A very special Christmas production with appeal for the entire family has been scheduled for Saturday evening. Quite Exquisitely Done Company Limited (QED), a company comprising Edward Cumberbatch, Nigel Floyd and Raymond Edwards, is staging One Night in December at Estate 101, located at 101 Saddle Road, Maraval.
Edwards has been ailing with osteomyelitis for ten years and had the heel bone on his left foot amputated last year. Currently using a wheelchair, he continues to convalesce. The upbeat baritone said: “I might be in a wheelchair, but don’t let that fool you—the voice is still very good.”
Anyone knowing Edwards will concur that he is a fighter, having beaten cancer and now coping with diabetes. He said: “Mine has been an interesting journey. But I always try to look for the positive in life and every circumstance.
“The reason why I now have to use the wheelchair is to allow the wound to heel properly and completely. Because of that, I have now experienced what the disabled community faces every day. A simple thing like having to get on stage, or get into a building, or even just going down the sidewalk in Port-of-Spain has caused me to become aware and to want to use whatever influence I have to point these issues out to those who can do something about it. I am not the first performer in a wheelchair and I will not be last.”
In 2003, Edwards suffered colon cancer and had part of his colon removed. He jokingly said: “I now have a ‘semi colon’. Colon cancer runs in my family. My baby brother, Richard Edwards, who works with Royal Caribbean as a cruise director, was diagnosed with it last year. The same surgeon that did my surgery, Alan De Freitas, performed Richard’s surgery as well when I was recovering. Both Edwards boys are back to full strength. My father died of colon cancer in 1990. He was diagnosed with it at age 20 and then it recurred in 1978 when he was in his 40s. He died of it at age 60.”
Edwards believes his struggles with illness have made him a stronger person, allowing him to champion the causes of the less fortunate. He said: “I learn from every experience and what I have learned is that cancer is not a death sentence. The treatment that my father received was not as good as the treatment that I received ten years after his death. The treatment that my brother received last year was even better than the treatment I received. So people need not to be afraid of cancer or diabetes, or any illness. They need to face it head on and get help and support.
“There are people in Trinidad who know what they are doing. The folks at Sangre Grande Hospital are especially excellent. They are a world class hospital. They are doing first world medicine and they still have that village community spirit which helps lift the spirit of a patient. They are really lovely, treating everyone admitted there the same way, like family.”
About his company QED, Edwards said: “We were a singing group before, but decided to begin doing events, so we formed the company a few years ago. This is our first major venture. We approached the management of Estate 101 in Maraval because the venue just suited exactly that we were looking for. It is really a beautiful location.”
Saturday’s programme will commence with cocktails at 6.30 pm, with the show beginning an hour later. “We didn’t want to do merely a concert,” said Edwards, “but we decided to do a television special. We have partnered with CNMG (the company Edwards was associated with for many years) so they will film and screen the production during the Christmas season. This is especially for our fans who live abroad, who will be able to view it on the Internet.”
Edwards added: “We intend to make this an annual concert. The drive is not about making money but about giving back instead. We would like to donate part proceeds every year and this year’s beneficiary will be Vitas House L’Hospice. They have been lovingly tending to the needs of terminally ill citizens for years. A lot of people don’t know the excellent work they are doing.”
Cumberbatch is a world class tenor, winning an international music festival in South Africa a few years ago. He sings with The Lydians. For his day job, he is a professor at UTT. “He is a mild mannered math teacher by day and a superstar on the stage at night,” said Edwards.
Floyd is an attorney, is very well known as a composer and for his work with The Marionettes Chorale. Edwards owns a media company and does voice overs and “quiet media consultancy.”