Cribbies: Act Two

As the second act of Cribbies begins, Mrs Smith, Mrs Brown and Mrs Evans each bring a plate to the New Year's Eve party.

"There's an old piano and they play it hot, behind the Green Door" - the cast get into the dance moves. L-r: Caitlin Sexton; Marlene Polson; Trish White; Marion Patton

Alf and Rob stagger back from the pub, which "closed up at 6 o' clock."

Cynthia and Norman Smith listen to one of Rob's terrible jokes.

The ladies are equally unimpressed...

Mrs Tobin (Shirley Armitage) asks Alf if he has a variety of drinks, including a cold duck - he's got one "hanging in the wash house".



Mrs Tobin leads the cast in a dance to Shake, Rattle and Roll.

Mrs Brown is delighted with the news that Princess Margaret is engaged, "I'm so glad for the poor thing... I'll just have a little sherry to celebrate."

The ladies of the cast sing that Everybody Loves a Lover.

It appears that they're right - even Wendy and Davey (Nick Foley) get in on the act, dancing to Oh, Boy!

Constable Ogilvie breaks up the party with a jar of Gran's plum jam, which may conceal a nugget of gold.

Gran is concerned that she may be in trouble - "I haven't done anything wrong have I?"

Wendy and Sophie get into the Hoki Toki ' "that's what it's all about".

Mrs Tobin asks Merve (Thomas Brinsley) whether he has tractor oil in his hair. - apparently not; "It's Brylcream. Elvis uses it you know."

Merve shows Mrs Tobin some dance moves to The Twist and soon everybody joins in.

Everybody celebrates New Year as the piper plays Auld Lang Syne.

Rob leads the cast as they farewell the decade with The Fifties, They Are Over.

The cast are ready to do it all over again as they perform the encore - Rock Around the Clock

Cribbies: Act One

How about that for a set! I loved the Cribbies set, designed and built by Alan Sutton; it was simple and functional, but highly effective. Alan was also our stage manager and, despite being new to the role, he performed his duties expertly throughout, always with a winning smile and the least amount of fuss. He was ably assisted by Myles Green who has an excellent curtain manner!

Carolyn Crum as Cynthia was an excellent leading lady with assurance and charisma; both calming and energising the other cast members at all the right moments. This is her opening scene in which she explains that what she is most looking forward to over her summer holiday is, "a great rest in the sun and a good read of my Mills and Boon."

The whole family is ready to go; "Hold on tight! We are heading up to Central!" (l-r: Elizabeth/ Amy Perkins; Rob/ Clark Kirkwood; Cynthia/ Carolyn Crum; Alister/ Jordan Woodhouse)

Rob (Clark Kirkwood) isn't so thrilled when his dad, Alf (Nigel Douglas), seems to have a whole list of plans for him to work on the crib while he's down for his holidays. Clark was reluctant to take on the male lead but after much persuasion, we are so grateful he did. He played the part of the kind but put-upon father with sensitivity and intelligence, and also rallied the younger folk into expressing themselves in their roles. Nigel had a million things going on and the busy, forward-thinking, never-resting (dare I say slightly garrulous) character of the grandfather suited him wonderfully.

"I've got plans for a jolly good rest, but I think that Dad's got other ideas."

Constable Ogilvie (Bruce Patton) takes down some particulars - very slowly... Bruce was delightful in this role with precision, clear diction, and a steadfast manner. Wearing the real Constable Oglivie's original uniform, he also looks the part.

 

Gran (Wink Gillespie) and Cynthia share a moment as they reflect on the old house. Wink made a charming, sentimental, slightly scatty Gran, full of memories and miscommunication. A couple of clues in the text made me think she might be Scottish so we tried her with a Scottish accent and it fit her character beautifully.

Cynthia and Rob indulge in some serious rock 'n' roll dancing. Jo Maglaras was our choreographer extraordinaire, teaching the cast some startlingly effective rock 'n' roll and jive moves, while she herself was several months pregnant. Incidentally, we welcome Isaac Joseph Kosta Maglaras, who was born a couple of weeks before the show opened.

