Vicar's team ready for the stage

The cast of The Vicar of Dibley. PICTURE / JACQUI MCKENZIE

JOAN: We open tomorrow! The Vicar of Dibley will be at Amdram Theatre for the next week. Mike and I have loved being part of the team during the fun though hard-working rehearsal period. It has been so difficult not to burst out laughing or giggle uncontrollably at both lines and actions — even when we know what is coming next.

It is the first time I have tried to portray an already familiar character from British television. Each one of us in the cast has accepted that challenge. We are fairly unknown to each other on a personal level and that has actually helped in creating our characters. We see each other as these crazy people and call each other by their names ... David, Alice, Jim, Frank, Owen, Letitia, Hugo and Geraldine, our new vicar.
This is a clever script. It demands a multi-layered set, tricky props, varied lighting and sound and very strange costumes.

Chris McKenzie is a great actor and this makes him a knowledgeable yet sympathetic director. He knows what he wants, has the vision to bring it to fruition but is gentle with and grateful to both his crew and cast.
Stalwarts Ian and Yvonne Jones, Terry Lobb and Dianne Blair have worked incredibly hard and you will love the results.

Chris McKenzie is never mentioned or thought of separately from his wife, Jacqui. She is amazing and they work together as the perfect theatre couple, as do the Joneses. Jacqui is the spirit of any production that she serves. She is a fine rehearsal prompt. She is totally familiar with the play, oversees everything and everybody during the run and is there backstage to remind us all of exits, entrances, props and costumes. She is always cheerful and radiant in her support.

You will be thoroughly entertained by cast and crew when you come along to Amdram over this next week. Everyone needs a winter warmup and a seasonal snigger. We are looking forward to giving you both. Tickets from the i-Site or at the door.

MIKE: There was an interesting diversity in the make-up of the groups taking part in the Whanganui Schools Chamber Music Concert last week. Held in the Prince Edward Auditorium at Collegiate, the competition was split into three sessions, the first two of which I was able to attend. Five of the groups used a vocalist, the outstanding one for me, being Home Grown from Nga Tawa, who offered us two songs by New Zealand composer Anthony Ritchie. Neither piece appeared easy, but Emma Ferguson coped admirably, supported by a strong piano backing and a plangent flute.
Of the four ensembles featuring three students playing one piano, Criss vs Cross (Wanganui Home Educators) produced a confident, polished performance of Fodor's Sonata for 6 Hands Op. 10.

Two groups of WHS instrumentalists were most enjoyable. Guitarsafire showcased four guitarists who lived up to their chosen title, playing two works by another New Zealand composer, Nathan Aish. Guided by a reliable and melodic lead guitar, their performance was described by the adjudicator, Richard Mapp, as "stylish". The second group, The Buzz Rolls, all studying drumming under Michael Franklin-Browne, gave a rousing rendition of a work by their tutor. With two large xylophones dominating the stage, along with bongos, cymbals and drums — plus even a lonely triangle! — they offered the audience an unusual, lively experience.

Three WCS ensembles, of a more traditional composition, appealed greatly. Trois Pour Deux (piano, violin, flute) played Deux Interludes by Ibert, both pieces demonstrating what talented musicians they are. Like the adjudicator, I was impressed by the three violins of Ling Ling Ling, who produced a clear, authentic tone in their playing of Henk Bading's works. Bruch's Violin Concerto is one of my personal favourites, so I was delighted to hear his Trio Op. 83 No. 1 played by Trio Romantica. Opened by the delicate, floating hands of their sensitive pianist, it was picked up by a vibrant clarinet and an excellent, accurately paced violin.

Pride of place for me went to the St Dominic's students, The Petre Trio. Introduced in a pleasant, poised manner by Xavier Gregory, the group's unusual combination of piano, violin and tenor horn provoked immediate interest. Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5 allowed Xavier, on violin, and pianist Natalie Nyssen to demonstrate their ability, with Francis Gregory's horn providing a steady reinforcement. Their second item, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, offered greater scope for the horn, which Francis readily accepted. I thoroughly enjoyed their performance, as did the adjudicator, who commented on the "sonority" of the Beethoven and the "tone colours" in their playing.
I was sorry to have to miss the third session. Well done, all competitors, and also organiser Ingrid Culliford, who raced around the stage like a budding Olympic champion!

MIKE: The most recent exhibition at the Milbank Gallery is Kiran McKinnon's The Memory of Water, which offers the viewer a number of visually appealing abstract paintings, their ethereal quality seeming to make them float in space. Based in Auckland, Kiran's artist statement sets out clearly the motivation behind her works. Water is a constant in our lives, ever present, yet, for that very reason, it can easily be overlooked and taken for granted. For Kiran, it is a compelling element, the focus of her artistic expression. Not only are all things linked with water and weather referenced in her works — rivers, lakes, the sea, rain, clouds and mist — but they are reproduced in her methods of painting — misting, spraying, pouring and washing of water and paint across the canvas. She herself likens her compositions in some ways to the techniques of Chinese watercolours, with their shadowy grace and ephemeral quality. The medium on which she paints is raw cotton duck canvas, which permits the water to slowly sink into its fabric. On the surface she has added some carefully positioned 'fluorescent or deeper coloured notes', resembling, to my layman's eyes, a picture of the stars sparkling in the heavens. Taking her creations a step further into the realm of verisimilitude, Kiran collected water from various sources — Lake Taupo, the headwaters of the Whanganui and the sea around Auckland — to add an even more local and personal effect to her exhibition. It runs until July 7.

Comments and suggestions mjstreet@xtra.co.nz