At the age of thirteen I appeared in a Masterton Amateur Theatrical Society production called “Our Miss Gibbs.” It was presented over eight nights in Masterton’s grand old Regent Theatre. Monday to Thursday one week, then again Monday to Thursday the following week. Back in those halcyon days the Regent 3 Cinemas was just one cinema and owners Kerridge-Odeon wouldn’t give up the lucrative Friday and Saturday night screenings.
The theatre was locked up tight on a Sunday; it was assumed we’d all be at church.
I played the part of a newspaper boy; my dialogue would have consisted of about four lines and I was on the stage for fully three minutes. If indeed there were any talent scouts in the audience then they must have missed my academy-award-winning performance. My acting career finished on the last night of the show.
So I have restricted myself to being an attender rather than a participant to the MATS stage shows over the intervening years and despite not wanting to downgrade past productions I thought this year’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was the best they have ever presented. Over time it seems performers - actors and musicians - have become more and more talented and the technology has improved out of sight. I understand the Majestic Theatre sound system was recently upgraded to the tune of $30,000 and the outcome added immensely to the enjoyment of the evening.
I don’t like to single out people, but there was undoubtedly a star: a gifted lady named Lucy Cruickshank, who was described in the programme as the narrator. This “narrator” sang the part and was on stage for virtually the whole of the evening. Her voice was superb, her acting faultless and her dancing a bonus. Just how she managed the energy to do that night after night with a couple of matinees thrown in to boot was a mystery until I noticed in the programme she is a keen multi-sportswomen and has competed in a number of half-ironman competitions.
Joseph was played by the ideally-named Joseph Raea, a young man who has an assured career in drama if he wants it and accountant Mark Richardson portrayed Pharaoh flawlessly in the image of Elvis Presley. You couldn’t fault any of the leads or those in lesser roles and this was all complimented by outstanding costuming and the best sounding MATS orchestra I have ever heard under the immensely talented tutorship of Craig Thomson.
Still reeling from Joseph I concluded my week of culture by attending the Glen Miller Orchestra concert the following evening. With the rather expensive ticket prices I was surprised to see the Masterton Town Hall filled to the gunwales with swing enthusiasts.
Somehow the Town Hall was the ideal setting. Though perfectly adequate it has a rather 1940’s look about it and the 17 piece retro-orchestra seemed to be entirely at home on the stage.
Orchestra leader, trombonist and narrator Rick Gerber was somewhat less animated than Ms Cruickshank, but there is no doubt he is a very talented musician and his orchestra looked like the original band and arguably sounded even better. Again I suspect thanks to the 21st century sound system.
The band had add-ons. An attractive African-American singer named Wendy Smith-Brune and a Bing Crosby style crooner named Mark Kopitzke performed impeccably. Also two couples, described as swing dancers and who actually came from New Zealand, boogied and tap-danced their way into the audience’s hearts with aplomb. To top it off there were three captivating young American university graduates called the Swing Kittens who looked and sang like the Andrew Sisters. Their rendition of Pokarekare Ana with a fantastic backing arrangement by the orchestra was perhaps the surprising highlight of the evening.
Talk about a night of nostalgia.
After the show the cast were in the foyer to say goodnight to their appreciative audience. Old men who dream dreams and have visions were lining up to acquaint themselves with the stunningly beautiful “Andrew Sisters.”
I of course just passed by, feigning disinterest.
If there was anybody under 65 in the audience, then I didn’t see them. Muldoon’s National Superannuation is an absolute godsend.
No doubt about it - hearing a professional "big band" of 15 or more players in the flesh is an electrifying experience. Well drilled brass and reed sections blowing forte can literally make the hair on the back of one's neck "stand on end". Listening to recordings of this sort of music simply doesn't prepare you for the real thing. What a shame we don't get to see and hear them more often.
ReplyDeleteMost people today have never listened to such music, recorded or in the flesh, and probably never will. It's their loss.
Monty Zoomer