Henare and the call of the high seas

The Gilbert & Sullivan musical masterpiece HMS Pinafore comes to Baycourt this month. Photo/supplied

Veteran actor george henare stars in the gilbert & sullivan musical masterpiece h.m.s. Pinafore and while he is preparing to set sail with the show, the 70-year-old actor's lust for life means there are still plenty of journeys ahead.

Henare must surely be the most versatile performer in new zealand. Not only has he acted in a variety of television, film and stage roles too numerous to list, the opera-trained performer has regularly jumped ship, performing in musicals over the course of his 50 years in the business.

He first started in show business at the nz opera company in 1965, where he sang chorus in porgy and bess and ii trovadore.

Decades later, he is still keen to sing for his supper and says he's excited about performing in h.m.s. Pinafore, in which he plays sir joseph porter.

The gilbert and sullivan classic is a tale of forbidden love and a satirical look at class and identity while lampooning the rise of unqualified people to positions of power.

While it was written a century ago, the messages are still relevant today as they ever were, says henare.

"I was looking at my character last night and I thought, 'this so applies to the politicians of today'. It is all a send up of how stupid people can be and how they don't realise it."

He says life on the road is busy, but life as a rolling stone performer is good for his soul.

"It's madness - you perform, you get up in the morning, you have breakfast and you are on the road travelling maybe hundreds of miles to your next show. In a way it's saying live in the moment - just be."

It's this inner self-knowing that sees henare still willing to take risks and push himself into the unknown both professionally and personally while others of the same age are slowing down.

when I signed, I tossed and turned and asked myself what I had done.

george herare

this attitude is probably why he has had steady work for his entire career and why his dance card is full for the next two years.

Henare recently accepted the role of the sultan in the musical aladdin and will be working in sydney and melbourne for the next two years.

"When I signed, I tossed and turned and asked myself what I had done. I'm happy here in auckland, but there was another side to me that said, go, it's time for a change. You are getting too comfortable."

George Henare as Sir Joseph Porter in HMS Pinafore. Photo/supplied

Some people might not think it's a wise move for a 70-year-old to pack up and leave the life they know, the friends and home comforts for further adventures overseas. But henare is philosophical.

"Maybe I was destined to be a vagabond. But I've started packing and throwing things out. It made me realise, home is not the things you own, or the place you live. Home is where you are - home is inside you."

the fine print
*what: Hms pinafore
*where: Baycourt
*when: April 18.