'Jamaica Farewell' returns... after countless tours around the world

After successful runs in the United States, Canada, England, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Bermuda, Debra Ehrhardt will once again be visiting her native Jamaica to bring home the Joel Zwick-updated version of her thrilling tale, Jamaica Farewell.

This time, the shows will be at the exclusive Golden Eye Hotel & Resort in Oracabessa, St Mary, starting at 6 p.m., on Saturday, December 10. The evening promises to be a magical evening of cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres, culminating with a heart-pounding performance of Jamaica Farewell. The ticket price for this memorable evening is $8,000.

The second and final show has been sponsored by The Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort and Spa and will be held on Sunday, December 11 at 6 p.m., in the Portland Ballroom. The ticket price for this show is $1,500 prepaid and $1,700 at the door.

Touching story

Debra Ehrhardt's solo show, Jamaica Farewell, based on a true story about her journey to the US from Jamaica in the 1970s during the Manley era, is a hilarious and touching story of how one woman risked everything in order to fulfil her lifelong dream of starting over in America.

Ehrhardt's tour de force performance is a wild roller-coaster ride of suspense, intrigue, seduction, humour and manipulation. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Ehrhardt knew from as early as age seven that her dream was to go to America. By age 18, her dream was realised.

She is currently touring with her third solo show, Jamaica Farewell. Her previous productions include Mango Mango, which received two National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Awards, and Invisible Chairs, which was produced by David Strasberg at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre in West Hollywood and later optioned as a situation comedy by Fox.

She was also a 2007 NYC Fringe Festival award winner and received a 2007 Proclamation from the City of New York for Jamaica Farewell for her "outstanding contribution to the Jamaican community". Ehrhardt was recently named one of Jamaica's Top 10 newsmakers for 2010 and was nominated this past Spring by the Actor Boy Awards in Jamaica for Best Actress, and also for Best Drama.

In her last interview with The Gleaner, Ehrhardt mentioned that she was in talks about turning the play into a movie. The stage and screen rights for Jamaica Farewell were recently optioned by Rita Wilson, producer of Big Fat Greek Wedding. A member of the Writer's Guild of America, Ehrhardt is currently making adjustments to Jamaica Farewell for the big screen.

For more information, persons may visit www.jamaicafarewelltheplay.com.