Charles Hyatt decides on theatre

Michael Reckord, Gleaner Writer

This is the conclusion of a two-part creative non-fiction article based on interviews by the author with Charles Hyatt (Feb 14, 1931-Jan 1, 2007), one of Jamaica's most versatile theatre practitioners. It focuses on the early years of his career.

Ironically, it was a play, not schoolwork, which showed Charles Hyatt what he wanted to do with his life. His cousin Eggie had become a member of a popular drama group, The Cathedral Players, and one day, he invited Charlie to a performance of the group's current production. It was called The Confession, and Eggie had a major role in it.

Charlie had often been to concerts with his mother and he had seen people acting in skits and short plays. But this production was different. It was more real than the movies Charlie loved to watch at the Movies and Carib cinemas. He didn't know the other performers and accepted them as the characters they played. But he knew Eggie and he sat amazed at his cousin's transformation into a totally different person, a Roman Catholic priest.

For the entire play, Charlie was transported, joyfully, into another world. When Eggie uttered the final words of the play, "The cross, the cross, the hope of all humanity!", Charlie sat stunned. The play had been for him, what he was to describe as "an incredible experience." Wanting to laugh and cry at the same time, too overwhelmed to join in the applause, Charlie just sat thinking until Eggie had changed and joined him. Before they reached home, Charlie had decided he was going to be an actor.

About a year later, after much pleading by Charlie, Eggie got him into The Cathedral Players. The production at the time was The Upper Room, an Easter Passion play. Charlie got a tiny part as a spear bearer. He spoke no lines. In fact, only the tip of his spear was seen for most of the production. "But I was in a play. I came on stage at the end and got applause with the rest of the cast. I was an actor," Charlie said years later.

Preparing himself for a real part, he found guidance in a film featuring Marcel Marceau, a famous French mime. His wordless acting, use of his flexible body and hands and nearly immobile face impressed Charlie, who consequently started spending hours each week practising mime. One Christmas morning, his rehearsals paid off. He was backstage at the Coke Methodist Church Hall at East Parade helping Eric Coverley, the island's leading impresario, to get the show on stage.

Both up-and-coming and popular performers were in the show, one of the former being Louise Bennett, a poet who specialised in dialect verses. The more experienced included comedian and actor Ranny Williams, violinist Flo Wilson and a comic duo, Bim and Bam. Charlie thought things were going well until he saw Mr Coverley with a worried look on his face, signalling him from across the room. Charlie ran over.

"Sir?"

"Charlie, I need somebody to fill in for the next five minutes. The next act not ready."

"You want to move up one of the other acts, sir?"

"No. That will upset things. I don't want to call anybody in at the last moment. Actors are temperamental people, you know?"

Charlie nodded. He was coming to realise that more and more.

"Besides," Coverley continued, "I planned the show in a certain order. I'm trying to build to a high point, with the best act coming last."

BIG CLIMAX

Charlie nodded again. He'd watched enough movies to know the effectiveness of a big climax. "What you want me to do, sir?"

"I want you to go on."

"And do what?"

"You decide. Go."

"But," Charlie protested, "I never prepare ... ."

Mr Coverley held up his hand. "You want to be an actor, don't you?"

"Yes."

"You don't want to continue working backstage for the rest of your life, do you?"

"No, sir."

"Good. Here's your chance to start your stage career. Entertain them for five minutes. That'll give enough preparation time."

Taking a deep breath, Charlie walked out through the curtains and on to the stage. But what he should say? He was a good storyteller, he knew. Or should he tell jokes? No, comics were coming later. Ah, the mime he had been practicing, a woman getting dressed in her room to go out.

At first, there was a puzzled silence from the audience. Few of them had seen a mime. But as the action continued, as the character washed her face, dried it, combed her hair and put on her garments one by one, the audience started to laugh in delighted recognition. By the end of the five minutes, the entire church hall was in hysterics.

Charlie left the stage to sustained applause and cheers, feeling good. He felt even better when, at the end of the show, Mr Coverley handed him a small brown envelope containing one guinea, his first payment for acting.

In a sense, he was now professional, but many years of study and practice lay ahead before he became one of Jamaica's best known and best loved entertainers.

LIFE-LONG LOVE

Born on Valentine's Day 1931 Charles Hyatt became an actor, playwright, short-story writer, director, broadcaster, raconteur and musicologist. His first few jobs - as customs clerk, hardware clerk, fire equipment salesman - gave no clue about his future career. But soon, he segued into radio, at Radio Jamaica and later the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation, and found a life-long love.

Another love was, of course, the theatre and after several appearances in the Little Theatre Movement's annual pantomimes and other plays, getting an Actor of the Year award in the process, he left Jamaica for England on a British Council bursary to study at the Theatre Royal in Windsor, England. He stayed in England for 14 years. During that time, he acted on radio, television, films and on the stage. He toured England and for many seasons was Resident Actor at the Oxford Playhouse. International recognition came with his appearances in several important plays.

On his return to Jamaica in 1974, Hyatt rejoined JBC and became head of the Department of Drama. There he wrote, produced and directed a number of full-length plays for radio - Jesus Christ, Dem Kill Son-Son, Santa Fari and Curly Locks and the Seven DJs. For a short while he was editor of the Arts and Entertainment section of The Jamaica Herald and in 1989 published When Me Was a Boy, a book of short stories about his childhood.

Among the movies Hyatt acted in was Cool Runnings. For the last several years of his life, Hyatt hosted the radio programme It's Charlie's Time on Sunday nights.

His stage appearances continued until his final months and so, too, did the awards. In 1995, Hyatt was named Best Actor for his role in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. But to thousands, he was best known as Pa Ben, the narrator and lead male character in Trevor Rhone's Caribbean classic Old Story Time. In addition to numerous certificates and citations, Hyatt was awarded the Silver Musgrave Medal, The Institute of Jamaica Centenary Medal and the National Order of Distinction for his contribution to theatre and music.

He died on January 1, 2007.