Paul Waggott and the Squirrel

The Travelling Squirrel by Robert Lord opens this week at Circa, with actor Paul Waggott playing the lead character, struggling writer Bart. Directed by Susan Wilson, this show is a satirical romantic comedy that follows Bart as he tries to get published and negotiates life with Jane his famous actress wife.  It then asks what happens when the tables turn and he becomes New York's hottest writer and Jane is axed from her soap opera job.

The play depicts a dangerous world in which fame and fortune are always, temptingly, just around the corner. Phillip Mann describes this show of Lord’s as "one of his funniest plays – just as it is also one of the most moving."

Paul Waggott, in rehearsal for The Travelling Squirrel.  Photo by Tabitha Arthur.

To learn more about the show and what the process has been like, we’ve asked Paul Waggott to share his experience of working on this script over the past four weeks.

"Robert Lord was a name I had come across before while I was studying at Victoria University's Theatre Department. I spent many hours in The Robert Lord Library. But this is the first time I've had the opportunity to work on a play by him, and it's been an absolute joy. I remember when I first read the script I was struck by how ageless it seemed. It deals with so many concepts and situations that still ring true today. I could hardly believe it was over twenty years old.

Gavin Rutherford and Paul Waggott in rehearsal for The Travelling Squirrel.  Photo by Tabitha Arthur.

"Bart is such an exciting character to play. As soon as I read the script I felt like I knew who he was, which is a testament to Lord's writing I think. I can empathise with Bart's central struggle: as the play begins he has finally finished writing his first book after five long years. His journey from here takes him through failure, to the depths of despair, out the other side with the promise of fame and fortune and beyond... It's a rollercoaster for the poor man that's for sure. I guess it speaks to me of a central question that all creatives must wrestle with at some point: to sell out or to not sell out? And, what even constitutes selling out? Is it worth holding on desperately to the integrity of your art if no one witnesses it? What if 'selling out' is the only way to get into a position where you can share your true art with the world? Bart doesn't manage to answer this question - I'm not sure it's ever answerable as such - but it sure is a good one to ask.

The cast of The Travelling Squirrel.  Photo by Tabitha Arthur.

"Amidst all the intellectual facets of the play sit some very, very funny moments. The play seems to effortlessly run the gamut from poetic beauty to straight talking real world dialogue; from the interrogation of concepts and ideas to high farce. I'm not sure how Lord managed it but it seems to me he pulled it off. Bart is surrounded by wonderful characters, from soap opera superstar wife Jane, to the life in a New York minute agent Terry, to the hedonistic gossip columnist Wallace and more. There are multiple intersecting love (and lust) triangles that I'm sure we can all see ourselves reflected in to a greater or lesser degree - none of which I shall spoil here. 

"I think what excites me most is that the characters all feel human - heightened maybe at times, but humans, not caricatures. It really is a great script, and a great production - working with the cast has been a dream come true. There's so much talent on and off the stage in this production. I really can't wait to share it with audiences through September. Why don't you make sure you're one of them!"

The Travelling Squirrel opens on Saturday 5 September, and is on at Circa until 2 October.  Book now:  801 7992 or www.circa.co.nz.

Acushla-Tara Sutton and Paul Waggott star in The Travelling Squirrel.  Photo by Tabitha Arthur.

The Grand Dame of the Circa Pantomime

This week on drama on the waterfront, Gavin Rutherford, who will don the dress for the 5th time this year as Grandma Hood in Red Riding Hood, takes us down memory lane of his time as Dame.

Photo by Stephen A'Court.

This year for the famous Circa Christmas Pantomime, we are remounting Roger Hall’s Red Riding Hood. This was the first pantomime that I appeared in at Circa back in 2008. I played the bad guy, Sir Roger Bounder. The amazing and hilarious Julian Wilson was Grandma Hood and I have large happy memories of crying with laughter at his inventiveness and skill in the rehearsal room and on stage. Julian then moved up to Auckland with his beautiful wife and have lived happily ever after (as is fitting).

Robin Hood rehearsals started the next year with me, wig in hand and up to my knees in a frock (to be factually correct it reached a little higher). Robin Hood was full of the usual Roger Hall hilarity and I loved that the two quintessential English heroes (Robin Hood and Maid Marian) were played by the incredibly talented and proudly Maori, Jamie McKaskill and Kali Kopae. I was very nervous stepping into the Dame’s shoes on opening night, but with love and help from Susan Wilson and Paul Jenden (and even some great words of support from Jennifer Lal (it hasn’t happened since)) AND with a script close at hand at the side of the stage AND with Michael Nicholas Williams giving me every trick in the book I managed to get through it and experience the true meaning of sweat. In the end I had to fall in love with a large blue Viking dragon thing. I should have chosen Jeff Kingsford Brown (who played the evil Sherriff) but sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them too.

