Nervous Hall's bid for the heartland

Veteran New Zealand playwright Roger Hall found the opening night of his latest offering, A Way of Life, more than usually nerve-racking.

His most ambitious work yet, the play is a departure for Hall. Anxious that it not be billed as a comedy, he describes it as "an epic family drama".

Tauranga's Baycourt Theatre was packed last Tuesday night for the world premiere of A Way of Life, which embodies grassroots New Zealand.

But Hall could not breathe easy until the standing ovation at the end.

"I simply couldn't tell if the audience was absorbed in the play or not."

With comedy, instant laughter is the indicator - a reaction Hall has become used to since his first stage play, Glide Time, was performed 25 years ago.

Hall is delighted that A Way of Life was chosen by the New Zealand Actors Company as its second major production. Formed by Tim Balme, Katie Wolfe, Simon Bennett and Robyn Malcolm, the company took A Midsummer Night's Dream on a successful tour of the heartland last year.

The challenging new production taps into a rich vein of New Zealand life, telling the story of three generations of a rural family, their trials and triumphs, internal dynamics and conflicting values.

Starting in 1917 with John McDonald's return from Gallipoli and his establishment of a Hawkes Bay farm on balloted land, it charts the Great Depression, McDonald's son's homecoming from the Second World War and the prosperous 1950s when the country was truly on the sheep's back. It concludes with the third generation of McDonalds diversifying into grapes and a tourist homestay to survive.

Director Simon Bennett is not surprised the play seems to have quickly struck a chord with a wide audience. Hall understands the New Zealand character and taps easily into our humour, he says. "There are a lot of laughs but also sadder elements. It is a complex play."

Bennett believes the production will have broad appeal because of our strong sense of nationalism.

And A Way of Life works because of its universal family theme, he says.

Hall's skill has been to capture the continuity of the family story while still managing to flesh out the characters, set the background and not "lumber" the audience with too many facts and figures.

Hall's wish for his new work is that the rural community, in particular, will "take it to their hearts".

"It is essentially a New Zealand play - that is its strength." Rosaleen Macbrayne * A Way of Life opens in Hamilton tomorrow, and in Auckland on October 17 for a 10-day season before moving to Napier, Gisborne, New Plymouth and Wellington.