Annie Whittle back in dramatic role

Press, 13 April 1982, Page 15

Annie Whittle back in dramatic role

Tom Kempinski's 'Duet for One." a play which was first staged in a small theatre in • Shepherd's Bush and went on to become a major success in London and New York, is the next scheduled attraction at the Court Studio Theatre. It will run from April 27 to May 22. "Duet for One" was named the "Best New Play" of 1980 by the British drama critics. ‘ft is about a concert violinist whose career has been abruptly halted by the onset of multiple sclerosis, which now confines her to a wheelchair. On her husband's advice she consults a psychiatrist to help her adjust to a life that has been deprived of its main interest.

The play follows the harrowing and often humorous progress that she makes. As the sessions proceed she becomes more and more aggressive towards the.psychiatrist. until finally he is, seemingly, provoked out of his professional' detachment into a powerful statement of his beliefs and view of life. The role of the violinist will be played by Annie Whittle, one of New Zealand's best-known comic actresses. It will be her first major dramatic role. Geoffrey • Heath will play the psychiatrist.

The play's author was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts-as an actor. His first part was as Tybalt in Zeffrelli's Romeo and Juliet, and he then worked at the National Theatre, under Laurence Olivier. for three years. .

Since his acting days he has devoted himself to writing. His works include “Sellout” (a political musical), “What About a lunch-time oiav. adaptations

of Japanese Noh plays to ; children's theatre, and the < successful “Flashpoint.”

From Russia ( A visiting Russian ballet troupe, led by the Lenin Prize-winning dancer, Maya Plisetskaya, will begin a brief season in Christchurch with a matinee in the Theatre Roval on Saturdav.

The group will give evening performances on Saturday. Monday, and Tuesday. It began its New Zealand tour in Auckland on April 2. and is now in Wellington. The group is presenting a programme of 10 items, including a-pas de quatre to the music of Puni (humourous variations for four dancers united by a single introduction and coda), the grand pas from “Don Quixote” by Minkus. and fragments from “Sw'an Lake." "Carmen," and other ballets. “I have never been to New Zealand and I am very happy to have the opportunity of getting to know the country of which I have read and heard so much. Some fine Bolshoi Theatre dancers are coming along with me. They are Boris Yefimov. Nina Sorokina. Victor Barykin. Valery Logunov. Irina Fadeicheva, and Irina Jandieri. of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre, and also the leading dancers from the Kiev Ballet Company. In the beginning we wanted to include the best ballet dancers of the other Soviet Republics in our group as well. However, that was not so simple. Some of them were either on tour in other countries or engaged in ballet productions at home,” Plisetskaya said, according to a report from the Soviet news agency, Novosti.

The group will go on to the Philippines and Japan after its final New Zealand appearance in Dunedin. It will not return to Russia until May.

Contest winner Stoika Milanova. the Bulgarian violinist who has been engaged at short notice to replace the injured Boris Belkin on tour with the NewZealand Symphony Orchestra, won the City of London International Viola and Violin Contest in 1970. The standard was so high in this competition that the members of the jury decided to offer a special unscheduled prize to each of the 12 semi-finalists in recognition of their achievements. Since then Miss Milanova has played with every major British orchestra, and has played in most other countries in Europe and the Eastern bloc. She has given recitals and orchestral performances in Japan, Hong Kong, other centres in SouthEast Asia, and Australia.

Posts for composers Christchurch musicians were elected president and secretary of the Composers' Association of New Zealand at the society's annual meeting in Auckland. They are Philip Norman (president) and John Emeleus (secretary). Mr Norman, who is in his fifth year on the association's committee, is its youngest president. The association has awarded a citation for services to New Zealand music to the Wellington composer and conductor, Ashley Heenan, musical director of the Scuola Musica (formerly the N.Z.B.C. Orchestral Trainees) and chairman of the Composers' Foundation (formerly the A.P.R.A. music committee in New Zealand). The citation was sponsored by Brierley Investments.

Polish organist A Polish organist. Marek Kudlicki. will give a recital on Monday evening in the Cathedral of the. Blessed Sacrament. He will' play works by Buxtehude. Bach. Cesar Franck, and several Polish composers. Marek Kudlicki began his musical Career while still a student, by giving concerts and recitals in many cities of Poland. He won first prize and the special prize of the Polish Ministry of Culture and Art in the Organ Competition in Poland in 1973. He has given concerts in Poland. East Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia. Norway, Denmark, Holland, Germany, Finland, Ireland. Belgium and the United States. He has appeared in international organ festivals with many notable organists, such as Jean Gillou. Hans Haselbock, Anton Heiller, and Marie Clair Allain, and has recorded for the- Polish. Italian and Swiss television, the Dutch, Polish. Swedish, Austrian and Norwegian

radio, as well as for Polish and Dutch record companies. His engagements for 1982 include his present tour to give concerts and lectures on Polish organ music in Australia. New Zealand, the United States, and Colombia, and appearances in manyEuropean countries. Marek Kudlicki's repertoire is extensive. It encompasses works of all periods, including early, romantic and modern Polish music. He has been organist of the Austria Radio Orchestra since 1976.

Change of venue The Ham Wind Ensemble's recital on Sunday afternoon will be held in St Stephen s Church. Ham Road, instead of in the Robert McDougall Art Gallery as previouslyannounced. Because of the preparations for an -'installation'' in the gallery's centre court, no recitals will be held there for some weeks. The programme to be presented by the ensemble includes a range of works from Haydn's original version of

the "St Antoni Chorale" to a contemporary work for six wind instruments by Gilbert Vinter. The main item is a Partita for 12 wind instruments by the eighteenth-cen-tury composer, Antonio Rosetti. This work will be conducted by Martin Woolley. musical' director of the Christchurch SymphonyOrchestra. This will be his first appearance with the Ham Wind Ehsemble. whose members say they are verypleased to welcome him both as a bassoonist and conductor.