Meanwhile, Alf is still harping on about his plans - "We'll leave the tank where it is, and push out that wall a couple of yards."

Cynthia indulges in some literary escapism...

...and the teenagers (l-r: Sophie/ Sarah Cassidy; Alister/ Jordan Woodhouse; Davey/ Nick Foley) apparently epitomise "what's wrong with Arrowtown at this time of year."

The ladies who are "the heart and soul of the village" (l-r: Mrs Smith/Lorraine Copeland; Mrs Evans/ Shona Blair; Mrs Brown/ Sue Dennis) explain how they "don't want any of those Milkbar Cowboys taking over the Town." Lorraine, Shona and Sue were utterly fabulous with their humour and commitment. They were pivotal to the show and brought their individual characterisation to the roles, fleshing out the characters of the 'three ancient buildings' to present something both entertaining and credible.

Cynthia is still engrossed in her book.

If I Knew You Were Coming I'd Have Baked a Cake - the ladies of the village master the box step.

The girls (Elizabeth/ Amy Perkins; Wendy/ Caitlin Sexton; Sophie/ Sarah Cassidy) share a joke at the boys' expense. They were cheeky, sassy, and fun, with enthusiasm and energy that lit up the stage.

Arrowtown holidays - "Just the same old things: down at the river; up at the village."

Al and Sophie are anxious to Rock Around the Clock.

Gran tries to interest Elizabeth in knitting, but she is more taken with tales of skinny dipping.
 

"That's the younger generation for you... Just when you get them interested in gooseberries... they buzz off!"

"If you had a choice he'd be your pick, but Lollipop is mine."

Magical Vanishing Act

People in Otago don't like rabbits very much and their Great Easter Bunny Hunt is very different from ours (don't let children or sensitive folk look at that link). Him Outdoors and I performed our very own version of the magical disappearing rabbit trick at Easter weekend. Here is the evidence - just don't ask us to make it re-appear!

Later that night...

 

Easter Weekend

Good Friday

Actually, the long weekend started last night when we had friends round to dinner. I made baked figs with blue cheese (and prosciutto for the non-vegetarians among us); penne pasta with mixed mushrooms and goat's cheese, served with a big green salad drizzled with parmesan infused olive oil, and apple and peanut butter crumble (made with apples from Jo Reid's garden) and Bird's Eye custard (from a tin). We drank Easter bubbles from France, oaked chardonnay from Hawke's Bay and pinot noir from Central Otago. This morning we cleaned up.

I submitted some artwork to the Arrowtown Autumn Festival - photographs I have taken and had framed or stretched on canvas. Arrowtown is so peaceful in the morning before the visiting hordes arrive that it is worth taking a moment and reflecting how lucky we are to live here. I picked up some pains aux chocolat and a baguette from the French bakery, which I took home and we had them with coffee on the patio.

Him Outdoors was competing in the Lake Hayes Duathlon, which with the main event of the associated triathlon, is the oldest surviving triathlon in the country. He came second by 45seconds to his main rival in his age-group; quite distressed because 'Dave's got a new bike!'



I, meanwhile, mountain biked around the lake and along some local tracks shouting, cheering and generally supporting with a couple of friends who also had nothing better to do.

Afterwards we thought we might have a drink at the local pub but it was closed and the one down the road was charging a surcharge (which I loathe - they make enough money to be able to pay their staff without hiking the prices - if you don't think you can afford to open on a public holiday; don't) so they lost out on four meals and several rounds of drinks from us, as we went home and drank red wine in the front room instead.

Later in the evening we watched The Fakers, 'a funny, sharp and fast-moving tale of blackmail and forgery set in the upper echelons of the international art society'. The 2004 film is billed as an off-beat comedy along the lines of The Thomas Crown Affair or The Italian Job - those are two of my favourite films and it doesn't live up to them, but it's not bad. It stars Matthew Rhys whom I've only ever seen as Kevin Walker on Brothers and Sisters, and he's actually very good - and Welsh! Who knew? I have more respect for him now - not because he's Welsh, but because he can really act.

