Colleagues and friends of murdered playwright Raymond Choo Kong gathered at Queen’s Hall on Thursday to remember the veteran actor and pay tribute on stage.
“Someone took a gem from us,” said Wendell Etienne.
The audience at the Everybody Loves Raymond Memorial was able to witness a rendition of one of the more famous plays he directed, “Mary Could Dance,” starring Penelope Spencer and Cecelia Salazar.
They were also able to hear about the kind of person he was behind the curtain.
“Raymond would go to every play, that man did not discriminate, schools, communities, professional theatre, he would go to everything and he did it because he genuinely loved his craft,” said one actress.
Minister of Culture and the Arts Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said Choo Kong paved the way for young actors and actresses in this country. She thanked him for his contribution to T&T.
“It is difficult to celebrate what I see as a great loss to our country,” said Gadsby-Dolly.
The minister said Choo Kong represented hard work and dedication to his craft and that is why he was chosen as one of the mentors for the 2019 Mentoring by the Masters Programme.
“In his life, he gave to many younger aspiring artists that understanding that it was okay to follow your passion,” said Gadsby-Dolly.
Every time the tears came close, the comedian’s colleagues replaced them with good memory and laughter.
“I always remember this scene when my back was to him he would always say, (act with your back),” said Salazar.
Choo Kong was also known for his pranks on the final night of a play, one prank in particular comedienne Nikki Crosby cannot get out of her head.
“There was a door and I had to peep in the door and react and when I opened the door Raymond Choo Kong was naked mooning me and I had to keep a straight face and come back and say my line,” said Crosby, sending the audience into fits of laughter.
His colleagues said they will make sure that the actor’s legacy continues.
“People will see shades of Raymond from now to eternity,” said Spencer.
Choo Kong’s family announced yesterday that the wake for the late playwright will be held at the Arima Boys’ RC School at 8 pm tonight.
His funeral will take place on July 24 at the Santa Rosa RC Church at 10 am.
Since his murder on Monday at his Arima home, no one has been held in connection with the crime.