deaf children dancing.
Persons can identify with characters such as Julia Blackburn, because they appear to be real persons. Hyde-Parnell says of her character, Julia, "she's very colourful. It's been fun doing someone who isn't always nice. She gets herself in hot water but she's just trying to survive".
The show's appeal has spread internationally as well. Little-White, confirms that the show is also number one in Barbados and Trinidad. He says, "We are trying to make the show more international. It's showing in New York, Hartford, and many other places. There is tremendous demand for the product outside of Jamaica."
According to Little-White, there are many plans for the future of the show. "We're working on a new drama set in three different countries: probably Trinidad, Barbados, and Jamaica". They also plan to introduce a dancehall element, as Little-White puts it, to "re-energise ourselves", so that new viewers can find an element to identify with.
