Playwright David Tulloch has always been fascinated with the shopping district in downtown, Kingston. That fascination inspired his latest production, Bangarang, which opened last Friday at the Green Gables Theatre.

Bangarang stars Keith ‘Shebada’ Ramsay, veteran Terri Salmon, Christopher McFarlane, Trudy Bell, Monique Ellis, and Patrick Smith.

“I have a lot of admiration for people downtown. It shows that Jamaicans are resilient, colourful and very cultural. I thought it was time to explore the downtown relations in terms of the politicians, the Chinese store owners, and the way the ‘donmanship’ thing shadows everyone. I thought that if we put it in a hilarious drama, it would make a nice sell,” Tulloch told the

Jamaica Observer.

Tulloch has been a writer with RBT Productions for the past three years.

Bangarang is his third production in as many years for the company.

It is directed by Bunny Allen.

Ellis plays Pearl, a vendor by day and prostitute at night. She said she visited downtown Kingston to get a firsthand feel of the vendors to prepare for her role.

“I went to analyse the characters. Everyone visits the downtown market and I tried my best to bring those characters to life,” she explained.

Ellis, who appeared in the roots playShebada in Charge, has been acting professionally since 2012.

McFarlane, who plays politician Winston Justice, described his character as a typical Jamaican politician who visits the ghetto to drum up political support.

“In my preparation for the role, I looked at our politicians and modelled the character after them. I also drew a lot of reference from my stepfather who was a politician,” he said.

Tulloch said patrons will not be bored when they seeBangarang which closes January 1.

“Everything is tied up in one bombshell. It’s a very talented cast. A lot of the people who come out to see

Bangarang will also be able to relate to this immediately, because a lot of this is an everyday reality for many.”