When researching this trip, I’d stumbled upon mention of an arts festival taking place during my visit. “Erupt: Lake Taupo Festival” - from looks of the programming very much like Vancouver’s PUSH festival.
Wellington Ukulele Orchestra was one of the festival events, and I would’ve made an effort to see that. Tickets long sold-out, alas. I made a mental note to keep the festival in mind if passing through.
And pass through I have, on my way southeast to Napier. I picked up the programme when at the iSite (info centre) to see what was happening this Monday evening. All early gigs - par for the New Zealand course, and a bonus to this weary traveller. I had a choice between a UK performance poet and a local young dance troupe made up of Maoris and Polynesians.
Charlie Dark’s performance turned out to be wonderful and a bargain at only $5. Add a lovely glass of Marlborough region Sauvignon Blanc and I had a lovely cinq-a-sept in the making.
Lovely theatre space, unfortunate there weren’t more bums in seats. “Small but enthusiastic crowd”. Looking around, seemed to be a Rogue Folk Club-ish kind of crowd: white, older (although there were a few pre-teens) middle-class, probably a few artists in the mix.
Witnessed a textbook “don’t do” by emcee, which was to read the programme blurb (read it, thanks!) head-down in a dull monotone. Quite funny, actually, especially when he did break from script at end.
Charlie bounced on stage and made it known this was to be a capital-I Interactive event. Off the top, boom! Targets galore. The local councilman, a preteen boy sitting nearby, and moi, wearing red to boot. I did get hearty applause for sharing that I’d been in Taupo for a whole 2 hours.
Warm-up continued with a 2-min. meet and greet with a neighbour, purportedly to report back on findings. Nice icebreaker, which was followed by a lesson in fist-bumping. Amusing but a bit kitschy I thought. Still, he read the crowd well.
The rest of the too-short hour he spun tales of his life with poetry splashed throughout. An interesting life - South London upbringing, one of only 4 blacks at a posh school (Jude Law a year below him). Even some CanCon! (Canadian teacher gave him copy of Catcher in the Rye and his life changed)
Good stories that confirmed to me the closer cultural ties NZ and UK enjoy than, say, Canada and UK. For better (sometimes) or for worse, we're more American, and some of his references were lost on me.
However, the story about his Ghanaian mom throwing him a party for his 13th birthday grabbed me. Hysterically funny, touched on universal elements of being a teenager, and being an outsider.
Mr. Dark, if you are reading this, thanks again for a wonderful show, and enjoy the rest of your time in New Zealand!
Wellington Ukulele Orchestra was one of the festival events, and I would’ve made an effort to see that. Tickets long sold-out, alas. I made a mental note to keep the festival in mind if passing through.
And pass through I have, on my way southeast to Napier. I picked up the programme when at the iSite (info centre) to see what was happening this Monday evening. All early gigs - par for the New Zealand course, and a bonus to this weary traveller. I had a choice between a UK performance poet and a local young dance troupe made up of Maoris and Polynesians.
Charlie Dark’s performance turned out to be wonderful and a bargain at only $5. Add a lovely glass of Marlborough region Sauvignon Blanc and I had a lovely cinq-a-sept in the making.
Lovely theatre space, unfortunate there weren’t more bums in seats. “Small but enthusiastic crowd”. Looking around, seemed to be a Rogue Folk Club-ish kind of crowd: white, older (although there were a few pre-teens) middle-class, probably a few artists in the mix.
Witnessed a textbook “don’t do” by emcee, which was to read the programme blurb (read it, thanks!) head-down in a dull monotone. Quite funny, actually, especially when he did break from script at end.
Charlie bounced on stage and made it known this was to be a capital-I Interactive event. Off the top, boom! Targets galore. The local councilman, a preteen boy sitting nearby, and moi, wearing red to boot. I did get hearty applause for sharing that I’d been in Taupo for a whole 2 hours.
Warm-up continued with a 2-min. meet and greet with a neighbour, purportedly to report back on findings. Nice icebreaker, which was followed by a lesson in fist-bumping. Amusing but a bit kitschy I thought. Still, he read the crowd well.
The rest of the too-short hour he spun tales of his life with poetry splashed throughout. An interesting life - South London upbringing, one of only 4 blacks at a posh school (Jude Law a year below him). Even some CanCon! (Canadian teacher gave him copy of Catcher in the Rye and his life changed)
Good stories that confirmed to me the closer cultural ties NZ and UK enjoy than, say, Canada and UK. For better (sometimes) or for worse, we're more American, and some of his references were lost on me.
However, the story about his Ghanaian mom throwing him a party for his 13th birthday grabbed me. Hysterically funny, touched on universal elements of being a teenager, and being an outsider.
Mr. Dark, if you are reading this, thanks again for a wonderful show, and enjoy the rest of your time in New Zealand!
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