Hawkswood Festival

Press, 27 February 1984, Page 8

Hawkswood Festival

The Third Annual Hawkswood Festival, Concert and Poolside Cabaret, February 25, 8 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman.

“Summertime ... and the livin’ is easy:” the strains of Gershwin’s lullaby floated out of the trees and into the surrounding countryside. “Summertime ... an’ you’ll take the sky” caressed singer Phoebe Grey in the wooded amphitheatre of the orchard clearing, dusk settling, greeting patrons of the Third Annual Hawkswood Festival.

An eight-hour feast of arts and entertainment was beginning, culminating a week-end of sun, song and dance, the brainchild of Mr J. D. Macfarlane, owner of the Hawkswood property and entrepreneur extraordinaire. Few promoters would have the courage to book some of New Zealand’s top performers in a variety of fields, transport them miles into the countryside and programme back-to-back such diverse items as a reading from Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” the Topp Twins, and an excerpt from the ballet “Sleeping Beauty.” Such is the charm and delight of the Hawkswood Festival.

The eight-hour “feast” was a three-course affair — a concert in the orchard clearing, a poolside cabaret, and the opportunity to dance until dawn to the sound of Janice Gray and her five-piece band. Though overly long, the concert, compered by a bubbling, energetic Steve Thomas, was undoubtedly the most enjoyable portion of the evening’s fare. The highlight of this was the contribution by the Limbs Dance Company. A slow, spiralling pas de deux, choreographed by Chris Jannides, a cutesy “My Boy Lollipop,” a soothing “Two Sleepy People” drawn out of relaxation exercises and a zany “This is a Love Song” were particularly memorable sequences. The clipped, express train delivery of the Topp Twins in.action also found much favour with the audience. Their rough-em-up-quick wit felled many victims in rapid succession — farmers, royalty, graffiti writers and Dolly Parton included. Despite the coarse. Kiwi veneer, the Topp Twins’ act succeeds because of their slickness in presentation. Their timing is excellent, a skill that considerably

strengthens their sometimes weak material.

The Southern Ballet presented two items, the first of which was a fluffy frolic in clown outfits entitled “Carnival Capers.” Of more interest and impact was their “Aurora’s Wedding,” which brought a fairy-tale elegance to the close of the concert. In the woodland setting, the radiant costumes and graceful movements were enchanting. Later, at the poolside cabaret, the Southern Ballet presented a vigorous “CanCan.” Also in this cabaret was a lithesome display of flashdancing by Neil Gudsell. Both acts worked well and were notably energetic. Regrettably, the same cannot be said for the review sketches by the Downstage Players, set as for an armed forces concert party. Interminably long and lacking in even a substitute for humour, their wartime antics went down like a lead zeppelin. This aside, the Third Hawkswood Festival was an undoubted success, and it looks as though it now belongs to a continuing tradition of successes. Plans are already underway for a fourth annual festival.