Mas Extinction?
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| Cosmic Fusion takes a bow - photo by Stephen Weir |
Jamaal Magloire and the Revellers holding part two of their costume launch this Sunday
By Stephen Weir for the Caribbean Camera
The show is over ... for now. Early early
this past Sunday morning the doors closed at the York Mills Gallery banquet
hall where over 600 people had taken in the long anticipated Toronto Revellers
Band Costume Launch, Part One. Unfortunately it was an unexpected shortened
show with only six of their ten sections performing.
The remaining four sections are expected to
be presented – in part or in whole -- this Sunday evening in Scarborough at the
opening of the Revellers’ mas camp.
At the York Mills Gallery launch band
leader Jamaal Magloire introduced this year's carnival costumes, all inspired
by the theme Extinction: Love Our Planet. Helping the NBA star out on stage was
Miami carnival personality D'Wassi One and Trinidad champion mas designer and
singer Ronnie Mc Intosh.
At the end of an abbreviated show that
morning Jamaal Magloire invited the audience to come back next week. “Leave your
money at home for Part Two of the Extinction costume launch.” IT will happen at
the soon-to-be-opened Revellers Mas Camp to see the remaining sections (who
didn't make it on stage Sunday morning) as they debut the missing costumes!
It is highly unusual for a Mas band to not
show all of its announced sections at a sold-out launch. There were strong
rumours circulating online and at other carnival events this week that some of the
costumes for the four sections were made in the US and were unexpectedly held
up at the US and Canadian border – something that Mr. Magloire’s PR team
denies.
“ There were no problems at the border that
I know of, Jamaal just wants to change things up and this (having the last four
sections perform at the camp opening) will be a great event,” said Tanya
Phillipps, the Washington based PR expert and board secretary of the Jamaal
Magloire Foundation.
Sunday’s 55-minute costume launch did not
sit well with many of the six hundred in attendance. Several notes of complaint were left on this
writer’s social media pages.
“’That band launch was most disappointing,
I did not pay my money to see five sections,” said long time carnival insider Noel Audain.
“Some other people were also complaining that there was nothing for
you to say WOW. (What) was that all about? The best costume was the lady in the
orange frill dress (probably the Cosmic Fusion section). I am not biased I see
it as it is. Remember I was there (Caribana) from the beginning.”
The redo will take place April 15th, Sunday
evening (4pm – 8 pm) at their new mas camp at 80 Midwest Road, Unit 10, in
Scarborough.
“We will be celebrating this beauty that
surrounds us all summer long with events at Mas Camp and around the city,
starting with the grand opening wine & cheese event, hosted by Magloire,
NBA All Star and Toronto Raptors Assistant Coach / Community Ambassador, along
with special guests and entertainment,” reads a press release issued by the
Revellers yesterday.
“Toronto Revellers are leveraging Mas as a
platform to bring awareness of a very serious global crisis we are facing –
MASS EXTINCTION. “Preserving the planet is something to think about everyday,
for our kids, and our kids’ kids and that is why I chose extinction.” said
Magloire. “It’s not whether plants, animals, reefs have the will to survive,
its whether humanity has the will to save them. This year the Revellers are
playing mas with a purpose and there is a description and a theme for each
section.”
Sunday’s free relaunch begins at 4pm with a
wine and cheese party as the camp opens its showrooms and costume registration
desks. At 6pm Jamaal Magloire, along with special guests and section costumes
will take to the stage. The designs that will be displayed on Sunday
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