Dancehall Queen


Dancehall Queen is a 1997 indie Jamaican film written by Suzanne Fenn, Ed Wallace and Don Letts, starring Audrey Reid, who plays Marcia, a street vendor struggling to raise a bad-tempered daughter, Tanya. Directed by Don Letts and Rick Elgood.

Plot

Marcia Green is a single mom and street vendor barely scraping by even with a financial assist from the seemingly avuncular Larry, a gun-toting strongman with a twisted desire for Marcia's teenage daughter Tanya who he then decides to pursue. Complicating things is Priest, a murderous hoodlum who killed Marcia's friend and now is terrorizing the defenseless woman. Facing three big problems, Marcia arrives at an inspired solution: develop an alter ego, a dancing celebrity called the Mystery Lady who can compete in a cash-prize contest and put both of the men against one another.
She does so and Marcia very amusingly carries out her complicated plan, with a little help from sympathetic friends.

Cast

  • Audrey Reid as Marcia, a struggling street vendor, who decides to use dancing to better her situation. So, she takes on the persona of the Mystery Lady, to raise money.
  • Cherine Anderson as Tanya, Marcia's older daughter. Trying to live a normal life, she has to deal with the advances of Larry, the wealthy man that her mother seeks money from.
  • Mark Danvers as Junior, Marcia's younger brother and Tanya's uncle. After witnessing his friend's death, at the hands of Priest, he fears he'll be murdered next.
  • Carl Davis as Larry, a well-off man, who has an interest in Tanya, he falls for the Mystery Lady.
  • Paul Campbell as Priest, the knife-wielding hoodlum who's pursuing Marcia
  • Carl Bradshaw as Police Officer #1
  • Beenie Man as himself
  • Lady Saw as herself
  • Paula Ouch as herself
  • Debbie Ouch as herself
  • Nicky Ouch as herself

    Soundtrack

Dancehall Queen mixed recent hits with songs created for the movie, including the title track by Beenie Man.