The living arts

Press, 26 February 1980, Page 22

The living arts

Hamlet Twenty-two years ago a young Elric Hooper played the title role tinder Dame Ngaio Marsh’s direction in the last major production of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in Christchurch. On Saturday Mr Hooper, now turned to directing after establishing a reputation as one of New Zealand’s leading actors, will bring “Hamlet” back to the Christchurch stage. But this time he is die director.

Elric Hooper’s “Hamlet” is the most elaborate production mounted in the Court Theatre, and the theatre has been closed for a fortnight so that the setting that he devised could be mounted. It is a visually rich setting, heightened by the Rembrandt colours used by Peter Lees-Jeffries in his costume designs.

Alistair Browning, of the Mercury Theatre, Auckland, plays Hamlet. Wickham Pack plays Gertrude, the Queen, and Stewart Ross is the villian, Claudius. Tomascita Edgerton, who played Juliet in 1978, has joined the company to play Ophelia. William Kircher is Laertes, Paul Sonne is the First Player and John Curry is Polonius. Martin Duffy and David Copeland play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in both “Hamlet” and the alternating production of Tom Stoppard’s . “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.” This black comedy was one of the English National Theatre's biggest successes. It shows the minor characters of Shakespeare’s tragedy hanging about in the corridors of power, trying to make head and tail of the great events going on in the palace and trying to understand where they fit. Its wit and foolery provide lively contrast with the Elizabethan piece. Some scenes from “Hamlet” also occur in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstem are Dead” and all the actors in these will play the same parts in both plays. Bryan Aitken is directing the Stoppard play, which will open on March 8. Twenties revived

“Zelda,” the play about the ill-starred wife of the American novelist 1 , F. Scott Fitzgerald, is this year’s choice as an orientation production by the University of Canterbury Drama Society. “Zelda” will open in the Ngaio Marsh Theatre on Friday, and will close on March 8. The direction is by Judy Cleine, who has appeared in a number of Court Theatre productions, and who played the part of Lady Grey in the television series, “The Governor.” “Zelda” is a biographical play “with a difference.” The author, Kaye McDonough, described it as “mind theatre,” saying it made no attempt to narrate the life of Zelda and her husband but tried to give an impressionistic view of life in the 19205. Melissa Miles plays Zelda, and Tony Smith has the part of Scott Fitzgerald. The other three main parts — those of the literary “giants” of the twenties, Virginia Woolf, Gertrude Stein, and Ernest Hemingway, who appear as counterpoint to the Fitzgeralds — are played bv Di Carson, Natasha Hay, and Patrick Phillips. Art in boxes “Boxes.” the Canterbury Society of Arts contribution to the arts festival, will open on Saturday in the CSA gallery.

lions piuniutcu — CSA gallery — last year there was a “cylinder show which featured works that could be rolled into a cylinder and posted. The box, according to John Coley, who organised the exhibition on behalf of the artists committee of the CSA, was chosen as a theme because it "is a form as distinctively human as the hexagon belongs to the bee.” Artists, craftsmen, and designers throughout the' country were invited to participate. The aim, according to John Coley, is to give gallery visitors a heightened awareness of their humanity "by confronting them with the diversity of their concerns, hopes, ambitions, occupations, as expressed through the form of the box.” The invited contributors were told that they should take the broadest interpretation of the theme, and the works arriving at the gallery indicate that they have done this. The exhibition will be open for three weeks. London concert The New Zealand pianist, Mary Tzambiras, who has lived in Italy for four years, gave her first concert in London last week at New Zealand house. She played works by Scarlatti, Bach. Mendelssohn, and Schumann. Miss Tzambiras, aged 27, has gained distinction as a pianist in Italy, has given recital and concerto performances in Athens, and has made radio and television broadcasts in Europe. After completing a bachelor of music degree with honours at Victoria University of Wellington in 1973, Miss Tzambiras gained considerable experience in competitions and concert performances in New Zealand. In 1975 she was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council bursary which enabled her to study under Vincenzo Vitale in Italy. Miss Tzambiraa had heard of Vitale’s pupils performing and was so impressed by his style she chose to studj’ with him in Italy, rather than go to London as most New Zealanders do.

She described Vitale’s tuition as “quite extraordinary” and told an N Z P A correspondent that she had gained immense benefit from his teaching.

After a year's study in * Florence, Miss Tzambiras gained her performer’s certificate in 1976. Two"; years later she recieved a ' diploma with distinction from the Conservatorio San Pietro a Majella in Naples. Miss Tzambiras said she enjoyed living in Italy very much, but would like to return to New Zealand to perform within the next year. Weaving award The Bank of New Zealand will once again sponsor a weaving award to be held in the Dowse Art Gallery. Lower Hutt, in September, in spite of the' controversy caused by the decision that gave last year’s award to a traditional Maori cloak woven by Rangimarie Hetet. Two prizes will be offered, one for traditional loom weaving and the other for off-loom techniques. They are valued at $lOOO each. Family music A family concert of “Music for All” on Thursday in the Town Hall with the choice of the Royal Christchurch Musical Society will be the last by the Skellerup Woolston Band before its departure next month on a tour of Australia. The band, underits conductor, Mervyn Waters, will take part inthe Australian brass band championships at Mount Gambier, in South Australia, and will also play in ’ Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. . •

The programme will open with Handel’s “Zadok the Priest,” followed by a hymn from the accession service of Elizabeth I. Then the band will show its prowess in “Challenging Brass,” by Vinter. Folk songs, the popular, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” hunting items, and extracts fromopera, including choruses from “Nabucco” and “Aida,” will complete the ■ first half. The band will open the second half with the ; - march, “Simoraine,” which it will perform in its quick-step display at the championships. The popular skit on Heykin’s “Serenade” will be repeated, • and there will be a second ’ hearing of Kit Powell’s “Pink Panther’s Picnic.” - The concert will end with the pop items, “Salute to Elvis,” “Argentina,” and “Sailing.” The two conductors, Robert Field-Dodgson and Mervyn Waters, will introduce the items and share the conducting.