After controversy comes the real entertainment

Press, 23 October 1989, Page 17

After controversy comes the real entertainment

By

MARITA VANDENBERG,

who was invited by the

Aotea Centre management to come and have a look at the project:

There was never any real question of Auckland Mayor Dame Cath Tizard jumping from the top of the Aotea Centre if it wasn’t finished in time for the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

That’s what Deputy Mayor Phil Warren volunteered her for in April. He had just heard that the Peking vice-mayor had promised to jump off a 50-storey building if the Chinese capital’s preparations — similarly dogged by delay — were not completed on time for the 1990 Asian Games. (Dame Cath was overseas when she was volunteered).

Although the City of Sails’ new cultural centre won’t be officially launched until September next year, it will be hosting the Games’ weightlifting events in January. A month later, the Sadlers Wells Ballet performs in the 2250-seat, three-tier theatre. Even before that, in a few weeks, the centre’s conference facilities will open. So will Alberts, a 230-seat restaurant named after a jovial vagabond who used to wander Aotea Square. Aucklanders are already familiar with the building which is a 10-minute stroll up Queen Street from the waterfront. Clad in

white Nelson marble, the front entrance is tiered in a style reminiscent of the London Festival Hall. From behind, the theatre stands nestled into the curve of an arterial road and appears a white monolith to the thousands who drive by it each day. Auckland’s cultural centre has travelled a long journey between idea and reality. A cultural centre was first mooted 70 years ago but successive councils procrastinated, deterred by the cost of the venture and the difficulty of financing it. Construction finally started in August, 1985, based on a revamped 1950 s design. The projected cost was $67.85 million, and the estimated completion date was 1987. Since then, the project has been fraught with delays, budget blow-outs, political secrecy and all other manner of controversy. Many have sung the centre’s praises. But ask enough Aucklanders and you will find plenty who think it is a kind of white albatross. They don’t see it being much use to themselves and believe its heavy debts will hang round their necks for years to come. The centre’s budget blow-outs to date: $72.24 million in 1986,

$B3 and later $90.5 million in 1987, $98.9 million in 1988. The latest estimate put the final cost at $128.5 million. Critics have suggested the final figure could top $l5O million. That compares with the Sydney Opera House, which had a projected cost of $7.2 million but ended up at more than $lOO million. The Wellington Town Hall had a total cost - of $l9 million, and the Christchurch Town Hall cost $4.5 million. The Aotea Centre is four times the size of the Michael Fowler Centre and three times the size of the Christchurch Town Hall. According to a recent “National Business Review” account, the Auckland City Council has had to sell property, including endowment lands. It has run down its services and could run into debt over the project. Original funding was based on $45 million coming from the council, $l6 million from private sources and $7 million from the Government and other local bodies. Some critics are now saying that ratepayers will be left footing a bill for the extra $7O million or more above the original contract price. What caused the budget blowouts? In July this year, after the contractor was sacked, the coun-

cil released a report detailing the causes of the project’s doubled cost — inflation, enhancements, remedial work, changing regulatory requirements, and expenses to achieve a timely completion. The Aotea Centre site’s workforce was then up to 550 and work had been completed at $1 million a week for the previous three months. Repairing faulty welding allegedly cost an estimated $7 million.

The council had chosen to improve the restaurant kitchen, put in cabling for closed-circuit television, buy six pianos and a fountain, add extra marble and better carpet and improve acoustics.

In November, Aucklanders will know the findings of a recent audit inquiry into the project.

There has been more novel controversy, too. The centre’s art was performing long before the performing arts centre itself.

The John Papas toilet tiles were auctioned off unchristened in June because they resembled graffiti. Many tiles now reside happily in various homes round Auckland. Most notoriously, some are in a mock urinal in Michael Catchpole’s Queen Street pub. “Nobody has said they don’t like them, yet,” he says.

Then there was the carpet. The subtle patterned red-tone carpet cost $1 million and it took the board of management 58 meetings to decide on it. There was an outcry in July over the 1800 Danish chairs. The decision to buy Danish even prompted an editorial in an Auckland newspaper. The local manufacturer of the “zig” chair was incensed by claims that his product was inadequate for the $630,000 contract. Local manufacturers, unions, the Furniture Manufacturers’ Federation and even the Forestry Minister, Peter Tapsell, put the council in the hot seat over its decision.

