Bookings pick up

Press, 8 March 1978, Page 6

Bookings pick up

Festival Jazz, the opera, “Orfeo ed Euridice,” and “She Stoops to Conquer” are receiving the heaviest bookings. Patrons can rest assured that there is plenty of room vet at other shows, but that late bookings are still risky. The Court Theatre’s production of Oliver Goldsmith’s comedy of mistaken identities is well booked now. There are still seats available, however, as the play has a long season. More than 200 booked yesterday for one of the remaining three performances of the opera, “Orfeo ed Euridice.” Festival outlay on the production is well into the five figures, certainly more than $30,000 but the first two performances were less than two-thirds full, according to the manager of the Town Hall (Mr B: P. Connell). However, there was renewed interest now, bookings were “pretty heavy,”

and with the next production this evening, houses might be fuller. “The pity is that the public is so slow moving that they will miss it altogether before they get into gear,” said the' Arts Festival di rec t o r (Mrs Helen Holmes.)

“That opera is so good,” said Mr' Connell. “People should support it.” It was regrettable that people did not seem to respond as well at early stages of the festival as they did towards the end.

There was plenty of interest now in the Air New Zealand concerts at lunch-time in the James Hay Theatre with the Czech cellist, Zdenik Konicek, vocal soloists, and piano and string instrumentalists appearing. The first concert of the visiting British team, Marian Montgomery and Richard Rodney Bennett, on Monday; was getting “pretty full” i now, said Mr Connell. There; were a number of seats I

available for the March 17 concert, however. The celebrated pair will play jazz, blues, show, rock, and folksongs. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra concerts bookings are expected to increase during the week-end to about 50 per cent capacity. There will be four concerts in the second week of the festival.' Bookings are coming thick and fast for the big band concerts. On Monday, 250 {people booked. The event has proved to be an unexpected success. Tomorrow evening, “Rooting for Randy” will feature the songs of the contemporary American song writer, Randy Newman, which show was played to Wellington student audiences last year. “Heroes and Butterflies,” the work of New Zealand’s biggest theatre enterprise, i the visiting Wellington [“Downstage Theatre,” is also (receiving steady bookings.