Jab Molassie.

That pad comes out. And that's where the glue is.

But there's a big, fat pad in there that squishes out.

Jab Molassie's librettist, Caitlyn Kamminga.

When you use a mouse, your hand is down here on the mouse pad.

Some of the musicians performing in Jab Molassie.

But will Starboy ever really break free from Jab Molassie?

'When I Think of Trinidad, I See It in Technicolor' A New Music Theatre Work Takes the Stage Global Voices

The play's titular character, Jab Jab, is one of the most enduring characters of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, portraying what is known as devil mas .

It is not the first time a Jab Jab will grace the Little Carib's stage, but it is the first time that it will do so as one of the main characters in a music theatre production, with an entirely original score created by a Trinidadian composer.

Traditional characters also abounded in the form of Sailor Mas', Fancy Indians, Jab Jabs (pretty devils), Jab Molassies (the more menacing kind) and Moko Jumbies.

Roger Roberts as title character Jab Molassie photo by Maria Nunes, used with permission.

Jab will teach Starboy how to use the book, if Starboy will teach Jab how to play the violin.

What is original about this work is the way in which it brings together characters, locations and elements of Trinidad's present with its past through the use of carnival, music design and lighting, all the while remaining a piece that is thoroughly of its time. Natalia Dopwell and Roger Roberts playing the role of the Jab Molassies Nickolai Salcedo as Starboy is between them.

GV Dominique, walk us through your composition process for Jab what were you trying to capture through the music?

Here from underneath is an ant foot, and when the claws don't dig in, that pad automatically comes out without the ant doing anything.

Promotional photo for the new indigenous music theatre work, Jab Molassie, premiering in Trinidad and Tobago this week.

That if I land this client once, and every week I get paid by that person, that's way better than trying to sell one clothespin thing to one person.

GV What have been some of the challenges and successes of taking Jab from an idea to a full stage production?

GV Tell us more about the choice of Patricia Cumper as director. What has she brought to Jab Molassie?

In the case of Jab, this has very much been a process of steady growth and change supported at all levels and not necessarily with what is considered the standard level of financial or administrative support.

Jab Molassie, a new work of music theatre that is a modern, Caribbean take on Stravinsky's nearly century old The Soldier's Tale, premieres this Thursday in Trinidad's capital city.

A group of exceptionally accomplished musicians from all over the world comprise the Jab Molassie orchestra, while the cast boasts some of the best local performers whose strengths include everything you would expect in a work of music theatre singing, dancing, and acting.

A life size poster of the Hindi film Jab Tak Hai Jaan showing Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif in one of Kabul s music shops.

Jab Molassie, the Devil in disguise, tricks struggling musician Starboy, convincing him that he can realize his wildest dreams by trading his instrument for a magical book.

Many of the Jabs move as small bands of devils, in which some members play the role of imps, restraining the Jab Jabs with chains as they struggle to be free in their wild and wanton dance.

Look out for the second installment of this story, when we'll discuss the ways in which Jab Molassie has benefitted from international collaboration, the challenges of getting from idea to stage, and the future plans for the production.

The Jab Molassie world premiere will take place this Thursday at The Little Carib Theatre in Port of Spain, which was founded by the legendary Trinidadian dancer Beryl McBurnie and has long been a home for the expression and development of indigenous culture.

Revellers cover themselves in mud, grease, tar, clay, body paint or various combinations thereof and dance in the streets in the wee hours of the morning while Jab Molassies wine (a sexually suggestive dance) to a rhythmic beat that they beat on biscuit tins.

DLG I don't want to spoil the surprises, but in the main what Jab Molassie does for an audience is that it brings to vivid life so many aspects of our Carnival characters and features of our built and natural landscape through the beautifully simple and poetic set on which the performers relate the story of Starboy.

Now, thanks to the Calabash Foundation for the Arts, a non profit created to provide both funding and developmental support for new and original theatrical works in the twin island republic, the Jab Molassie will take to the stage at The Little Carib Theatre, a long standing bastion of artistic integrity in the country.