Actor Earl Duzong
SUCKER GARDEN--Talented actor Earl Duzong will take to the stage once again, this time as one of the wisest kings in the biblical era, when he joins Class Two of the Cole Bay Methodist Church in “The Rise and Fall of King Solomon.”
The show, which is being produced by Better Opportunity for Talent (BOFT), will be staged at L.B. Scott Sports Auditorium on Saturday, August 11, with Duzong taking the lead role once played by the late Camille Baly a decade ago. This wholesome family event will also feature performances by Benjamin Bell and his band God’s Chosen, as well as Christian Fellowship Church Total Restoration Dance Ministry.
Duzong, according to his co-stars, fits perfectly into the role of King Solomon, as they were “looking for a handsome monarch.” It is no doubt that at 6 feet 5 inches, with a chocolate smooth physique and baritone voice, they have found their king who can command a harem of hundreds of wives and concubines as his biblical character did some 900 years before the birth of Christ.
According to the actor, he has fallen into the role, although he describes himself as more of an introvert, shying away from publicity and the limelight. “I am trying to get over that,” said Duzong, a businessman who once graced the runway as a model and is still an ardent athlete.
Aruba-born Duzong is renowned in St. Maarten, where he grew up, for many stage plays, as well as the award-winning locally-produced 2008 film “PanMan, Rhythm of the Palms” which ironically also chronicles the rise and fall of its main character.
It was the producer of that film, the late Ian Valz, who encouraged Duzong’s acting career. Speaking of that time, Duzong explained that it was while being an extra on the set of “Trade Winds,” an NBC production in 1993, that Valz noticed him and one year later cast him in Errol John’s “Moon on a Rainbow Shawl.” Duzong worked mainly with Valz’s Independent Theatre until Valz’s death in 2010. He has also worked with Louis Laveist’s United Theatre Company and in 2012 produced and directed Fabian Badejo’s stage version of “Shame and Scandal.”
With some two dozen theatre and film credits to his name, it is no wonder Duzong, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, was named “Outstanding Actor of the Decade” (1996-2006) and shared in the success of “PanMan,” which won the “Best Feature Film” award at the Hollywood Black Film Festival and “Best Score” at the Brooklyn International Film Festival in June 2008.
According to Duzong, acting comes naturally to him. He fell in love with the vocation, so when Ann Meyers of the Cole Bay Theatre Company approached him earlier this year to work in “The Rise and Fall of King Solomon” he jumped at it after reading the script. Two productions were staged at church on a smaller scale, and it was due to demands for an encore that BOFT decided to produce the play on a larger stage.
As there will be some singing in the play, the big question is: will the man with the golden voice belt out some notes? According to the father of three, “When people come, they will know whether I will sing or not.”
Duzong hopes his audience will leave at the end of the night with a better understanding of King Solomon. “Those who did not know [about King Solomon – Ed.], will find out the truth. His fall began when King Solomon turned his heart away from God and to his different wives’ pagan gods.”
Tickets for the show are on sale at SOS Radio, Family Bookstore, and Van Dorp stores. Cast members also have tickets and prices for adults are US $20, while children will pay $5.
