The foyer of the Ruth Seaton James Centre for the performing arts was full of people anxiously awaiting the doors to open for "Joy in the Morning" on Friday, November 30, 2001.

Adapted and directed by well-known actress Robin Givens from a book by Ruth Givens, the celebrity aspect alone makes it a significant local event. Add to that the fact that Bermudian performers are involved and it is an important opportunity in the development of those selected.

The theme of the play is fairly simple. It deals with the idea of spiritual growth - the need to sometimes return to the trusting fearless simple faith of a child who believes without adult doubt and complications. At the core is the spiritually debilitating experience of depression. Told initially from the point of the girl still inside of a full grown woman and then developing to a point where it is being told by the adult there are interesting paradoxes.

Interestingly, as the story unfolds, it is the girl who has the wisdom usually possessed by much older individuals but always her wisdom is about simplicity, trusting, unflappable faith and belief in God. The set was minimalist consisting of a piano, played by Rex DaSharn Smith, and stools, used for the portions where Ruth, played by Robin Givens, was talking with her spiritual advisor.

Such minimalist sets are usually utilised in existentialist plays. With the intermingling characters of Ruth as girl and woman and the doctor, more of a memory than an actuality in character and thus merely giving voice to words that were now Ruth's, there is an existentialist element to this play.

However, such plays usually employ more poetic language. "Joy in the Morning" is mired in overused clich?s of religious expression, heavy in the use of words like darkness and light, journeys through valleys and over mountains.

Such images do serve to quickly connect an audience to the concepts of religious growth and are employed regularly in hymns, sermons and literature. In this play, with its interesting use of characters in memory to tell its story, they seem like platitudes. There are moments were the lines are lyrical but they are few and seem somewhat out of place.

The most strikingly resonant lines are taken right out of the bible and it was here that I saw glimpses of the play "Joy" could have been.

Perhaps because the play was adapted from a book the language is as it is, however for a play some paraphrasing is often necessary to make the presentation of the ideas and themes more dramatic and poignant.

"Joy in the Morning" is interspersed with wonderfully arranged contemporary gospel songs and old favourites sung in the contemporary style. The singers, predominantly Bermudian, were amazing and had excellent voices. Each singer sang solos at some point in the production. There was a variety of voices and singing styles and when they sang in harmony it was rousing and sweet. Unfortunately the songs themselves, moving and inspirational as they were, do nothing much to move the play forward.

Although extremely well performed they were not seamlessly integrated into the play as songs should be. They somewhat interrupted the action, except once when members of the choir appeared suddenly in the balcony areas with a single woman in her lovely lower register beginning an old spiritual. As the song ensued members of the choir joined in and some spilled into the isles around the audience and delivered the most moving vocal performance of the night. The two songs sung at this point were "I've Been Changed" and "I've Come to Praise His Name".

The staging was perfection with the audience surrounded and warmly barraged by joyous and delightful singing. At this point the singers, who seemed to glow with faith and conviction, truly evoked a choir of angels. Although most of the songs did have some relationship to what was happening on stage at the time many did not seem to completely connect and the choir, who performed every song with energy and enthusiasm, did not always seem emotionally connected to the play.

Evidence of emotional connection is not completely necessary when a choir performs in theatre but when the choice of songs is not essentially the best it can significantly enhance the overall performance. I believe that "Joy in the Morning" would be a much better play with songs written especially for it.

The choir consisted of Bermudians selected during auditions, Sia Spence, Antonia Simons, Tracey Richardson, Francine Rollins, Camaleisha Tucker, Mallissa Furbert, Sharika Minors, Toni Marie Robinson, John Duncan and Lloyd Holder and Americans Horace Rogers and Anthony Mills.

Robin Givens who recently made her Broadway debut in Eve Enslers' controversial and empowering "Vagina Monologues" gave a poised and passionate performance. Her character was completely believable drawing in the audience to share her struggle to feel close to God again.

Her movement was spare, graceful and deliberate, blending perfectly with the staging and lighting. Eleven-year-old Canejelae L'che Taylor was precious and exhibited the same controlled performance style, helping to create the illusion of two facets of the same person. She handled extremely well the complex wisdoms that her character had to utter - a pure soul in the guise of a child with the God-given knowledge of an elder.

Steve Easton, whose name does not appear in the programme, gave a capable performance as the spiritual advisor, his cadence and smooth delivery of lines lulling and calming as he guided Ruth to the same realisations that her inner child gently pushed her toward.

"Joy in the Morning" is spiritually uplifting and dynamic as a piece of entertainment. As a play it seems a work still in progress. Good performances, especially from Robin Givens and Canjelae Taylor, and the amazing choir made the evening very enjoyable for the Bermudian audience.

Throughout the play I overheard people commenting on the wealth of talent in Bermuda. When Canjelae came out to take her bow members of the audience began to stand and when Robin followed almost all took to their feet in thunderous appreciation.

All involved should be pleased by the audience reaction and proud to have worked under the direction of an accomplished actress of movies, television and theatre.