Seymour is the lead role in Kerikeri Theatre Company production of “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Turner Centre 15-17 August 2024.
A new promoter for the popular jazz & blues festival
Shirley May, the longtime promoter of the Bay of Islands Jazz & Blues Festival and the Country Rock Festival, has retired after 36 years of dedicated service to the two events.
Her place has been taken by Michael and Ashley Tipping and there’s a noticeable increase in the number of international performers. This year 40 bands will arrive from Japan, Australia and from around New Zealand.
Headline act is Minnie Marks from Australia. She won the Bluesfest Busking Competition in 2011 and took out the People’s Choice Award at both the Blues at Bridgetown and Nannup Music Festivals in Australia. She also won the Best Guitarist at the Open Arms Festival.
She uses a metallic “slide” on her fifth finger which produces a country-like twang. She simultaneously shakes a drum kit with her foot and, coupled with her powerful voice, forges what’s been described as a “mammoth wall of sound”.
There are five performers from Australia in total including the Dale Robbins Band, a blues, rock and jazz ensemble founded in 2015. There’s Acid Bleed, Lost in Transit and Barry Charles from The Charles Camilleri Connection.
From Japan comes Chihiro Yamazaki with the Route 14 Band which is a new-generation instrumental group producing a sound called “Singing Instruments”. Chihiro (also known as Anna) plays trumpet in “Tokyo Brass Style”. The group has had over 20,000 CD sales during their Indie era but has now joined the Universal Music label.
The local perennial performers are the Nairobi Trio who are back for their regular gig together with Deja Blue, Edwine Thorne, The KatiKatz, The Dirty Tones and Fat Maxx.
There are some schools and youth bans performing from Kaitaia College, Tauraroa College near Maungakaramea and from Mahurangi College.
The festival runs from August 9-11.
https://boimusicfestivals.com/home
Rumble in Russell
By Peter Jones
Last Saturday the Russell sports ground hosted what was billed locally as the “rugby match of the year”.
A New Zealand Parliamentary team visiting for the first time in an eminent career played the Russell Rugby for Life Invitational team. Despite social engineering in the best Kiwi political tradition by the referee, the Parliamentarians were drubbed 33-14.
Notable names and faces were as numerous as the blades of grass on the paddock, but a few should be noted.
Former All Black Nehe Milner-Skudder displayed the dazzling footwork that has characterised his playing career. As a consequence, after the game he was shoulder-tapped for a future in politics.
Another former All Black, Northland great Rene Ranger, several times showed his compassionate side by passing the ball or slowing to a walk after making breaks and heading for certain tries. As a consequence, he has not been shoulder-tapped for a future in politics.
Minister of Police Mark Mitchell trudged along as a solid hooker; it would take a particular set of proclivities to engage his services, one would have thought.
Former Minister of Defence, Peeni Henare, was one of the Parliamentary team’s two number 12s. Sad to say his defence appeared abysmal which would tend to explain why he is the former minister. He did, however, do a lot of encouraging talking to his teammates.
Riki Kinnaird, Deputy Chair and originator of the Northland initiative Rugby for Life, played two 10-minutes halves. He saved his energy for an after-match interview in which he explained that Rugby for Life is a charity.
“It’s founded on the idea that using local rugby clubs as hubs for sport and opportunities around wellness, employment, and training would do good in the community and help Northland families thrive.”
The Rumble in Russell showcased just how well-rounded rugby individuals can become.
A milestone for Kerikeri Bridge Club
In 1964, Kerikeri residents Richard and Pam Benner, Olga Palmer, Jack Rogan and Harry Martin founded the Kerikeri Contract Bridge Club. They were soon joined by other bridge enthusiasts.
They began playing evenings in the old Kerikeri Memorial Hall and numbers started to grow from the original two or three tables.
Debentures were raised and a new bridge playing room was added to the old RSA clubrooms next door to Kerikeri High School. It resulted in the Kerikeri Club which covered RSA, Bridge Club and Social members, being formed.
When that site was required by the Education Department for the High School expansion a new site next to the Turner Centre was obtained and new club rooms were built.
However, with the decline of numbers at the Kerikeri club the property was sold and in 2018 the Bridge Club began to play in the Bowling Club rooms.
Bridge club numbers have since grown from the original dozen to between 70 and 80 and although there was a small slump in numbers in the early 2000s, new lessons saw the membership grow to where today it stands at over 100.
The future looks bright for the Bridge Club. From the original one night a week the club now plays Monday afternoons, Tuesday nights (for beginners) and Thursday nights. The numbers attending lessons have increased as have the numbers playing - over 20 tables with 80 players are involved during the week.
The 60th anniversary celebrations started with a cocktail party on Friday night. Saturday saw a morning session of bridge followed by a celebration lunch. New Zealand Bridge president, Allan Morris, attended along with other club representatives from Auckland, Wellington, Whangarei and Paihia.
Little shop, big production
The Kerikeri Theatre Company is hosting an ambitious project in August. They are performing The Little Shop of Horrors billed as a horror, comedy, rock musical based on a book and lyrics by Howard Ashman with music from Alan Menken.
Taking the lead role in the production is Gerry Paul, the General Manager of the Turner Centre who is also an accomplished musician.
The show depicts the gritty streets of Skid Row where the struggling flower shop assistant, Seymour, stumbles upon a peculiar plant called Audrey with an insatiable appetite for human blood and flesh. The slightly sinister carnivore promises fame and fortune in exchange for a steady supply of its favourite food.
Gerry Paul is supported by Teresa Morrison as Audrey who comes to the production following her stand-out performance as Juliet in the theatre company’s production of Romeo and Juliet. John Oszajca lends his voice as the carnivorous plant Audrey II.
It’s a tight-knit cast. The production is directed by Keshama Jane who is married to John Oszajca, President of Kerikeri Theatre Company. Oszajca has also played with Gerry Paul’s bluegrass band, T-Bone.
Little Shop of Horrors will introduce teenagers Ngahina Dunn, Celia Kingi and Bonnie-Rae Hadfield as a trio of urchins. None of them are over 17 years old and they bring their extensive kapa haka experience and vocal talents to the production.
Keshama Jane said the energy and talent of the young performers are remarkable.
“Their voices are going to blow the audience away,” she said.
The first day of ticket sales was a single-day record for the Kerikeri Theatre Company. Performance dates August 15-17 @ The Turner Centre. Tickets at
https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2024/aug/little-shop-of-horrors
The latest news bites from around the region.