The “zig” chair, said the company, was half the price of the Danish. But the “zig,” pronounced Dame Cath finally, “was not chosen on a number of grounds, not the least of which was its comfort.”

Dame Cath has vigorously backed the Aotea Centre since she became Mayor in 1983, in much the same way Wellington Mayor Sir Michael Fowler Sup-

ported the capital’s venture. Another dame who has enthusiastically backed the centre is international New Zealand opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. Dame Kiri had vowed not to perform in her home country until a suitable venue was built for opera performance. But in 1983 she did perform, giving two concerts at the Auckland Town Hall to, raise more than $400,000 for the Aotea Centre project. Dame Kiri says people will be enjoying the Aotea Centre long after the controversies are forgotten. What is Auckland getting for its money? The NZI Convention Hall covers 1430 square metres and has its own television studio. The area can be divided into three separate rooms. The lower level provides theatre seating for up to 1000 people and the upper level is a viewing or exhibition gallery overlooking it. Two smaller meeting rooms, a lecture room and two large exhibition galleries are above the main convention galleries. Inside the main hall are two “vid-walls,” fly-eyed walls of television screens to relate events and concerts elsewhere in the centre. A bistro-style restaurant offers pre-theatre or after-show dining and has a special late-night license. There are four bars, one with access to a roof terrace overlooking Aotea Square. There are extensive foyers throughout — all with their own corporate names, including the stairs — where the centre’s art collection will be displayed. Present value of the collection is $2.5 million and the selection is guided by art consultant Hamish Keith.

The centre has commissioned the largest single-loom tapestry in modern times. The 68 sq m tapestry is being woven in the South Melbourne Town Hall, which had to. have its seats removed io fit the work in. Featuring the zodiac, it will hang at the entrance to the main theatre. Other collection works include items from Terry Stringer, Para Machitt and Selwyn Muru. Outside, a spectacular water garden is being planned for viewing from the roof and foyer, a 24-hour security office will guard the stars and other occu- f

piers of 36 dressing rooms located near the rehearsal studio at the back entrance.

Focal point of the Aotea Centre, however, is the 2250-seat ASB (Auckland Savings Bank) Theatre. With balconies down the sides, it has a concert hall feeling yet all the attributes of a standard lyrical theatre. The balconies, raked stalls area and circle overlook a huge 900 sq m stage.

A computer was used to perfect the seating plan, to provide excellent sight lines throughout. No seat is more than 30 metres from the orchestra pit. Even at the back of the third level, viewers are closer to the stage than in the back of the circle in the Sydney Opera House theatre, which has almost 1000 fewer seats.

Each of the lower- level seats is air-conditioned, with vents in

the top of the seat back gently pushing air up toward the ceiling from inside the seat stem.

Upstairs, traditional ceiling ventilation is used since it is more, effective there. The theatre is said to have excellent acoustics because of 170 variable acoustic panels set in the ceiling. These can be lowered into the theatre to alter the reverberation, catering for a full orchestra or the mere single spoken voice of a one-person show.

The Aotea Centre’s chief executive, Patrick Connell, says he expects to highlight at least one musical spectacular of the calibre of “Les Miserables” or “The Phantom of the Opera” every 18 months. But the building would also be available for regular national users such as the N.Z.S.O. and the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Already the bookings are coming in says Connell, a former Christchurch Town Hall manager. Negotiations are underway to bring trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, jazzman George Melly and the Feetwarmers, jazz violinist Stephane Grapelli and a New York modern dance troupe The Garth Fagen Bucket Dance Co. A month-long arts spectacular is planned for the centre’s official opening next September. Patrick Connell recently confirmed that Dame Kiri Te Kanawa was one of the performers booked. She has rearranged a busy schedule to come. One critic has dared to suggest Dame Kiri might sing in the Aotea Centre only once because much-lauded natural acoustics were given up for an artificial system. Once hearing September’s applause, though, perhaps it will be the critics’ voices that are dimmed.

Audit inquiry report due soon

Concert hall feel for theatre