Armstrong, Alpha Boys make 'Last Call' more special

Keiran King's romantic musical Last Call enjoyed a critically acclaimed run until its end last weekend.

Patrons flocked to experience the magic of the legendary Myrtle Bank hotel in 1949 Jamaica. A big part of the magic is the seven-piece orchestra led by music director, vocal and orchestral arranger Karen Armstrong.

Armstrong, a classically trained musician and music teacher (piano and violin) has been playing, composing and arranging music most of her life.

But Last Call is only her second foray into commercial musical theatre; her first, Cindy, mounted last year as part of the University of the West Indies anniversary celebrations, got her an Actor Boy nomination for original score.

Talented cast

Working on Last Call has been a privilege and pleasure for Armstrong, not only because she is particularly enamoured with the music and musicals of the 1940s, but also because it gave her an opportunity to work with an extremely talented cast and band who have helped her to capture and reproduce the ambience and sound of the era.

It is this band that has been helping to separate Last Call from the pack of musicals mounted on the Jamaican stage in recent times.

Handsomely decked out in their concept and period-relevant costumes and accessories, the band, led by Armstrong on the grand piano, features six additional talented young musicians. Five of those were trained at the Alpha Boys' School.

They are Adrian Harris on flute, Nevardo Reid on clarinet, Kemroy Bonfield on Saxophone, Craig Henry on Trumpet, and Ezroy Brown on Double bass.

The seventh member of the band is drummer François Brown, a member of the Campion College band and the Nexus band and choir.

Patrons and cast members agree that one of the most distinctive pleasures of being in or watching Last Call hinges on the excellent musical accompaniment that they were treated to show after show.