MIKE: Here we are, a week to go to the Opening Night of Key for Two at Amdram. Presumably you will all have purchased your tickets by now. If not, don't panic! Just nip down to the Opera House, as there are still some available for this hilarious bedroom farce. A brief synopsis: Harriet, a lady of extreme generosity when it comes to her voluptuous body, entertains a couple of gentlemen on different nights of each week. Gordon, a young businessman in a firm selling state-of-the-art wrist watches, and Alec, a bluff, self-made Yorkshireman , the owner of a fleet of fishing trawlers. (No prizes for guessing which part I'm playing!) Neither knows of the existence of the other, as Harriet skilfully keeps them apart. How on earth does she manage this? Will she be able to continue this subterfuge indefinitely? Well, everything is running smoothly until ... ! No! You don't want me to spoil it for you, do you? Come and enjoy for yourself this tongue-in- cheek romp. It's great, relaxing, pre-Christmas entertainment. Harriet is played by Talia Annear-Kjoss and Gordon by Julian Annear, who, in real life, is Talia's younger brother! A complicated family relationship! I can assure you, however, that no audience sensitivities will be offended!
JOAN: Mike and I gladly accepted the invitation from Spotless Catering to attend an afternoon tea at the Hospital. This was to thank the numerous Whanganui folk who take the meals that they prepare each day to those at home who are recovering from sickness, who live alone, who just want a warm meal delivered. 'Meals On Wheels' is a great service. We joined a table of people we had not met before. They were all spunky and good fun and as we chatted, I felt both humbled and proud as they quietly mentioned other ways they helped in our community. These ranged from fund-raising, taking folk to do their grocery shopping each week, driving people to Palmie for medical care, visiting those who lived alone and valued some company, the manning of desks and phones ... the list went on. One lady has delivered meals for the last 40 years! She began when her children were small and she could take them with her. These treasures of our lovely city balance for me the atrocities in the world that we see and hear of every day. It was a fine afternoon. Thank you to Spotless for the yummy food.
I would also like to mention the men manning a display at the main entrance to the hospital, drawing attention to the White Ribbon pledge. The beautiful Maori canoe they had placed there reminded us of the need for Maori and Pakeha to come together to protest and stop violence towards women. Excellent. (Sheepishly, I should also like to thank the young Spotless employee who opened a private door for us to find our way out of the back area of the hospital building when we got pathetically lost after leaving the canteen!)
MIKE: Last Friday we were invited to attend Amdram's inaugural presentation of the 'Drammies', awards to recognise contributions to the organisation, both on and off stage. On arrival, we were staggered by the number of people there, the majority dressed up to the nines - ladies in evening dresses, men in dinner suits. We should have guessed, I suppose, since it was Whanganui's equivalent of the Tinseltown Oscars. A huge amount of preparation had gone into the occasion. I wondered, at Thursday's rehearsal of Key for Two, what Geoff Campbell was doing, on his knees in the auditorium, wielding a pair of scissors to cut out a long strip of red material. Not quite a carpet, perhaps, but close enough!
Space doesn't permit me to name all of the many recipients, but I must make special mention of two people who seem to be ubiquitous in that building - Yvonne and Ian Jones. We were so grateful for their constant effort, advice and encouragement in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and the present play finds Ian dashing around backstage most evenings. Thank you both so much! One more name - Denise McNeill. It was wonderful to see her receive the David Smiles Cup for Best Vocalist. Her husky, jazz-deep voice has thrilled me for over 30 years, when we were first on stage together at Four Seasons. David would have been delighted with that award.
The final item of the evening was awards for the four productions between mid-2015 and 2016. Virginia Woolf swept the board - deservedly so, in my extremely biased opinion - with Mel Hawkins winning Best Supporting Actress, Colin Hedivan Best Actor, Talia Annear-Kjoss Best Actress and, of course, Joan Best Director. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, amongst theatre friends, and our thanks go to those who gave so much time and effort towards it.
JOAN: I heard the thrilling news while driving home and I nearly missed a corner! It is just so encouraging and joyous to hear that funds have been allotted to the museum and the Sarjeant by the Government. Whatever your views on whether this is a priority or not, it shouts out what we all believe, that Whanganui is worthy of prestigious support. It can only lead to more publicity for the city, more visitors, more people valuing our lifestyle and coming to live here, more investment in Whanganui. We are a proud place and deservedly so. Upwards we go!
MIKE: As I mentioned recently, during our week in Auckland we saw examples of Lyndsay Paterson's glass work prominently displayed in a Newmarket shop window. Later we encountered another two Whanganui links. The NZ Sculpture on Shore was being held at Fort Takapuna, one of the prime exhibits being Jack Marsden-Mayer's Triceratops, a fearsome creature from the dinosaur age. It was obviously photogenic, as it appeared in more than one newspaper advert. Jack's lifelike creations, fashioned from driftwood, are wonderful, and it is well worth paying a visit to his Heads Rd studio. Many readers will remember his proudly prancing horse, placed on Castlecliff Beach, a couple of years ago.
Karen Ellett's year at TAP (The Actors Programme) in Auckland is drawing to a close, and we received an invitation to watch a performance of their end of year production, Vernon God Little, at the Basement Theatre. The play is a stage version of DBC Pierre's Booker Prize-winning novel. Unfortunately we had to leave for home the day before the play opened, so could not take advantage of Karen's offer. Over its week run it it drew full houses, receiving excellent critical acclaim. After Karen's spectacular year under the tutelage of Jennifer Ward-Lealand, one of the leading lights of NZ theatre, we wish her well for the future in a demanding profession.