Aladdin was a reworking of a very successful season in which Julian Wilson played Widow Twankey. I had to have a different costume and I am a few sizes larger than Mr Wilson. His corset would not have covered much. Richard Chapman was our Aladdin and Jessica Robinson was Princess Jasmine. My daughter Mikayla was now becoming accustomed to the pantomime and after watching an early rehearsal, promptly fell in love with Jessica’s princess. Nick Dunbar was the villain of the piece and was lithe and ridiculous and all round excellent. One time, at panto, he was bending me over a bench in front of two hundred people and I couldn’t find the magic lamp (a rather important prop). I had to leave him onstage and (whilst shouting such helpful things like “It’s not in the toiiileeet”) madly search backstage. After a minute I had to give up and go back onstage, very white faced (more so than usual) and try to improvise a way out! Luckily enough Richard Chapman had found the lamp and it came sliding out onto the stage to many laughs and gasps of relief from us. As a side note to this season, Sir Ian McKellen (who once famously played Widow Twankey) came to see a show. We were all very nervous. As I started singing my first song I saw a tall elderly man in a pink cardigan elegantly walk down the aisle of the theatre and leave the auditorium. He never came back. He probably just realised he’d seen it before or something, ay. (uncomfortable pause)

Photo by Stephen A'Court.

Cinderella was actually my first pantomime, but I originally did it Dunedin when the fat ugly sister was named Obetia. Roger Hall has now changed it to the more politically neutral, Bertha. I remember on the opening night in Dunedin doing a big high kick during a number and one of my delicate little jazz slippers flying off into the audience. I thought, “Oh no. They’ll think it was a mistake” (which of course it was), so I decisively kicked my other slipper off. I was shoeless until interval. That was a trick for young players! Lesson learned. At Circa my sister was the hilarious Jon Pheloung. It was great to have someone to bounce off literally and figuratively. Our ‘other’ sister was Chelsea Bognuda (an even bigger girl crush for Mikayla) who was a charming and talented Cinderella. This pantomime was marked mostly by the great Johnny Wraight and his amazing sailing skateboard (it made the 6 o clock news one night) and by jumping off the diving platform outside Circa between shows one hot sunny day. I had had enough after one leap! It is a bigger fall than it looks. Our esteemed stage manager Eric Gardiner (all of 70 years old) jumped off twice!

Mother Goose was the first pantomime written by Michele Amas and one of my favourites. I loved how brave she was to have an openly gay and fully accepted family member character in what was already a very camp show. Simon Leary was fantastic in the role and trying to keep up with the improvisational comic talents of him and the wonderful Kathleen Burns, was a challenge and a joy every night. I was thrilled that we received no complaint letters about Simon’s character. Can’t beat Wellington on a good day!

Mother Goose was our first pantomime at Circa that Paul Jenden wasn’t a very committed member of the rehearsals room, production team and creative drive. Rest in peace Paul.

Red Riding Hood. Full circle? No wonder I am dizzy. As I write this we are just about the head into production week. The show is in excellent. Simon Leary is making me laugh so much it hurts. Awhimai Fraser is the sweetest Red Riding Hood with an incredible voice. Carrie Green is all curls and pouting. Patrick Davies is brilliant with physical comedy and his timing is immaculate. Jane Waddell and Jonathon Morgan are the perfect clown duo. And Tom Truss? Let’s just say Bring on the Full Moon!

The Year of Magical Thinking: “AN ELECTRIFYING PIECE OF THEATRE”

Stunning reviews of a stunning performance! Catherine Downes and The Year of Magical Thinking has received glowing appreciation from the critics …

Catherine Downes in The Year of Magical Thinking. Photo by  Stephen A'Court.

Didion’s “writing is heartfelt, it is also incredibly expressive and lyrical, a mark of the great writer that she is. However, as good as this is, it still needs to be brought to life on the stage and this where Susan Wilson’s production makes this into a superb piece of theatre.

The simple but effective set of Penny Angrick, Marcus McShane’s subtle but very evocative lighting design and Gareth Hobbs haunting music all add much to the quality of this production, but it is the stand-out performance of Catherine Downes that transcends this production into something special.

Solo performances often incorporate multiple characters.  Not so this play.  Catherine Downes is nobody but Joan Didion relating her year of magical thinking and how Downes does it is masterful.

From the moment she appears on stage with her opening lines, reticent, holding back, but powerfully seductive, the audience is drawn into her world where they stay for the duration of the production savouring Downes’ exquisite performance.

There are moments of emotion, beautifully handled by Downes, but for the most part this is a rational, sometimes even calculating, way of dealing with loss which Downes portrays with such confidence and ease. Consummate performer that she is, the strength, stamina and ability of someone to perform what is essentially a 90 minute monologue is quite extraordinary.

A must-see production for not only the writing but for Downes’ amazing performance.”

