It's a Kiwi icon and next month Footrot Flats is coming to Riverlea Theatre thanks to Hamilton Playbox.
To mark its 80th birthday, Playbox has committed to presenting a year of New Zealand's best plays. And Footrot Flats promises to do the Kiwiana theme justice.
Director Dennis Ralph saidthe Murray Ball comic strip comes to life with favourite characters such as the hapless farmer Wal, his girlfriend Cheeky, eco-friendly Cooch, a barnyard full of familiar characters, all overseen by the homespun philosophy of 'Dog'.
Footrot Flats marks Dennis' return to directing plays after a 10-year hiatus. He wasn't sure about directing the play to begin with but says he's enjoyed bringing the play up-to-day while keeping it true to cartoon form which Dennis describes as "manic mayhem".
Fiona Sinclair, who plays city-slicker Cheeky, has enjoyed embracing something so quintessentially Kiwi having lived overseas for much of the past five years.
"It's been interesting trying to get my Kiwi accent back," she said. "To get the chance to play Cheeky has been great. I grew up watching Footrot Flats and reading the books."
Callum Reid plays Horse and is understudy to Matt Boom's Dog. "Rehearsals have been a lot of fun. Jokes have been flying left, right and centre."
While there's a main storyline, there are sub plots going on in the background that provide their own hilarity. "This production is a musn't miss for theatre goers during the stellar season of New Zealand theatre," said Dennis.
