Theatre critics are raving about sassy comedic play Bad Influence which delivers timely morality lessons about teenage pregnancy and adolescent sexual choices in a family setting.

The plot revolves around main character Sighta (played by Romie Richards), his son Makka (Christopher Johnson) and tenants Rosey (Georgette Wright) and Busta (Joshua Tomlin) and their daughter Petal (Jerrine Masters). The action unfolds in an unidentified inner city community.

The intrigue is immediately clear as teens Makka and Petal are romantically involved. The stage is set for potential conflict as Busta believes that his promising daughter isn’t ready for any relationship yet, and ought to focus on her ambition of becoming a lawyer. Busta’s own hypocrisies are soon revealed as he is soon spotted angling for a relationship with the buxom Spice, who is Petal’s high school best friend.

The play’s title and main plot becomes quickly apparent when the sexually precocious Spice (Sherifa McDuffus/Jody Ann Johnson) shows the true power of ‘peer pressure’ when she takes Petal under her wings to show her how things are done in the adult world. However, Petal soon gets pregnant for Makka – her father’s worst nightmare – before the full tutelage can take place and all ‘hell and powderhouse’ breaks loose.

Playwright Luke Ellington believes that Bad Influence is a winner.

“Imagine you have yu good pickney a yuh yard destined for greatness and put your all into them achieving just that and because of ‘bad influence’, they may very well fail to live up to their full potential? It will be” hell and powder house”, chaos and catastrophe as the story unfolds. How will it turn out? You’ll have to see it to believe it!” he said.

Ellington added that there are nuggets of morality which will unfold in the play’s plot which are critical life lessons for teens whose hormones are in overdrive.

“Teens who are going to school need to see this play, parents and teachers need to see this play to understand how peer pressure and influence can wreck a child’s future, just one wrong choice at the wrong time, and a child’s life is changed forever. I want to get this play to be seen in schools to help at-risk kids make better choices,” Ellington, who is the alternate actor for the character ‘Sighta’, said.

One of the standouts in the cast is Joshua Tomlin, who made his name playing roles in plays like Obeah Wedding, Maama Man, Under Mi Nose Part II, Bun fe Bun, and Uptown Ghetto. He is simply brilliant in Bad Influence as ‘Busta’, and you should go and see him, as his equal on the Jamaican stage, is a long time in coming.

Bad Influence continues its run this Valentine’s weekend at Clarendon College in Chapelton, Saturday February 15 at 8 pm then the play moves on to Kingston at the Holy Childhood High School, Sunday, February 16 at 7 pm.

There will be a Valentine’s treat for patrons as the early bird couples will be feted with wine and roses, Lukington said.