The St. James Stage Group unquestionably exceeded themselves like never before with their 41st Annual Easter Monday Night Old Fashion Concert.

The opening was upbeat with the cast in old-fashion Easter bonnets and colourful costumes, singing as they paraded down the aisles from the rear of the hall to the stage, swinging their baskets of flowers to the applause of the overflow audience. This was followed by the first of many hilarious skits that had the audience in stitches of laughter until the until the closing act two hours later.

Billed as an "old fashioned concert", the fast paced show was as much a trip down memory lane as it was a "what's-happening-now" experience.

The St. James Group seem to have cast a therapeutic laughter spell over their perennial patrons coming as far away as St. David's to Somerset, lining up more than two hours before the doors opened. The cast of three or four gentlemen and several well-known great-grand mothers, mothers and others from the community at large, some close to their 90s, easily went through some really funny and colourful routines.

As we have noted before, many of the ladies in the stage group ordinarily can be found sitting sedately in the amen corners of their choirs and churches. But come Easter Monday night, as they have done for 40-plus years, they put aside their inhibitions to do a little burlesque here, an impersonation there, and to alternate the singing of familiar secular and religious songs, all in great fun.

Many of those routines or skits in keeping with the group's traditional format were written by the players themselves. They were based on real life experiences by "mommas" in their households dealing with their contrary offspring, finding themselves before magistrates in court.

And to sustain the pace, there was a star-studded seven-piece orchestra. On the piano was Earl Bascome; drums, Elliott Perinchief; Ed (Doc) Simons, piano and saxophone; Charles Virgil, lead guitarist; Leon Virgil; and Mrs. Shirley Virgil, vocalist.

We would be hard put, if required, to single out who was most outstanding among the 20-odd member cast, as they were all just plain funny; good performers, some of whom might have missed their real callings in life, as they interspersed three and four times for different characterisations.

There was the relatively new-comer like videographer Jonathan Rogers playing his part as a bewigged broadcaster, lover and preacher among other roles. Also, showing their versatility were the regular troopers like Joan Dismont, dancing the Cha Cha; soloist Melvina in a medley of songs; acting doctor Viola Rogers, Lilymay Bulford, HattiAnn Gilbert, Marjorie Talbot, Alsace Trott, Myra Bristol; Marilyn Burchall, and of course the versatile Mervyn Smith, his mother Edna Smith and Edna's sister Pat Edwards debuting as a soloist in "I'm Just a Lonely Girl"; and another sister Maurita Thompson, pairing with Joan in the Cha Cha.

Adding to the slickness of the show was the no-time-wasted changes of the performers from one role to the next, effected in large part by the back stage wardrobe mistresses Debra Bascome and Sally Perinchief.

Significantly, there were four new members making their debut big time. They were professional beautician Barbara Lewis Mills alter through three or four different characters; similarly Joyce Eve, Jennifer Hall and Elty Anderson.

Ensuring the absolute success of the show was the professional director Rotimi Martin. Programme organiser and master of ceremonies was Geoffrey Butler-Durrant. He was back after a two-year hiatus from the office of president which he had held since 1988. Stage manager was Weldon Gilbert; and in charge of the sound systems, Dewitt Thomas.

The stage group was founded in 1968 by Mrs. Elizabeth Forde-Jones who had a vision for an old fashioned concert as a fund raising effort leading to the 50th anniversary of the St. James Church Guild.

She had the instant support of such talented persons as Jessie Dickinson, who served for many years a musical director; her sister Cynthia Pringle, Elsie Young, Llewellyn Baisden, William Symonds, Alex Outerbridge, bandleader Nathaniel Proctor and several others who are also deceased, including Mrs. Winnie Simons.

However, many of their offspring and others who were early supporters have continued down through these 41 years, to play important behind-the-scenes roles in getting the show on the road.

The concert was under the distinguished patronage of former Sandys MP Lionel Simmons and his wife Cecile.