Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
End of Summer Time by Sir Roger Hall
Auckland Theatre Company
ASB Waterfront Theatre
Until July 5
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
What are we going to do without Roger Hall? Is this really the end of a theatrical era? Will regional theatre companies collapse?
These are some of the questions which theatre lovers, theatre companies and Creative New Zealand will be addressing over the next few years.
With the retirement of Roger Hall from playwriting New Zealand theatre scene will be dealt something of a body blow.
But those questions and their answers are for next week, next year. In the meantime, we have another Roger Hall play, probably his last production with “End of Summer Time.”
With his latest play Hall gives a nod to one of the important milestones in New Zealand theatre history, Bruce Mason “End of the Golden Weather”. Even the publicity material features images of Rangitoto and Takapuna Beach which was the site of Masons play.
The play charts the problems of older people thrust into a new social environment as well as discovering the joys and drawbacks of living in a new town.
We have met Dickie Hart before in two of Halls plays “C’mon Black” and “You Gotta be Joking”. Hart has moved to the big smoke from Wellington, moving into an apartment on the North Shore.
Dickie (Andrew Grainger) is confronted by a lot of problems in his transition to Auckland and apartment living and Hall has exploited all these situations. Dickie has to manage his wife Glenda’s new interests in the library and yoga and he has to deal with issues around the body corporate and the South African block manager.
He also has to manage more personal issues such as getting a health check from the doctor for his driving license, particularly the cognitive test as well as trying to fill in the census form and its questions on gender. identity
There is a scary account of the Dickie’s-first time visit to inner Auckland, navigating the motorway system, the bridge and the netherworld of the Aotea Centre carpark.
Dickie has moved to Auckland partly to spend time with his grandkids – a task that is which is not all that simple but he manages educational outings to Auckland volcanic cones brilliantly by combining these trips with visits to Auckland’s great dining establishments – MacDonalds, KFC and Subway.
The play is essentially in two halves– pre and post Covid , the second half being a bit more reflective.
Hall has developed a clever approach to his characters and their comments on life politics and relationship, a style somewhere between the misogynistic and woke, it’s a tenuous area but Hall negotiates it skilfully and Andrew Grainger pulls it off with a breezy, nonchalant style.
Hall is able to assemble his string of one-liners into a coherent, monologue which acts as political and social commentary of issues of the present day as well as providing a compelling portrait of a typical New Zealand character.
The play is a brilliant and sustained piece of comedy throughout, But at one point play turns into tragedy with a few lines and some convincing acting which demonstrates Halls consummate writing, Quigan’s directorial skill and Grainger’s intelligent acting.
Much of Dickie’s identity is linked to rugby and throughout the play there are mentions of the Rugby world Cup as well as images of Rugby games on the TV which dominated the apartment. The local library also gets a favourable mention as Dickie manages to find a copy of Brian Turners book on Colin Meads
Grainger takes on Roger Halls monologue with an energetic enthusiasm, the conservative cow cocky only just managing to adjust to a new life as he prowls the pared back apartment-cum-prison set designed by John Parker.
As with all Hall’s work this is an engaging play with sparkling dialogue and consummate acting.
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