Paul Christie and Virginia Matthews are a divorced couple who are in New York on the occasion of their daughter's wedding - and both are staying in their daughter's apartment. That is the base premise of "Better the Devil You Know" a play in three acts by the late P. Anthony White that is set to grace the stage at the Philip A. Burrows Black Box Theatre at the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts.

Anthony "Skeebo" Roberts, directs this Bahamian love drama set in the United States between the divorced couple played by Gregory Deane as Christie and Kayleaser Moss Deveaux-Isaacs as Matthews.

Roberts said the innocently planned cohabitation over three days will delight with its witty and, at times, studious dialogue; amuse with wise comic relief; and stirs with the emotional exploration of the characters.

"We learn of their marital togetherness, their intimacies, and extra marital affairs and the enduring problems of the collective 25 years," said Roberts.

He said while the tone and coloring are drawn from "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw and the subsequent musical, "My Fair Lady", by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe that P. Antony White's penchant for intrigue and cognitive stimulation is aptly displayed in the ambiguity of the main title of the production, "Better The Devil You Know".

"As White writes: 'The heart has its reasons, which reason itself knows nothing of,'" said the director who is assisted by Deveaux-Isaacs.

"Better The Devil You Know" is on stage July 6-8 at 8 p.m., nightly; matinee performance is July 7 at 11 a.m.

Shanae Amber Sweeting plays Christie and Matthews' daughter, Leslie Christie, and Jamell Dawkins plays the housekeeper Eva Grillo.

Roberts is directing the play in which he himself played the male lead 31 years ago.

At the time, it was suggested to him that he engage White to gain a better perspective of the character. He said he came away from his talk with White, inspired that he could satisfactorily convey the character of Christie.

Roberts went on to receive the Best Newcome DANSA Award for his performance, and now finds himself wearing the director's hat.

Better the Devil You Know" is a part of Shakespeare in Paradise's (SIP) year of Bahamian theater in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Bahamian Independence.

SIP in partnership with the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts is presenting one classic Bahamian play per month by a different Bahamian playwright, celebrating the range and depth of Bahamian creativity, over the course of a year.

The staging of the 13 plays began in October 2022. There are three plays left on the roster.

"Miss Ethel's Kitchen & Mr. Speaker" by Patrick Rahming (2010s and 1980s) is on the schedule for August.

"The Settin'-Up" by James Catalyn (1970s) takes to the stage in September.

"You Can Lead a Horse to Water" by Winston Saunders (1980s) closes out the year in October.

Other playwrights featured were E. Clement Bethel, Philip A. Burrows and Nicolette Bethel, Sam Boodle, James J. Catalyn, Patrice Francis and J. Ben Hepburn, Ian Strachan, Jeanne I. Thompson, Telcine Turner-Rolle, and Susan J. Wallace.

Bethel, SIP president and chair, Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts, said the year of Bahamian theater reaches back to the early days of the performing arts.

"Our goal this year is to celebrate our history, yes, but it is also to introduce these fine works to new Bahamian performers, directors, and audiences," wrote Bethel in the SIP program book. "Ours is a bid to keep Bahamian theater alive; to give new writers and directors a canon to which to refer, and a tradition on which to build; and to provide future generations of Bahamians with inspiration and pride in knowing the strength and the quality of our local theatrical tradition."

For tickets telephone 393-3728 or 394-7179.

The post SIP presents P. Anthony White's 'Better the Devil You Know' - a play in three acts appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

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