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See below for English translation
Rokohanga ana ngā pouwhakaari onamata e ngā whakatupuranga o te ao hai whakapakari i a rātou pukenga whakaari e miharo hoki nei tātou ki te wairua ihirangaranga o ngā whare whakaari me tō rātou kaha akiaki i te rangatahi kia toa ai rātou ki runga ki te papa tīata.
Nō tātou te waimarie nui kai te kaha tonu te tīata whakaari o Rotorua, whaihoki kai te whakakīā tonutia ngā turanga whakaari e ngā toto uri.
Mai i te takiwā o te wha tekau te tau kua oti kē i te tīata te kawe i ngā whakaari kotahi rau, e waru tekau mā tahi ngā momo whakaari. Pēnei i, ‘A country Girl’ tae ki te whakaari rongonui a ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.
Ko tana whakaari hou ko, ‘Sister Act’.Ko Sue Morrison te ringatohu, ko Ben Kidd te rangatira pouwhakaako waiata, whaihoki ko Raukawa Tuhura te rangatira tito nekehanga. E hāngai pū ana te tāhūhū kōrero o te whakaari tīata ki te kiriata Kahurangi ki a Sister Act.
Te kiriata rongonui i kawea e Whoopi Goldberg. Engari kāore e whakauru ana ngā waiata, me ngā pūoro waiata o te kiriata ki te whakaari.Nā te ohu whakaari katoa ngā waiata hou me ngā pūoro waiata hoki e tito.
I waimarie a Kāhu ki Rotorua i whakamanuwhiringia mātou e te ohu whakaari kia mātakia e mātou he wāhanga e toru tekau meneti te rahi o te whakaari hou.
Nā wai rā ka uia ētehi o ngā rangatira pou whakaari o te kaupapa whakaharahara. I whaiwhakaaro ai a Raukawa Tuhura ki āna mahi i te whakaari, ko tana kaupapa tuarua tēnei i raro i te mana o te Tīata whakaari o Rotorua.
“Ka nui taku miharo ki ngā mema o te kamupene me te hāpori toi hoki.Kāore e ārikarika aku kupu whakamihi ki ngā pou whakaari otīā ngā mema katoa, he ahakoa he tangata iti, he ahakoa he tangata nui.
Ko te taha ki te tito nekehanga me uaua kē e kite au i te huarahi e noho taurite katoa ai ngā pou whakaari. He rerekē katoa ngā rangatira, te rahinga, te tataunga me ngā pūkenga hoki.Ka iti ki mua, ka nui ki muri ka tūwherangia e ratou o rātou ringaringa ki aku whakaaro, ko tāku he noho me te whakarongo i ngā kare-ā-roto me te kimi huarahi e whakakotahi katoa ai ēnei taura kia tika ai te haere tū'.
' Ko taku rautaki kia mau pū i te mauri o te whakaari. Nā reira ka tōia e ahau aku pukenga kanikani onamata pēnei i te kani hipihope. Kātahi au ka kite i te pae whānui e noho rata ai ngā tangata kia tukuna e rātou te wairua pono.He mea ka tāea mā te kanikani.E whakamiharo tonu au e ngā rangatira katoa i tū ātamira me te wawata hai te pae tawhiti pea ka mahi tahi anō ai tātou. Ko te ākengokengo mō te kawenga whakaari kai Rotorua nei, ka rua kai te rangatahi o te tāone e noho tika ana ki ngā rekereke o ō rātou pakeke’.
Ko te kaea rangatira ko Kim Chapman ki a ia te turanga o te kiritoa o te whakaari, ara, ko Deloris Van Cartier, hai tāna, kai runga noa atu te mana o te whakaari nei.
' Kai te rangona te mana o te kaupapa me pewhea e kore ai e puare pono te ngakau ki tētehi mana āhuru. Ko te rahi ā tataunga nei he nui me te pai hoki. Ko ētehi kai te kotahi ngāhuru mā rima tae ki te tekau o ngā tau, ko ētehi āhua kotahi ngāhuru, kotahi tekau te rahi, kai te hokorua anō ētehi, te hokorua kotahi ngāhuru whaihoki te hokotoru o ngā tau te rahi. Ko Martin tō mātou pakeke, ko Monsignor tōna tangata whakaari, hokowha mā rua tana rahi’. Ko Matahiapo Maxwell he pou kanikani awhina mā Deloria, me te huhua hoki o āna wāhanga kanikani o roto o te whakaari nei.’ He ahakoa titiro ai ngā kanohi ki whea, ara ake he rangatira, ara ake he rangatira. E tumanakohia ka kitea tēnei āhuatanga e te hunga mātakitaki ka whāia pea ētehi o rātou te huarahi o te whakaari, wheoi anō mā pango mā whero e tika ai te haere’.
Ki a Hunter Geary te tūranga o Sweaty Eddy anei ētehi o āna whakaaro.” Koia tēnei ko taku tūranga whakaari whakahirahira. He pakoko a Hunter ki te ao whakaari. Kua niho roa ia ki te ao tīata, e whitu whakaari kua oti noa i a ia, e toru ngā tūranga whakahirahira ki a ia i ngā whakaari tawhito engari hai tāna, ko tēnei te wai kōrarī. Ko te wairua o ngā puoro waiata me ngā waiata onamata kāore kau hai rite ki a rātou. Ehara i te mea he puoro ōkawa, kai te rangona te wairua R &B. He mea nui hoki ki ahau ko te kanohirau o te whakaari, e taea ai te kī kua puta mai ngā hau e whā o te motu me te ao. He whakamihi nāku ki te tīata o Hawaiki Tahutahu, ka puehu mai muri ka kino te haere!”.
