Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today / Lifestyle

Production a welcome challenge for veteran muso

By Tania McCauley
Hawkes Bay Today·
24 Sep, 2014 02:04 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Robyn O'Hagan (Donna) and Alex Moffat (Sam) rehearsing for Mama Mia at the Tabard Theatre, Napier. Photo / Duncan Brown

Robyn O'Hagan (Donna) and Alex Moffat (Sam) rehearsing for Mama Mia at the Tabard Theatre, Napier. Photo / Duncan Brown

Alex Moffat's 30 years as a musician worked in his favour when he won the role of Sam, one of the leading male roles in the Napier Operatic Society's production of Mamma Mia, opening on Saturday.

As the story goes, Donna's daughter, Sophie, decides to invite three of her mother's old boyfriends to her island wedding, in a bid to track down her real father. Bill and Harry are more lighthearted characters, while Sam realises his feelings for Donna never truly went away. "He decides to get serious and gets quite passionate about things."

The popular family production features a number of Abba's most popular songs.

Moffat was introduced to acting back in 1995 by a good mate, appearing in TV commercials, programmes such as Xena and Hercules, and making it on to a shortlist with acting professionals for a role in Peter Jackson's King Kong.

Earlier this year, he appeared as Lord Capulet in the local Out of the Box production of Romeo and Juliet, and has had a go at script writing as well.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Music remains his first love, however, stretching back to 1980 and his first band Fourplay, which lasted four years, and which was good enough to perform at three Sweetwaters festivals.

Various other bands followed over the years, and he was a regular performer at Ponsonby's infamous Gluepot Hotel. He also led a series of gigs at the Gluepot's corner bar featuring well known and lesser known songwriters.

When the Gluepot closed, he carried on the concept at the Java Jive, eventually starting up his own venture, Eel Music, until 2006 when he moved with his family to Eskdale.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Since August 1, he has been offering free downloads of his first solo album, East, and he is releasing a new album, Archive - a reflection of the material it contains - in parts over the next two months.

He has been working with bassist Steve Healey doing different versions of Moffat originals and, with Barry Holt, who played lead guitar on East, being back in town he's thinking once again about putting another band together.

Knowing his way around a stage has certainly helped Moffat, although Mamma Mia director Wendy Revell has been "very patient" helping him find his way through the slightly unfamiliar territory of live theatre, he reckons.

"It's been like one extended acting lesson."

• Mamma Mia, Napier Municipal Theatre, from 7.30pm, Saturday to October 11. Matinees at 2pm on Sundays and on Saturday, October 11. Tickets are $31-$45, available from Ticketek.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Hawkes Bay Today

Top drop: Hawke's Bay Merlot crowned best in world at global awards

Lifestyle

Volunteering goes digital: Hawke’s Bay charities embrace remote roles

Watch
Lifestyle

How John Scott’s design philosophy shapes a new generation of architects


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Top drop: Hawke's Bay Merlot crowned best in world at global awards
Hawkes Bay Today

Top drop: Hawke's Bay Merlot crowned best in world at global awards

NZ wineries won three out of nine international trophies at an annual wine contest.

05 Jun 03:34 AM
Volunteering goes digital: Hawke’s Bay charities embrace remote roles
Lifestyle

Volunteering goes digital: Hawke’s Bay charities embrace remote roles

Watch
11 Apr 05:00 PM
How John Scott’s design philosophy shapes a new generation of architects
Lifestyle

How John Scott’s design philosophy shapes a new generation of architects

05 Apr 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP