Link Show Producer Ron Robinson returned to Guyana with his cast on Sunday after a somewhat successful show in Canada, and is now committed to clear his name of US Embassy’s suggestions of alien smuggling.

US officials forced Robinson to truncate his annual North American tour with the satirical production early last month when they cancelled visas issued to some members of the team the day before they were due to travel to New York.

As a result, the Link Show team was only able to travel to Canada where they performed on August 16 and 17. However, due to the blackout that affected parts of the US and Canada at that time, there was a poor turnout at the show on the 17th.

“We had no problems [in Canada]...the first night was good, but the blackout affected the turnout on the second night of the performance,” Robinson told Stabroek News yesterday.

Now that he is back, the veteran performing arts producer plans to pursue the alien smuggling charge in an effort to clear his name. Prior to the tour, Robinson had told this newspaper that the visas had been cancelled because the US officials said there was “reason to believe that people who travelled with the Link are staying on in the [US].”

Robinson has since denied the allegation and claimed to have an idea of who might have started the rumour. That is now the focus of his investigations.

“I hope for the sake of the cast and company and myself that this matter will be cleared up in the distant future...it was embarrassing.”

The producer started to take the Link Show on the North American tour eight years ago, but has been travelling to the US for about 30 years. He said prior to the Link shows, he took two other shows on tour to the US and performed in seven states and returned with his full cast.

Now he is not able to travel there since his permit was also cancelled.

The show, one of Guyana’s most successful satirical productions, was scheduled to be staged in New York from September 26 to October 6. The cast would have been flown to the US, from where they would have travelled to Canada to perform, then back to the US for the final leg.