E hoki ana ngā whakaaro ki ngā kōrero onamata, tuia te muka tangata, tuamakatia waiho hoki mā te wairua tātou e arahi e kawe. E tika ana enei kupu hai whakakapi i tēnei kōrero. Kua whakahoungia te mauriora o te whare karakia e te whakaari nei, kua mana i a Mother Superior, Monsignor me te hāhi katorika tūturu i a Deloris Van Cartier me tana kōea. He whakakitenga whakamiharo e hoa mā. Tautokongia.Anei anō a Kāhu ki Rotorua e noho ngakau whakaiti nei i te mana o tā kotou tū me tāu na kawe i ngā kaupapa whakaharahara. Kāore aku manawa kōrero, hai aku rangatira hai aha i a kotou mahi taioreore.
Hai te kotahi ngāhuru mā tahi o Noema e heke iho ai te ārai whakamutunga ki runga ki tēnei whakaari tiketike.
As the younger generation looks back for inspiration from the stars of yesteryear who once graced our theatre stages, it is mesmerising to discover that our historic theatres continue to resonate with the spirit of these musical talents from the past.
Today, Rotorua Musical Theatre continues to keep the legacy of those past entertainers alive, with many descendants of these long-ago experts gracing the stage at Casa Blanca Theatre in their honour.
From ‘A Country Girl’ to ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ Casa Blanca theatre has been home to around 181 productions since the mid-40s and has once again expanded its repertoire by delighting audiences with its newest show this November, ‘Sister Act’.
Under the direction of Sue Morrison, featuring vocal direction by Ben Kidd, and choreography by Raukawa Tuhura, ‘Sister Act’ shares the same storyline as the 1992 Whoopi Goldberg movie. However, it does not include any of the songs or music from the film. Instead, the production features an entirely new and original musical score composed specifically for the stage adaptation.
Last Saturday, the Kāhu ki Rotorua team was fortunate to steal a behind-the-scenes look 30 minutes before the curtain raised. During this time, we had the opportunity to speak with members of the cast and crew.
Dance choreographer, Raukawa Tuhura, reflected on her experience working on the show, noting that it was her second choreography project for Rotorua Musical Theatre.
“It has been an incredible journey working with this passionate arts community. The cast and creative team have been exceptional, and for an amateur musical theatre production, it has far exceeded my expectations as both a dancer and performer.
“When it came to choreographing the show, the challenge was to find a balance that worked for a diverse group in terms of age and experience. I was fortunate to work with a cast that embraced the choreography and provided valuable feedback on what worked and what didn’t.
“My goal was to ensure that the dance movements remained faithful to the essence of the show. Drawing from my background as a hip-hop dancer, I gained a broader perspective on how people express themselves through movement. I’m incredibly proud of every artist on stage and look forward to collaborating with them in the future. “I firmly believe that Rotorua has a promising future with many successful shows to come, especially with our talented rangatahi who are supported by older generations willing to share their theatre wisdom.”
Lead actress Kim Chapman, portraying the main protagonist Deloris Van Cartier, described the show as nothing short of awesome.
“The energy in this production is absolutely contagious, and everyone is absolutely hyped all the time. We have a wonderful mix of ages, ranging from enthusiastic 15 to 20-year-olds to performers in their mid-30s, and even some incredible nuns in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Our oldest performer, Martin, who plays Monsignor, is a young and spirited 82-year-old.”
Matahiapo Maxwell plays one of Deloris’ backup dancers and has various dancing roles throughout the show.
“I appreciate the opportunity to work with so many young talents in this production, and I hope it inspires others to get involved in future shows. It’s been an incredibly enjoyable experience, and it’s brought the cast and crew closer together.”
Hunter Geary, who portrays Sweaty Eddy, expressed his enthusiasm for his character.
“I must say, this is undoubtedly my favourite role to date. Despite having been a part of seven productions and playing three different characters, this one stands out as the best. I feel that he captures what I’m about. I love the music in the production and the old-school tunes. It’s not classical – it’s got a really nice R&B feel to it.
“Another aspect I love about this production is its diversity. We have a wonderfully mixed cast representing various races, including our Māori whānau and many other cultures. The future of theatre in New Zealand is looking bright.”
One could not help but be deeply moved by the powerful Gospel music that filled the room, set to a brilliant story of strength, faith, and enduring friendships.
Sister Act, guided by Mother Superior and Monsignor of the Catholic faith, as well as the curious church choir that Deloris Van Cartier graced with her musical talents, breathed new life into the church and will undoubtedly leave the audience in silent admiration. It is a truly stirring musical that should not be missed.
Rotorua Musical Theatre, you have once again delivered an outstanding performance, and the team here at Kāhu ki Rotorua would like to express our humble acknowledgment of your achievement.
The final curtain call for this sold-out show was Saturday (11 November) at the Casa Blanca Theatre.
Kemp died at home, aged 50, after battling aggressive kidney disease.