Easter Saturday

Him Outdoors had some vouchers that he won at the Motatapu Adventure Race burning a hole in his pocket, so we strolled into town along the river and paid our respects at the cenotaph (it is Anzac Day tomorrow and will be heaving so we got in early) before popping into the shops and buying woolly jumpers and a flat cap for everyday (he still has his grandad's 'for best').

Back home we watched a couple of short films on a DVD I got free with The Observer when I was in England last year. It features 'five early short films from Britain's most influential filmmakers'. First was Amelia and the Angel (1958) directed by Ken Russell. In black and white with a gentle voice-over, it tells the tale of Amelia who takes home her angel's wings to show her mother, 'even though she will see them tomorrow at the school play'. When her horrid brother destroys them, she searches throughout London for another pair (including cemeteries and rag and bone carts), despairing until she stumbles across an artist's studio where a bearded sandal-wearing painter dresses up his models in theatrical outfits.

The clear narrative arc, dramatic music and omniscient narrator reminded me of an episode of The Clangers - things were simpler back then, even for Ken Russell it seems. Some of his early directorial touches are evident; the low camera work intended to mimic a child's view would have been considered a stroke of genius, although commonplace now.

Next was Boy and Bicycle (1965) directed by Ridley Scott. A teenaged boy bunks off school and cycles around Hartlepool instead - you'd have to imagine school was pretty dire if this is his preferred pastime. The strteets are empty; the beaches are deserted; the factories are grim. The young man provides a self-consciously assured voice-over in a landscape that seems almost post-apocalyptic.

The tracking shots and building of tension are clearly the director's trademarks and it's interesting to see them in their infancy. Scott was a photography student when he made this, which is apparenty in the perfect composition of the shots. Living in a world where we are bombarded with audio pollution and sensory stimulation, this was almost soporific (perhaps intentially - the revolving spokes of the bicycle wheel being particularly hypnotic), and so we decided to leave the rest for another day.

Later still (in the middle of the night) I watched Liverpool take Birmingham apart. Not only was the 5-0 scoreline (including a hat-trick from Maxi Rodriguez) something to celebrate, but I was hugely encouraged by the way the team played with energy, enthusiasm and something like the passing precision of old. I miss Stevie G, of course, but it's also great to see the 'youngsters' coming through the ranks - Jay Spearing, Jack Robinson and Jack Flanagan all played well and, although they may be tested by tougher opposition, things are finally looking up for the future.

Easter Sunday

As I walked to church this morning, I saw a lady in her slippers and pyjamas distributing chocolate eggs through her dewy garden. When she saw me she smiled, put her finger to her lips and whispered, 'Shhh, I'm the Easter Bunny'. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she wasn't.

The service at St Paul's was joyful and positive; emotions I could use at present, and naturally, I love a good sing-a-long. An extract from the order of service stated, 'Faith is like a bird that feels dawn breaking and, while it is still dark, begins to sing.' I think that sums it up nicely.

We spent the afternoon in Clyde at the Wine and Food Harvest Festival. As you can tell from the images, a good time was had by all. We came home to rehearse for the show I am directing; Cribbies for the Arrowtown Autumn Festival. It opens a week today, which is more than slightly scary. We went over all the dance moves; many of which I have set, so they are not exactly complicated!

Easter Monday

My cold is catching up with me and I woke up this morning with difficulty breathing. It may not have been the best idea, then to walk up Tobin's Track, but friends called up and that's what we did. The views are as glorious as ever and the couple of dogs that we had for company were certainly entertaining. How wonderful to be a dog when everything is fresh and every smell could be an adventure. They bounded up and down and made us all feel tired so we came home to drink coffee and eat chocolate ducks and rabbits.

Another rehearsal in the evening at which we ran the play for the first time without a prompt. Things are coming together and, although I'm doing all I can, I don't know how you can make people learn their lines! And so I came home to a large glass of pinot noir, a warm fire and a hug from Him Outdoors. It's not been a bad Easter weekend.