KEY POINTS:
Theatre director Jesse Peach and actors Ashley Hawkes and Nicolas Kyle swing into the carpark of Glen Eden's Playhouse Theatre in a slightly worn silver Toyota Corona.
All lithe limbs, summer tans and nonchalant style, they look as if they have been surfing, or jamming in a mate's garage.
They have, however, been donating blood as part of a promotion for the musical Blood Brothers.
Hawkes prods at the spot in his arm where the needle went in.
"You know, they asked me if I had ever injected myself with drugs," he says somewhat incredulously, "and I was like, 'No way man'."
Hawkes' laidback, slightly rock star appearance is deceptive, says 24-year-old Peach. He enjoys working with the country-boy from Matata in the Bay of Plenty because Hawkes is "focused, committed and damned hard-working".
After all, how many actors would literally give blood for a play? Blood Brothers is the fourth show - but the first musical - Peach has directed through his eponymously named Peach Productions theatre company, and the fourth time he and Hawkes have collaborated.
Last year Hawkes, also 24, went naked in Peach Productions' Equus; this year he sings in Blood Brothers.
"I would rather be naked on stage streets ahead of having to sing," he says. "I have no problem with nudity. In fact, I really don't like wearing clothes so I am comfortable without them but singing terrifies me."
He admits to an initial reluctance to audition partly because of his own fears plus a perception of musicals as "Hollywood" but he says Blood Brothers' music fits the storyline.
"Ultimately, one of the reasons I wanted to do this was because I want to extend my range. I don't want to be embarrassed if I have to sing for a role. I want to entertain."
Veteran entertainers Annie Whittle - another Peach Productions favourite - and Ray Woolf are also among the cast although the show is one of only a handful of professional productions in which Nicolas Kyle, 21, has appeared.
Hawkes and Kyle describe Woolf, who starred in a touring production of Blood Brothers in 2002, as "amazing" and it is clear they are impressed by the veteran showman.
"I thought that he and Annie, because they had all this experience, might be really stand-offish but they are so helpful and approachable," says Kyle, who has come from Christchurch for the work.
Blood Brothers, by Willy Russell, is a modern-day take on the biblical Cain and Abel story - brother against brother with a smattering of romance and class conflict thrown in to push the drama along.
Mickey (Hawkes) and Eddie (Kyle) are fraternal twins separated at birth who become childhood friends but find their differing backgrounds pushing them to opposite ends of the social spectrum. Mickey goes to prison; Eddie goes to Oxbridge but they both fall in love with the same girl, Linda (Esther Stephens).
Their friendship well and truly fractured, there is a strong sense of unease as the musical builds to its inevitable conclusion.
Despite being a musical with a message, Blood Brothers is phenomenally popular and celebrates 20 years on London's West End this year while touring productions travel the world.
Peach wanted to stage the work for its appeal beyond traditional theatre-goers, gritty storyline and richly drawn characters which allow for powerful dramatic performances.
But he says casting was "a nightmare".
He sought actors with musical skills and strong stage presences and, in the case of Whittle, Hawkes and Kyle - who play mother and sons - look as if they could be related.
"Ashley and Nic worked together on a Christchurch production of The Glass Menagerie and Ashley was saying, you have to consider him. By complete coincidence, I was in Christchurch and saw a show that Nic was in.
"I was just blown away but couldn't find out his name because he had such a small role that his name and picture did not appear on the programme. When I finally found out, I discovered he was the same person Ashley had been talking about."
While his focus is on Blood Brothers, Peach is also working on a Glen Eden production of the New Zealand comedy Niu Sila which will be staged next month.
Hawkes stars in that one too, alongside Fasitua Amosa. Hawkes plays multiple roles - mainly a 14-year-old boy - and sees it as another chance to experiment. "Isn't it a dream for any actor to be working in one show at night and already rehearsing for another one during the day?"
What: Blood Brothers
Where and when: Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre, April 3-19
What: Niu Sila
Where and when: Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre, May 10-24
