History – Playing monkey on the stage

Waipu seems to have always been a place where people have responded well to theatrical entertainment. Even before its first hall opened in 1871, young people of the community staged a “highly successful” Minstrel Show, which caused one local to oppose the building of a hall, fearing it would be a place “where people might play monkey on the stage to amuse other foolish folk”.

Just over a century later, major changes were made to the stage in Waipu’s Coronation Hall to accommodate live theatre. The first play, presented in 1975, was the Otamatea Repertory Theatre’s musical Where’s Charley? featuring Ian Hanna in the title role. ORT continued visiting Waipu annually and locals began to take part. Productions included South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof, Carousel featuring Helen Matherson, The Sound of Music and Oliver with Jim Edge as Fagin.

In 1981, ORT staged My Fair Lady with Patsy Montgomery, Alister Williams and the notorious Bert Simkiss in the principal roles. This musical remains the most ambitious indoor production ever staged in Waipu. Professional scenery and costumes were hired. The ladies hats for the show’s famous Ascot scene had to be put on in the narrow wing space as they were too wide to fit through the doorways and stage manager Dick Scotland had to have a truck parked at the side of the hall to store some of the massive sets when not in use during performances.

With the stage altered, local productions could also take place. From 1978 to 2009, there were at least seven Waipu Music Halls featuring a cast and chorus of about 50, plus an orchestra. In 2007, the Waipu Museum staged The Rocking Cave, set in Waipu during the days of Norman McLeod. This largely fictitious and controversial play was written by Sir James McNeish and was professionally presented around New Zealand after its Auckland premier at the Mercury Theatre in 1973. And who could forget the magnificent extravaganzas of the Wearable Art awards – Art ‘n Tartan was presented by the museum almost annually over 12 years.

Waipu has also enjoyed two separate productions of Neil Troost’s hilarious play Pints and Pirouettes, five of Jill Mutch’s Murder Mystery nights, and last year, the fabulous Stars in your Eyes directed by Emma Couper.

There will be more theatrical treats this year. In the first two weekends next month, the new local company Dramalamas is staging Dirty Dusting in Waipu Museum’s Heritage School, a play about three redundant older women cleaners who start up a telephone sex line. The Waipu Museum will host an evening of sharing stories of Old Waipu as part of the Winter in Waipu celebrations on Saturday 28 June, and in July and August, Blair Strang, of Shortland Street fame, will stage a production of a recent NZ play The Last Song.