Spy: Polo vs Polo

Parker wrote the play after being turned away from the event a few years ago and has used the social scene that surrounds the polo field to set his stage.

If Auckland Polo club members are uneasy with playwright Dean Parker's play Polo from the Auckland Theatre Company (ATC), they are not saying.

In fact, players from this year's Land Rover NZ Polo Open at Clevedon are getting a sneak preview at a dress rehearsal a few days before the opening night on February 13.

The players needn't worry, although we are sure their jaws will drop. Parker wrote the play after being turned away from the event a few years ago and has used the social scene that surrounds the polo field to set his stage. Such a scene is described by the ATC as a world where wealth must be obscene and horseplay is best enjoyed naked. Parker, it seems, is set to lift the lid on Auckland's outrageously fortunate and filthy rich, in a summer satire with stick and balls.

Spy heard talk of some last-minute script rewrites after some recent celebrity spats, but Parker was wisely not confirming.

"All the characters are fictitious but they are created from a close observation of Auckland society."

The ATC is going all out to whet the appetite of its audience. This week, some of the cast, including the recently married Harry Dickinson (formerly McNaughton), Lisa Chappell and JJ Fong filmed a Polo Active wear-type commercial, sending up the Auckland social scene by filming shenanigans at Ostro and Les Mills with social page types, including Colin Mathura-Jeffree.

As for the real polo, Spy will bring you everything this season has to offer, from fashion to parties, including the players' announcement, early next month ahead of the Open on February 21.