JOAN: We are so lucky to have Wellington and its attractions so near. I had a marvellous day down there last week. As I have done many times before, I drove down early in the morning and returned quietly and almost traffic-free the same late evening. Many Whanganui folk will
have travelled down to the capital over the last two weeks to see WOW, another excellent annual presentation of Wearable Arts, but I had two different purposes. The first was to catch up with old Four Seasons friend Paul Bates, aka Zappo the magician and share his fun and skills with my Wellington grand daughters. The second was to fulfil a long-held desire to hear the magnificent voice of Christchurch-born international opera star Teddy Tahu Rhodes who has returned to New Zealand after 17 years of performing abroad to play the lead role in the New Zealand Opera's production of Sweeney Todd.
The St James Theatre is not the best auditorium for seeing the stage fully. I had booked an end of row seat and was pleased to find I was only four rows from the front. The three front rows were more expensive and, as luck would have it, the first one or two in front of me had not been purchased. I had a perfectly clear view. Hurrah! Otherwise the theatre was packed.
The show was quite wonderful. This theatre has a huge proscenium arch and the set created brilliantly the dark streets of the rough side of Victorian London. Lighting was in the hands of a master and the moods and visual changes were perfect. Faces were stark and ghostly, sinister characters moved up and down simple wooden platforms and stairs, in and out of the light. The pie shop was jolly and the barber's chair where Sweeney wrought his revenge was raised on a platform that moved and turned silently at will. Sinister indeed.
Sondheim wrote the words and music, based upon an early 'penny dreadful', in 1979, calling it a 'musical thriller'. The songs are unpredictable in melody and full of colour in their wording. I love his work. There is an operatic quality to them not lost on either director or cast. Stuart Maunder has been general director of the NZ Opera Company for two years now and, coming from Melbourne, he returned there to bring over his Mrs Lovett, Melbourne opera star, Antoinette Halloran. She is a glorious singer with acting ability to match and she and Tahu Rhodes are thrilling in their roles, and superbly directed by Maunder. The whole cast is energy personified and the chorus is one of the best I have heard. The Wellington Symphony Orchestra did them proud.
The story of Sweeney is a sad and vicious tale. It has been performed by many companies world-wide and the film starring Johnny Depp was a fine example. I don't think, however, it could hold a light to this production. And what local talent we have on show here. Helen Medlyn is well known here in Whanganui for her commitment to our annual Opera School and she was masterful as the crazed old woman who, tragically, after her nasty demise, turns out to have been Sweeney's lost love. We can claim ownership of Phillip Rhodes also. He comes from Hastings and school there introduced him to Ken Keyes who had taught in Whanganui. Phillip learnt acting skills from Ken, and a feeling of self-worth. Later, he won the Lexus Song Contest and was taken under the wing of Dame Kiri herself, working with her and eminent teachers that she knows, including a time in Cardiff, like Sole Mio later, with Dennis O'Neill who graced the Whanganui Opera School with his expertise. Phillip came through our opera school and many of us swooned when we saw him in the local production of Turpin. The heartthrob of those days played a memorable villain in Sweeney. Amelia Berry, who played Sweeney's lost daughter so beautifully is another Kiwi who has flown our nest but come back for this event. She won an AMP Scholarship to New York last year and is well on the international ladder. Andrew Glover was gifted a Dame Malvina Major Scholarship after studying - another talented New Zealander - at Unitec and, after time in London, now lives in Brussels. What a gathering of greatness, present and future, this evening presented to the audience. I was so proud of everyone involved and thrilled to have attended such an important production. I recommend a trip to Youtube to hear excerpts from this show.
In no way from the sublime to the ridiculous was my visit, the next day, to Johnsonville Mall to see Zappo perform in full glory to a crowd of very appreciative littlies. Paul Bates carries on the tradition of his dad Ken, both calling Whanganui home, as an eminent magician. Paul is a master of fun and surprise and is known and loved by children all over New Zealand. He has been a professional entertainer for 20 years now and his skill and warm personality bring joy to old and young alike. When Paul and I had a chat over old times, my granddaughter Juliet, aged three, gazed at us mouth open. Granny knows this magic man! Wow! Paul mentioned that Ken has been quite unwell recently and I am sure that many of us who have enjoyed his funny patter and clever tricks wish him a speedy return to health.
MIKE: Since I'm unable to attend the Art Openings this weekend, I'll revert to more memories of our recent trip away. Our final port of call among the seven cities we visited on our July cruise was Malaga. Much of the information we read said it was under-rated as a tourist venue, and therefore much less crowded. We were delighted, as I always claim that we are not 'tourists' but 'visitors', involving a subtle change of approach. On reaching the waterfront, we found ourselves on broad , beautifully tiled walkways, leading to similarly attractive narrow back streets. Joan happens to be a Picasso fanatic and found herself salivating (well, perhaps not literally!) at the prospect of three different aspects of the Master's life - museum, foundation and the house where he was born.
We began with the latter, which, like all such places, contained family photos, personal items (clothing, toys, etc) and evidence of the artistic awakening in the young Spaniard. The Picasso Foundation, in the same building, provided an excellent introduction to the genius of the painter, specifically concentrating on Le Chant des Morts (Song of the Dead), a French poem which was a denunciation of war. In sympathy with the poet's views, Picasso produced works matching the lines and sentiments of the verse. The curving lines on the paintings, plus the small circles like dots joining them, were reminiscent of the works of Ivan Vostinar, we thought. Could Ivan's skill have influenced Picasso? (Or perhaps that should be the other way round!) Finally, the Picasso Museum, the third largest in the world, holding 204 works, gifted or loaned by his daughter-in-law. Joan was in her absolute element, and I too thoroughly enjoyed it, especially with the explanatory audioguide.
Other sights included the cathedral, an enormous, towering structure, which possesses the most amazing facade - three levels of huge Corinthian columns - in addition to a magnificent cedar wood choir area. The Roman Theatre was somewhat of a disappointment, our view obstructed by scaffolding and screens for an imminent production of King Oedipus. Last of all, the Alcazaba, a Moorish palace with romantic courtyards, fountains, secluded areas, all with exquisite tiles and pottery. A climb to the top of the ramparts offered a panoramic vista over Malaga, a compact city for visitors to enjoy, with all major sights accessible in close proximity. In addition, careful signage meant that we had no need of a map to navigate our way round for the five hours we spent there. So many treasures, so much pleasure, in such a small space of time.
To complete our Picasso experience, we paid a brief visit, during a stop-over in Bilbao, to Guernica. This town is, of course, renowned for Picasso's Spanish Civil War painting, of which there is a copy on a grassy bank. Franco's air force, supported by Hitler and Mussolini, bombed Guernica, the first time that a civilian area was deliberately selected for an aerial attack. Naturally, being the sadistic dictator that he was, Franco ensured that the bombing took place on a Monday, a market day, to maximise the casualties. Plus ca change? The Spanish people eventually emerged into normality. We must hope the Syrians will do the same.
¦mjstreet@xtra.co.nz