Four hours of tedium

Dimanche Gras producer Carl Henderson stated that the show would be four and a half hours long. A newspaper article mentioned that the Calypso Monarch would take about four hours which meant that “there would only be half an hour for entertainment.” 

I take it that someone figured out that the Calypso Monarch is no longer entertainment but four hours of tedium? That has certainly been the trend over the last several years and would probably be true this year if the Soca Monarch semi-finals is anything to go by.

Once again, I wonder why the requirement to sing two calypsoes is necessary. Perhaps there is some historical reason for it but, for a long time now, it just adds length and boring-factor to the shows. 

Long gone are the days when one could watch the entire show and not be bored. The biggest singing competitions in the world (The Voice, European Song Festival, Britain's Got Talent, etc) require one song. Why insist on two calypsoes for Calypso Monarch when we are almost guaranteed that at least one, and probably two, will be of poor quality? Oh, I forgot. It’s the greatest show on earth.

Noel Kalicharan