The Caisey Family sparked by the multi-talented grandmother June Caisey, reasserted itself as the First Family of Bermuda’s entertainment world Sunday, with the production of its 12th concert entitled ‘The Gospel According to David’ at Hamilton City Hall’s Earl Cameron Theatre. It was a powerful production with a new breed, a third generation of gifted Caiseys doing their modern-day thing.

If it is possible to take a back seat and be up front at one and the same time that was June’s role, watching her daughter Phiemma, a born actress and the latter’s sons, just like herself, embarking on what was truly a phenomenal spiritual journey. They were backed by several veteran stage friends with songs, dance and poetry that was respectfully modern, with titles like ‘Give Jah Praise Every Day’, ‘Sweet Honey in the Rock called Beatitudes’.

It all culminated in a Gospel Electric Slide, with the Caisey grandsons plucking young and not so young members from the enthusiastic audience to join on stage.

Personally, this writer considered the masterpiece of the production was June Caisey’s prayer, ‘Lord, Lord, Why Did You Make Me Black?’ Black is something the world wants to hold back! the colour of dirty clothes, the colour of darkness, the colour of the bruised eye; black with a broad nose and kinky hair; the colour when people are ‘listed. They say I am too dark or too light.

God, June’s prayer painfully went on and on, why don’t you redo creation and make everyone the same?

In an equally dramatic manner, Charles Jeffers, who doubled as the programme’s Master of Ceremonies, gave God’s answer.

Get up off your knees and look around, Jeffers commanded, and tell me what you see? I didn’t make you in the image of darkness, I made you in the image of me! The colour of coal from which beautiful diamonds are formed; the colour of oil. that keeps people warm. Your lips I made full so when you kiss the one you love, they will remember.

You are the colour of the midnight sky, I put the star’s glitter in your eyes. There’s a smile hidden behind your pain. Your cheeks are so high, you are the colour of dark clouds formed when I send my strongest weather.

Jeffers concluded to sustained applause, the reflection you see in the mirror, the image that looks back is MINE!

Friends performing with the Caisey clan included Desta Zion, who sings lead regularly with the ACM Gospel Choir from London, duo-ing with ‘Sweet Truth’ singing Jesus is Love. There was ‘She’, the attractive a cappella group of veterans whose names were not spelt out in the programme. There was Mitchelle (Live Wire) Trott, the tap dancer and song writer, with his presentation of Mercy and Grace.

Other veterans giving renditions were ‘Present Truth’, a seven-member male a cappella group which began in the 1990s and are noted for their performances in various churches and for their prison ministry. They are presently recording their first CD.

As we said before this was a powerful spiritual journey, accentuated by The ‘Present Truth’, a seven-member male a cappella group which began in the 1990s and a band, listed only as Mark, Taur, Eddie, Dennis, Derek, Steven and Nathan. The event was for the benefit of the charity PRIDE. A delicious Christmas cassava pie reception in the City Hall foyer, followed the stage show.