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Warkworth Theatre Group will whisk audiences off on a tour of Italy with their next play by one of New Zealand’s best-loved playwrights.
Four Flat Whites in Italy by Roger Hall tells the story of two Kiwi couples embarking on a long-awaited tour of the country armed with a Lonely Planet guide and an Italian phrase book.
It’s the trip of a lifetime for recently retired librarians Adrian (Dave Morgan) and Alison (Lee-Anne Scarth), but things come unstuck when their original travelling companions have to pull out at the last minute.
They are hastily replaced by new neighbours Harry (Frank Webb) and Judy (Julia Mitchell).
Frank, recently retired from his plumbing supplies business, turns out to be bluff, outspoken and right-wing, while his wife Judy is sexy, outgoing and flirtatious.
They prove more than a handful for the uptight librarians as they struggle to share everything from bathrooms to restaurant bills and driving on the autostrada.
If that wasn’t enough, the couples must overcome a series of cultural clashes with the locals including a centurion (John Wilkins), gondolier (James Addis), count (John Burton), hotel clerk (Susan Howard), dress shop assistant (Kerrie Cleverdon) and contessa (Cathy Phelps)
The play is directed by Rosie Hutchinson and Dianne Morgan.
Rosie says it’s wonderful to be directing again after all the disruptions wrought by Covid-19. The last play she directed was ’Allo ’Allo in 2019.
“We have some of the same cast together for this play, as well as some new faces,” she says.
“It has been great to create the comedy and pathos of two couples traveling together through a series of mishaps and misadventure.”
Four Flat Whites in Italy will play at the Warkworth Town Hall with nine performances from September 2 to 11.
Performances on weekdays and Saturdays are at 7pm. Performances on Sundays are at 2pm.
Tickets available at the door, at the Mahurangi Matters office or by visiting www.warkworththeatre.co.nz. Adults $25, Seniors $20, Students $2.
