June 21, 2002 – Women enjoying their age of elegance found themselves reveling in the era of acceptance onstage Thursday night at the Winston Wells Ballpark in Cruz Bay. It was the night of the Seniors Variety Show, part of St. John Festival 2002, not so much a pageant as a showcase of style, humor and grace.
Last year's St. John Festival seniors pageant was the first. For this year, the idea of crowning a "senior queen" was set aside in favor of showcasing the talents of seniors who wanted to promote a vibrant image for women in their 60s and beyond.
The women onstage came from St. Thomas and St. John. Some had been queens of pageants past; some were just out to have a night of fun in the spotlight. For emcee Irvin "Brownie" Brown and a modest audience, that was enough to keep the laughter and applause rolling well into the night.
Much of the laughter was a sharing between the performers and those in the audience, many also in their golden years. The swimsuit segment brought murmurs of admiration, and not just for those who could still cut a fine figure. Co-host Toya Andrews (Miss V.I. Senior America 2000 and first runner-up in the national Miss Senior America competition that year) turned to Brownie and said it took a lot of nerve for performers in their 60s to appear onstage in their swimsuits. Brownie said they also had "lots of guts."
Then there were those who drew audience approval because they could still fit into their size 6 denims and give the teenage beauty queens a run for their money.
It wasn't just the emcees who kept the comedy coming. Performers got to show their wit in a skit called "Okra Springer," as the three women "guests" squabbled over the one thing they had in common — their boyfriend, "Jack." As the melee heated up, "Okra" (Andrews) suddenly realized she, too, knew Jack.
Bridging the revue segments was music. A local quelbe band struck up a tune after the casual wear presentations — and instead of rushing to their dressing rooms backstage, contestants romped and danced with each other out front. Brownie picked an old calypso from his brain to sing a cappella. The lyrics were a little risque, and he cleaned up his act and ad libbed some of the phrases, eyeing someone's grandson sitting dutifully by the sound system, patting his Afro and waiting for his next cue.
The finale was evening wear, and, as with the rest of the show, there were lots of different takes on the right costume for a big night out: long black gowns with sequins, sexy silver sheaths with high rise slits, spangly caftans and shimmering jackets over floor-length skits. At the end, the ensemble gathered onstage to sing "When You're Young at Heart," leaving the audience with an early good night and some wishing for their turn as a V.I. golden girl.
"It was wonderful," said Icilda Thomas. "I loved it. It was just too short."
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