Kingdoms: humour, heartache, and healing

By Fr Robert Christo

Vicar for Communications

The air crackled with anticipation on the night of Sunday, March 30 in Malabar as nearly 500 faithful packed the converted theatre hall. Kingdoms, a gospel play written and directed by T&T seminarian Jameke Brown, exploded onto the stage in living colour.

From the first drumbeat, we were thrust into the timeless struggle between light and darkness. As a Trinbagonian Catholic priest in the audience, I felt goosebumps—this was not just theatre, it was spiritual warfare with Caribbean swagger.

In true Trini zesser style, the drama mixed ‘picong’ (teasing banter) and profound theology. Demonic characters prowled with real badjohn energy, haloed angels wielded holy glory, and in the thick of battle, young Nathan’s heartbreak—a proper Trini tabanca—became the battleground of his soul.

The play brought to life the forces of good and evil with such vibrancy that the audience moved from heckling to silence to hollering. It was a real bacchanal of grace versus temptation—and we loved every second.

Engaging youth with faith and fun

What struck me most was the youthful energy on and off stage. The cast, made up of young, talented Catholics, brought the story’s universal themes to life in a way that hit home. Plenty of the nearly 500 attendees were young people themselves, eyes locked in, spirits wide open. This wasn’t a stuffy sermon—it was raw, real, and relatable.

The play spoke our dialect, causing bursts of laughter and painful recognition as characters threw out local lines about ‘horn’ and ‘tabanca’. Several major scenes portrayed youths facing the inevitable romantic betrayal, and the demons (Tempters) danced around them, whispering lies, pushing them toward rage, shame, and despair.

But the light broke through. One youth told me after, “Regardless of how deep the pit is, God is still deeper—when yuh get de horn and yuh hit rock bottom, He is de rock—not puncheon rum.”

The audience erupted when the protagonist discovered the ultimate weapon: “The ‘P’ word is ‘prayer’.” Even a whispered prayer scattered darkness like a cockroach caught in the light.

Laughter, tears, and triumph

The beauty of Kingdoms was how it balanced deep spiritual reflection with belly laughter. Just as the tension peaked—BOOM! —an unplanned comic relief burst in. During a heated exorcism scene, stagehands accidentally wheeled out a couch too early. In true Caribbean fashion, someone shouted, “Well even de furniture catching de Spirit!” Those close to me howled.

From haunting gospel chants to dancehall-style praise, from blackouts to glowing red horns, the music, lighting, and transitions pulled us into the struggle between the sacred and the profane.

By the finale, as the forces of light overcame the dark and Nathan reclaimed hope, the crowd was on their feet— clapping, crying, rejoicing. The message landed: in Christ’s Kingdom, darkness never wins.

Evangelisation through creativity

As I sat there, I realised I was witnessing evangelisation in technicolour. This wasn’t just a play—it was Pauline inculturation at its best. Like St Paul in Athens, Jameke Brown and his crew entered the cultural space and brought the Gospel alive.

This was Trinbago theatre baptised in grace and humour, and the Malabar cluster deserves high praise for using it to evangelise, catechise, and mobilise.

But, and here comes my priestly side…

One minor critique: while the play powerfully highlighted prayer and calling on Jesus as responses to temptation—and rightly so—I would go a bit deeper. The Church teaches many ways to cope with temptation, especially with the readings for the first Sunday of Lent. Jesus in the desert didn’t just pray—He used and knew the Word, He knew the tempter, and He stood firm.

Temptation requires more tools:

• Know yourself, your weakness and the tricks of the Tempter
• Recognise the voice of the enemy
• Seek help: spiritual direction, therapy, Confession
• Build moral and resistance muscles through grace and community
• Use the Sacraments, especially Reconciliation

Not all may know this, and we need more than a few weapons in the battle. Kingdoms could delve more explicitly into these teachings in future shows.

Still, what a night! What a ministry! What a movement!

We laughed; we prayed; we reflected. We saw ourselves on that stage. And we saw the Gospel come to life with thunder, humour, heartache, and healing.

The curtain might’ve stuck midway, but the light lingered.

Because in Jesus’ name, even demons know… they cyah win!