Sharron Pardoe05:00, May 10 2021
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Wellington comic Chris Parker will MC the first heat of the Raw Comedy Quest battle at San Fran this Feb.
COMEDY FESTIVAL
The New Zealand International Comedy Festival is in full swing and runs until May 23. Here are some of the weekend’s offerings. For the full programme, show information, times, prices and tickets see comedy.festival.co.nz
Chris Parker, How I Felt
San Fran, May 11-15; 7pm Join award-winning comedian Chris Parker as he attempts the worlds very first Live Comedy Felting Show, and possibly his nichest show to date.
Bubbah, Catch You up
Insolvency documents from November showed Fortress had debts of more than $9 million. The moves came after a string of stories emerged of the company not refunding people who bought tickets for events later cancelled due to coronavirus lockdowns. Promoters, venues and performers as varied as the Nelson Youth Theatre and Royal New Zealand Ballet also had issues getting money out of Ticket Rocket. Receivers BDO Christchurch put Ticket Rocket on the market in October, touting the company as an “established ticketing service with “potential to grow relationships with promoters and venues on top of an already existing client base”. But the sales pitch landed flat, with receivership reports published on Wednesday evening noting the company stopped trading in November after there were no buyers.
An electrician by profession and enthusiastic thespian by choice, he went from pushing buttons and plugging things in, to making deals, building relationships and friendships – all on the city’s behalf – as a way of making things happen, and building new audiences in a growing city. Sutherland died peacefully at home in early April, with his wife and lifetime companion Lorraine Sutherland by his side. He was 63. Theatre bought the couple together, and it would be a constant source of inspiration, love and creativity which kept them strong over a long marriage. It was a deep bond and understanding which would see theatre items hastily repaired at home or home items hastily rushed to the theatre by Richard. When Sir Ian McKellen came through Hamilton in aid of Christchurch’s 2011 earthquake, Richard provided the only throne-like chair he knew of… straight from the couple’s lounge.
Stephen AâCourt
The Royal New Zealand Ballet in rehearsal for Giselle, performed by Kadow and Albrecht is Joseph Skelton, right. Debuting in 1841 in Paris,
Giselle tells the romantic-tragic story of a peasant girl who falls for a disguised stranger. When his identity is revealed as Count Albrecht, betrothed to another, the heartbroken titular character descends into madness and dies. Its second act is dominated by the “Wilis”: ghosts of women who died after being betrayed by their lovers. Stiefel and Kobborg’s re-imagining
maintains the story’s essence while reinventing aspects: the ghosts, for example, have a strength versus frailty, while Albrecht is untraditionally remorseful.