Broadway hit for Christchurch stage

Press, 25 August 1981, Page 21

Broadway hit for Christchurch stage

Auditions will be held next week for the Christchurch Operatic Society’s major production, the Broadway musical, “Annie.” “Annie,” which is based on the cartoon strip, “Little Orphan Annie,” has roles for both children and adults. Auditions for the adult parts, will be held on September 1 and 2, and for the children’s cast on September 3. The musical will be the first production for the society by . its recently-ap-pointed artistic director, Robert Young, who will arrive in October, and will both direct .and choreograph the show. '

“Annie" will be presented in the James Hay Theatre from March 7 to 27 next year. Successive. production already on Young’s schedule are “Fiddler on the Roof” in June (the society previously presented this musical in 1974) and “Jesus Christ Superstar” in October.

For the last eight years Young has been artistic director of the Hamilton Operatic Society. Born in Lyttelton, he trained in ballet, modern dance, drama and singing in Christchurch, then went overseas to seek stage experience. He performed professionally in Australia, England, France, and the United States before returning to New Zealand, initially as a choreographer for the “Happen Inn” series on television.

After he joins the Christchurch society, he plans to initiate classes in dance, singing, and drama. His first show here is described as “the most technically ambitious and demanding” the society has undertaken.

The character of Annie was created in the 1920 s by Harold Gray in the "New York News,” and was widely syndicated throughout the United States. Gray continued to draw it for more than 40 years, and after his death in 1968 it was taken over by other artists. It is now on’ its second time round — reprints of the original strips from the 1930 s now appear daily in more than 150 American newspapers. The musical, written by Martin Charnin. Thomas Meehan, and Charles Strouse, had its first performance in Connecticut in 1976 and was seen by the Broadway producer, Mike Nichols, who decided to take it to New York. It opened bn Broadway in April, 1977, and is still running there. “Annie” won seven “Toby” awards, includ-

ing “best musical of the year.”

Sets and costumes for the Christchurch production will come from Hamilton.

School music

The annual Christchurch schools musical festival will run for six nights , this year. School choirs from various parts of Christchurch will take part in the concerts in the Town Hall on September 16. 17. 18. 28, 29, and 30. Art annual

Preparations are ■ well under way again for the Royal Overseas League’s annual Commonwealth Art Exhibition, which will be held in London in November. Paintings for the New Zealand entry in the exhibition will be selected, as usual, from an exhibition to be held in the league’s Christchurch rooms at 115 Cashel Street.

Artists of any age may enter the competition, but prize-winning opportunities are restricted to those under 35. These prizes are cash awards totalling £5OO in the . London contest, and 5150 in the New Zealand section. No restrictions have been placed on subject matter by the organisers of the contest, but there is a size and weight limit on paintings, and threedimensional works will not be accepted. Entries are due by September 10 at the league’s rooms, where they will be judged by John Coley, director of the McDougall Art Gallery.

The entries will be on display to the public from Septembers to 18.

Sitar master

One of the world’s bestknown Indian musicians — Ravi Shankar, the sitar player — will visit New Zealand briefly next month to give concerts in three cities.

He will play in the Christchurch Town Hall on September 14, concentrating on the ragas and talas which are important elements in classical Indian music. Shankar first became known in New Zealand in the early 19605, through films for which he provided the background music. Later he became famous internationally as a soloist, largely through his association with the Beatles, to whom he became a musical guide and mentor. Shankar strongly influenced the Beatles in the late 19605, and . their hit “Norwegian Wood” was based on a raga melody.

Shankar will give concerts in Auckland and Wellington before coming to Christchurch.

Ragas and talas are the basis of the Indian music forms featured by Ravi Shankar. The ragas form the framework that generates melody, being connected with moods and emotions. Key themes include devotion, heroism, pathos, love, peace and fortitude.

Ragas differ for the various seasons and for the time of the day. There are about 3500. of which any individual master probably knows about 600. Talas represent the framework of rhythms. Three exchanges Writing, designing, and glass blowing are the subjects of three Fulbright Cultural Development Programme awards announced by the New Zealand-United States Educational Foundation. The awards, each for 45 days, will enable two New Zealanders to visit the United States and one American to. visit this country.

The American, who has already arrived in New Zealand, is Richard Marquis, a leading United States glass blower. He attended the annual New Zealand glass blowers’ conference in Auckland, to give lectures and run workshops, and is now touring New Zealand to advise artists working in his field. Marquis has participated in more than 100 exhibitions, mostly in the United States. He has exhibited in Canada, Italy, Japan, Australia, and Germany.

One, of the New Zealand recipients of awards is Michael J. Morrissey, of Christchurch, writer of plays, short stories and poetry. He will study the teaching of creative writing in the United States.

The other grant has gone to Murray N. Pilcher, of Auckland, who will study developments in interpretation and design at museums, art galleries, historic sites and buildings, and national parks in the United States. Pilcher has been associated with design work at the Waikato Art Museum and the National Museum, Wellington.

Music man

A British broadcaster and tenor, John Amis, a star of the BBC's popular “My Music” programme, will visit seven New Zealand centres next month to present a oneman “talk show.”

After starting in Gore on September 19, he will visit Timaru, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Wanganui, Auckland, and Te Awamutu. The two-week tour is a promotion of the Music Federation.

Over wine and cheese or at dinner with music society members in each centre, he will reminisce about famous performers he has met and worked with, and will intersperse his remarks with tapes of interviews he has

conducted during a lifetime's involvement with music and broadcasting in Britain.

Amis is best known in New Zealand for his participation with lan .Wallace .and the comedy scriptwriting them. Frank Muir and Dennis Norden, in “My Music,” on Radio New Zealand ’s Saturdaymorning National Programme.

The four participants identify various composers ano their music in a humorous programme in which questions are put and brief excerpts played for them by chairman Steve Race. THEATRE COURSE

A 10-week course in basic theatre skills will be offered later this year by the Canterbury Repertory Theatre

Society in the Green Room of its theatre in Kilmore Street. The tutor. David Bridges, hopes to prepare an end-of-term production by member of the course. Auditions for the course will be held on September 12,

and the classes will start on September 19. ELMWOOD PLAY The Elmwood Players say rehearsals are going well for their next production, Giles Cooper’s play “Everything in the Garden,” a comedy with

a sting in its tail. There is a cast of 11, under the direction of Mary de Koster. The play will open in the Elmwood Playhouse on September 9, and will run until September 12. It will have a “second season” from September 16 to 19. ,