American Premiere of Oliver Samuels’ Di Prodigal Pickney to Benefit Hurricane Relief in Jamaica

Jamaican theatre comedy legend Oliver Samuels brings Di Prodigal Pickney to the U.S., with tour producer pledging to donate proceeds to hurricane relief in Jamaica

Oliver Samuels and Karen Harriott are embattled parents in Di Prodigal Pickney (Photo: Kieron Bernard)

The American Premiere performances of Di Prodigal Pickney, the new stage comedy written, directed by and starring Jamaican theatre legend Oliver Samuels, will serve as fundraisers for hurricane relief efforts in Jamaica.

The production will tour the New York Tri-State area across two weekends, with stops in Bridgeport, CT (Nov. 14), Brooklyn, NY (Nov. 15), and East Orange, NJ (Nov. 16). It then continues the following weekend in Jamaica, Queens (Nov. 21), Hartford, CT (Nov. 22), and the Bronx (Nov. 23). The tour will conclude with the final performance on Sunday December 7 in Beltsville Maryland at High Point High School.

New Jersey–based tour producer Patrick M. Reid made the decision following Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, which caused unprecedented damage across western Jamaica, destroying infrastructure and displacing thousands. “We had been eagerly anticipating the exciting return of Jamaica’s King of Comedy, Oliver Samuels, to the New York Tri-State Area for months,” Reid shared. “But once we saw the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Melissa, we sprang into action immediately and decided that we had to do everything in our power to assist in the urgent recovery effort.”

Karen Harriott and Oliver Samuels on the set of Di Prodigal Pickney (Photo: Kieron Bernard)

He added that they will now be donating part of the proceeds from the production’s American premiere run to the Jamaica Organization of New Jersey, one of several active U.S.-based groups deeply involved in fundraising for Jamaican hurricane relief at this critical time. "Oliver himself is highly committed and passionate about the cause, and he will be promoting the production extensively across many media platforms in the coming weeks,” he added.

Di Prodigal Pickney, set in Jamaica and inspired by the biblical Parable of the Prodigal Son, features Oliver Samuels alongside acclaimed actress Karen Harriott and rising star Tesfa Edwards. The production makes its U.S. debut after a successful world-premiere run in Canada and tours to St. Kitts, St. Maarten, and the United Kingdom, where it has played to packed houses and earned glowing reviews.

Samuels credits the show’s international appeal to its lively humor and themes of forgiveness, redemption, and parenting - warning, “Spare the rod and spoil the child at your peril!”