- Ewen Coleman, the Dominion Post

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Catherine Downes in The Year of Magical Thinking. Photo by  Stephen A'Court. 

“From the moment Downes appears, a spectre behind a semi-transparent screen bathed in ethereal blue light, she is the character left behind, the one still living. Downes’ face when she steps in front of the screen is one of a woman struggling to hold something back and wanting to release at the same time. “It will happen to you. That’s what I’m here to tell you,” she says.

Written by American novelist and journalist Joan Didion after her husband, the writer John Gregory Dunne, and her daughter, die within two years of each other, the script is more fleet-footed, dynamic, and revealing of her personality than the two books on which it is based. Self-pity or sadness aren’t allowed to dominate one moment as she oscillates between clinical details of death and memories that make up so much of life. Humour also gets fair play. “It’s still early in Los Angeles. Is John even dead there yet?”

Downes isn’t Didion, but she fully inhabits her memories and all the ranges of emotions, so when she flashes back to a happy night in Honolulu and says, “I had such a sense of well-being I did not want to go to sleep,” it strikes a chord of joy as powerful as the knell of death.”

- Amanda Witherall, Capital Times

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“As the audience rises to applaud Catherine Downes' solo effort, the wonder of it is she has made her 90 minute marathon seem effortless: such is the centred fluency of her beautifully paced and modulated performance, directed by Susan Wilson.

All is perfectly pitched for the intimacy of Circa Two. We don't so much witness a performance as spend time with a very particular person who has a profound experience to share.  It is 90 minutes very well spent.”

- John Smythe, Theatreview

The Year of Magical Thinking is on until 8 September. To book, call the Circa Box Office at 801-7992 or go online at www.circa.co.nz.

JOAN DIDION and THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING.

Didion is one of America’s iconic writers and The Year of Magical Thinking is a stunning memoir of electric honesty and passion in which she explores an intensely personal yet universal experience: a portrait of a marriage--and a life, in good times and bad--that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a husband or wife or child.

It is a remarkably moving examination of the year following her husband’s sudden death just before their fortieth anniversary that is filled with often surprising insights and more than a dash of humour. It is one of the most critically acclaimed books of the decade.

“Thrilling . . . a living, sharp, memorable book. . . . Sometimes quite funny because it dares to tell the truth.” - Robert Pinsky, The New York Times Book Review

The book was published in 2005 – winning the US National Book Award. In 2006 Didion was persuaded to adapt the work for the stage and the resulting play opened on Broadway, New York in 2007 (directed by David Hare, starring Vanessa Redgrave).

Didion was born December 5, 1934, Sacramento, California. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, and currently lives in
New York. For over forty years, Joan Didion has been widely renowned as one of the strongest, wittiest and most-acerbic voices in journalism, literature and film. With her sharp, idiosyncratic essays collected as Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The White Album, she helped define both the New Journalism and Sixties America. Later, she and her husband, John Gregory Dunne, became some of the highest-paid screenwriters in Los Angeles (The Panic in Needle Park, Play It As It Lays, A Star is Born) – glamorous, well-connected and Hollywood’s mascots of the East Coast intelligentsia. Combined with the political reporting and fiction drawn from her experiences in Central America in the Eighties, Joan Didion emerged as the grande dame of American journalism. 

So, no one could have been more unnerved by her unraveling in the wake of a pair of tragedies than Didion herself — a fact she conveys brilliantly in The Year of Magical Thinking, which chronicles an exceptionally unforgiving period in her life. Her recently married daughter Quintana had been stricken with pneumonia and fell into a coma. Only a week later, her husband and partner of 40-years died of a heart attack. Battered by these events, Didion felt her grip on reality suddenly slipping. “Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it. We know that someone close to us could die. We might expect to feel shock. We do not expect this shock to be obliterative, dislocating to both body and mind. We might expect to be prostrate, inconsolable, crazy with loss. We do not expect to be literally crazy – cool customers who believe that their husband is about to return and need his shoes.” Quintana died in 2005, and Didion’s most recent book Blue Nights tells her story.

The Year of Magical Thinking  - an award-winning, best-selling memoir and a play of extraordinary perception and depth. It has touched the hearts of readers, audiences and critics:

“What has stayed with me the most these past few weeks is Didion's heartfelt portrait of her and Dunne's extraordinary love for each other, and their constant companionship, and respect, and friendship, which shine through all of her reminiscences of their four decades of marriage. Deepest love; deepest pain … quite possibly my favorite of the year.”  - Scott, New York

“magnificent … as moving as anything we are likely to encounter in a theatre this year.” - Daily Telegraph

The Year of Magical Thinking opens in Circa Two on 11 August and runs until 8 September. There will be a $25 preview on Friday, 10 August and a $25 Special on Sunday, 12 August. To book, please call the Circa Box Office on 801-7992 or go online www.circa.co.nz.