Timua Brennan (right) with her replacement Kirsten Te Rito. Photo / Paul Estcourt
Of all the daring, diving and acrobatic roles in the stage production Maui, Timua Brennan's was the most sedate.
Brennan, an opera singer who has performed internationally, was due to play Maui's mother, Taranga, in the show, a mix of kapa haka, music and aerial theatre where performers
fly above the stage.
The Rotorua grandmother was not supposed to be taking to the air, with hers a purely stage-based performance. But on Tuesday, she decided to warm up with the dance members of the cast.
"I was having far too much fun and just got carried away when I heard my Achilles snap," Brennan said this week. Her first concern was not for her leg. "I thought: 'Oh, my God. How is my voice?' I belted out a couple of notes and said, I'm okay."'
The voice may well have been fine, but the injury, which will keep her in plaster for eight weeks, has taken her out of the show.
Director Tanemahuta Gray first heard Brennan had taken a knock to the leg and did not think it was too serious. "Then I saw her come in wearing a cast," he said.
He made a quick call to Wellington to bring in Kirsten Te Rito, who has less than two weeks to prepare for the Auckland opening night at The Civic on April 18.
Te Rito, who performed in The Lion King in Melbourne and Shanghai last year, had auditioned for Maui, so said she would feel comfortable slotting into the Taranga role.
"I had to learn most of the songs for the audition and I've studied the DVD," she said. "In terms of doing the job, I'm just staying optimistic and I know some of the people so I know they will be able to give me a hand.
"Trying to organise home is a bit more difficult," she said, making baby-sitting arrangements for her 9 and 11-year-olds.
The five-week tour will take the show to Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington. Brennan hoped to return for a future season because she was enjoying the show so much. "This show has all the qualities of a world stage performance."
Meantime, she expects to have recovered for her next planned performance, a concert at the Wellington Town Hall at Labour Weekend. And, no, she would not be doing any dancer's stretches before that show.
