Oliver, Volier come to town in Frenemy

Old sparring partners Oliver Samuels and Volier ‘Maffy’ Johnson reunite for the play Frenemy, which is scheduled for three shows in South Florida over the Labor Day Weekend.

 

The play, a Whirlwind Entertainment production ends its successful two-month run in Jamaica on August 27.

 

Frenemy, which also features Audrey Reid, Lakeisha Ellison (who alternates with Reid) and Dennis Titus, plays at the Miramar Cultural Center on September 2 and the Coral Springs Cultural Center on September 3.

 

After its South Florida stint, Frenemy will move on to Central Florida for two production dates.

 

Jamaican theater giants

 

Samuels and Johnson are two of Jamaican theater’s giants. They have appeared in countless plays and movies, but made a big splash during the 1980s, appearing on the Jamaican television comedy Oliver At

Large.

 

In one memorable episode, Samuels appeared as a con pastor with Johnson as his sidekick named Maffy.

 

Johnson’s first appearance in a major theatrical role, was as the handcart man in the 1972 Jamaican hit movie, “The Harder They Come.”

 

Audrey Reid

 

Reid is also a theater veteran. She got her start in roots (low-budget, slapstick productions) plays in the 1980s. Her breakout role was in the 1997 movie, Dancehall Queen, in which she plays Marcia, a street vendor who rises to fame as a dancehall starlet.

 

Tickets are now on sale for both Miramar and Coral Springs staging of Frenemy on jamaicanshoppingclub.com