Mark Hadlow, as Barry, and Alison Quigan, as Gen, in Roger Hall's latest play, Winding Up. Photo / Andi Crown Photography
Auckland Theatre Company looks like it has a sure-fire hit as Roger Hall delivers an amusing and occasionally elegiac swansong for the bickering couple who delighted audiences in the 1990s in Conjugal Rights.
Stellar performances by Alison Quigan and Mark Hadlow establish an appealing tone of stoic cheerfulness as a
professional couple face the slings and arrows of retirement in a North Shore apartment block.
The observational humour of Winding Up succeeds brilliantly by focusing on the little things that make up the bitter-sweet symphony of life. The trials an elderly couple must endure to secure travel insurance; never-ending body corporate disputes and the fleeting joys of over-indulging in a wine society selection are laid bare with meticulous attention to the details which drive home the absurdity of everyday existence.
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A similar sense of bemusement is present when dealing with serious dilemmas like deciding whether to defer chemotherapy to visit the grandchildren in England. In Roger Hall's world, these momentous challenges appear as minor issues compared with the torments of parting with a beloved book collection or deciding which T-shirts should be discarded in a half-hearted attempt at downsizing.
