Trinidadian iconic entertainer and comedian Dennis “Sprangalang” Hall dead at 71

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

Trinidadian comedian, historian, actor, producer, and singer/composer Dennis Lindsay “Sprangalang” Hall passed away on Friday, October 2nd, 2020 at Mt Hope Hospital in Trinidad. He had not been well for the past year due to some complications caused by a stroke. Hall was 71-years-old.

“Sprang” (as his friends would call him) was everything wrapped up in one package from an entertainer’s point of view. There was not a role he did not play, but comedy was his strong point. As “Master of Ceremony” he would have his audience in stitches from beginning to end nonstop. His jokes had no boundaries.

Here is a peek at some of the work he did. In 2003, he starred in the comedy called (Lord Have Mercy) which was produced in Canada for Vision TV. It was also shown on Caribbean International Network. In 2007, he was featured in a Canadian film called (A Winter Tale), and the stage play called (A Man in the Bedroom) alongside fellow Trinidadian comedian Errol Fabien in 2010.

Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organization (TUCO) of which Hall was a lifetime member, sent their condolences to Hall’s family saying “The President, National Executive, and membership of TUCO wish to express our condolences and sympathy to the family of Mr. Dennis Hall known in the entertainment world as “Sprangalang” who passed away on the evening of 2nd October 2020 at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope.”

Toronto Caribbean Newspaper reached out to Trinidadian/Canadian Calypso historian and author Mr. George Maharaj, who grew up just a few doors down from “Sprangalang.” He told Toronto Caribbean Newspaer about his friend, neighbor, and the comedian he knew so well.

“He was one of the guys that never left Trinidad,” Maharaj said. “He likes to say I was born here. He is one of the most knowledgeable persons in calypso history that I have ever known,” Maharaj told Toronto Caribbean Newspaper that Hall possessed a photostatic memory of dates and time when it came to the calypso artiste. As a “Master of Ceremony” he would call them out by name, rank, and even tell the audience which song they sang and in what year the song was recorded.

According to Maharaj, it all started for Hall in a Run-shop in Trinidad called (BEEPAT) “That is where all the comedians would hang-out and tell jokes. From there he got a gig on a small tv show, then someone asked him to be the MC in a calypso tent, but he was always educating the public.”

“As a person,” Maharaj said, “Hall was very approachable. He would talk to you about anything except if you said anything derogatory against calypso, he would not have that”

There was much more to Sprangalang than met the eye, Maharaj disclosed, “He was versed in Hindi language which was made possible with my mom’s assistance. Sprangalang would come to my house so that my mom could translate his Hindi assignments for him. She was a pundit, and like everybody else, he called her maa.”

Sprangalang was also very big in the (Parang! Arena, a Spanish and Caribbean style of Christmas music) and as a recording artiste said, Maharaj, he even made five or six hits.

Always a simple man, Sprangalang never showed off his celebrity status because he knew what it meant to be (the people’s entertainer). Coming from humble beginnings as: the rum-shop comedian, the taxi driver, the calypso tent MC, right up to the movies it is safe to say he has done it all.

“I believe he should have been awarded the county’s highest award of Trinidad and Tobago which is the (Trinity Cross),” Maharaj told Toronto Caribbean Newspaper, “And if I have to describe him in one sentence I will say, he was a true Trini.”