Hurricane Melissa took a severe battering from comedians who performed at Sunday night’s staging of Slightly Unhinged.

Held at 22 Jerk on Barbican Road, the event saw comedians poking fun at the October 28 hurricane that left devastation across multiple western parishes of the island.

But Hurricane Melissa wasn’t the only topic; relationships, politics, and current affairs were also a part of the routines that had patrons laughing uncontrollably.

The event started promptly at 6:00 pm with host and organiser Dufton “Duffy” Shepherd engaging patrons in a round of comedy before he introduced Chris the Entertainer, who travelled from Mandeville to be a part of the proceedings. His routine left patrons in stitches.

Dance Xpressions, led by choreographer and dance instructor Orville Hall, took patrons down memory lane as they demonstrated various dance moves from the 1980s into the 2000s. Among the popular dance moves accompanied by their respective songs that went down well with patrons were Della Move (1988), Stuck (1989), Duck, Mud Up, Bogle, Butterfly, Log On, Online, Wacky Dip, Tek Weh Yuself, Nuh Linga, Gully Creepa, Rock Di World, and Drift.

In a post-performance interview with the Jamaica Observer’s Splash, Hall explained the reason for incorporating dancing into the proceedings.

“I still think that there are some people out there that don’t appreciate dancehall on a certain level. Recently, for about a year now, I have been conducting a dancehall course that has been accredited by HEART Trust and City & Guilds. I kinda use this to push the whole instructional dancehall vibes, so people know that we have a very rich cultural and very rich history in dance,” said Hall, who recently returned from a seven-country European tour.

“The feedback tonight has been phenomenal. Some people learnt some things, but it was nostalgic for some people. But, generally, mi love the vibe,” Hall shared.

Afro poet act Iampukupoo, which comprises Everaldo “Evie Pukupoo” Creary and Volentiekank, provided a heart-warming set that the ladies appreciated.

Said Creary: “Well, you know, it was a good vibe. This is always a great show and the audience here is always receptive — they have a wider, open mind. Tonight I went a little more edgy than the previous times. But they loved the poetry and this is for a worthy cause.”

Volentiekank, for his part, added: “The reception from the patrons was awesome. The process is just togetherness. It was great seeing people smile and being resilient.”

After a brief intermission during which DJ Powa stirred whipped the crowd into a musical frenzy with retro music, veteran comedian Owen “Blakka” Ellis took the stage. His in natural style, he joked about his aunt who “manhandled” him during his childhood years, and he also touched on aging and getting into relationships as an elder.

Singer Alaine said when Dufton reached out to her to be a part of the event there was no hesitation.

“Dufton called me and the answer was yes. As creatives, it is important for us to lend out voices to positivity, good vibes and healing, especially in this time: People need relief. And in every single kind of way, of course financially, but give God thanks that we have the ability to shift atmospheres with our creatives. We need each other now more than ever,” she told Splash.

Alaine was smooth with her delivery of No Ordinary Love, Heart of a Champion, We Rise (In Love), and
The First Cut is the Deepest.

Actor and broadcaster Christopher “Johnny” Daley was quite the entertainer delivering knockout punches during his stint.

“When Duffy linked me, right away it was a no-brainer. Half of Jamaica has been devastated; a lot of people’s lives have been uprooted totally. Anything we can do to help Jamaica to build back stronger, all hands are on deck,” said Daley.

According to Shepherd, Slightly Unhinged has been in existence since 2019.

“I’ve been doing this since 2020. When we started in 2019 it was a one-off, one-man comedy special, and so we turned it into a series and it has been growing. We decided that this staging we would donate all the proceeds to persons affected by the hurricane, so this is the hurricane relief staging. Everyone performed free of cost, the merchandise that we sold, all that money is going towards hurricane relief. Me and my team have been doing ongoing hurricane relief, so this show is for our brothers and sisters who are in need,” Shepherd explained.

He shared that the event has been a platform to expose and provide opportunities for comedians.

“When I started out, there were not many opportunities for comedians like me. I didn’t want the next generation of comedians to go through the same struggles that I did. I am happy that I can provide a platform for other comedians, even those in my age bracket,” Shepherd said.

Fusion recording artiste Yaksta brought the curtains down on another staging of Slightly Unhinged, delivering his chart-toppers Ambition and Emotions.

Comedian Owen “Blakka” Ellis delivers one of his rib-tickling performances.

DJ Powa spins the hits that kept patrons rocking.

Afro duo Everaldo “Evie Pukupoo” Creary (right) and Volentiekank backstage shortly after their performance at Slightly Unhinged.

Conceptualiser of Slightly Unhinged, comedian Dufton “Duffy” Shepherd gets into his act.