THE WIFE WHO SPOKE JAPANESE IN HER SLEEP
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Writer: Vivienne Plumb, adapted from her Hubert Church Award-winning short story Direction: Colin McColl Auckland Theatre Company: The New Zealand Post Season at Maidment, Auckland From 14 Mar 2009 to 4 Apr 2009 Reviewed by: Paul Simei-Barton (New Zealand Herald); Kate Ward-Smythe; |
Honey's life is about to begin...
Alison Quigan stars in THE WIFE WHO SPOKE JAPANESE IN HER SLEEP by Vivienne Plumb, Auckland Theatre Company's contribution to the Auckland Festival 2009 which opens at theMaidment Theatre on March 12.
"Quirky, provocative, consciously flirting with the surreal and the bizarre." —Metro
Honey Tarbox is an ordinary Kiwi housewife with ordinary quarteracre dreams, until one night when she inexplicably begins speaking Japanese in her sleep. Immediately the wheels are set in motion for Honey's extraordinary transformation from suburban housewife into sleep-talking media megastar.
"This author has a wondrous, fresh approach: her style is always direct and simple so you utterly
believe." —Sunday-Star Times
"THE WIFE WHO SPOKE JAPANESE IN HER SLEEP is a sort of a 21st century Antipodean Shirley Valentine," says Auckland Theatre Company's artistic director, Colin McColl. "It's about a woman and a city in a state of transformation. It's about embracing change and celebrating diversity. It's about the power of imagining and the joy of discovery. In her reworking of the original short story, Vivienne has made this as much a play about Auckland (though perhaps not quite Auckland as we imagine it) as it is about a middle-aged woman taking control of her life.
"THE WIFE WHO SPOKE JAPANESE IN HER SLEEP is an original. Here is a work that is serious, funny, touching, magical, domestic and satirical all at the same time; a work that celebrates the miracles we can find in ordinary life."
Vivienne Plumb is an award winning playwright, poet and diction writer. She has received both the Bruce Mason Playwrighting Award and the Hubert Church Prose Award for THE WIFE WHO SPOKE JAPANESE IN HER SLEEP - a short fiction collection that includes the story which is the basis for Auckland Theatre Company's play. In 2001 she held the Sargeson Fellowship and has held residencies in Iowa and Hong Kong.
New Zealand Post is the Principal Partner of the Auckland Theatre Company. New Zealand Post Group Chief Executive John Allen said, "New Zealand Post is a passionate supporter of the arts and culture in New Zealand. Not only do we have a close association with Auckland Theatre Company, but for the first time this year we are the Principal Sponsor of Auckland Festival 2009. THE WIFE WHO SPOKE JAPANESE IN HER SLEEP - a magical story filled with metamorphosis - is sure to be a highlight of the Festival."
Alison Quigan, who is best known to contemporary New Zealand audiences for her role as Yvonne Jeffries on Shortland Street, is a veteran of New Zealand theatre with over 35 years experience as an actress, director and playwright. "Honey is a fantastic role to play, she's a kind of kiwi Shirley Valentine, except that she doesn't go abroad to discover herself the world comes to her...in her sleep!"
THE WIFE WHO SPOKE JAPANESE IN HER SLEEP will reveal the magic lurking behind the manicured gardens of suburbia! Tickets can be purchased at Maidment Theatre, 308 2383 or www.atc.co.nz
Presented in association with The Auckland Festival 2009
Auckland, Maidment Theatre,
12 March - 4 April,
Mon (16 Feb only) - Wed, 6.30pm
Thur - Sat, 8pm
Sun Afternoons, 4pm
Sat Matinee, 28 Mar, 2pm
Book: 308-2383 or www.atc.co.nz
CAST
Alison Quigan — Honey Tarbox
Bruce Phillips — Howard Tarbox
Katlyn Wong — Muhabbat, Mrs Wong, Momo
Peta Rutter — Barb, Miss Florica, Housewife
Stephen Papps — Duggie, Reg
Andy Wong — Delivery man, Kenta, Gus
John Campbell — John Campbell
CREATIVE
Director — Colin McColl
Set Design — John Parker
Lighting Design — Brad Gledhill
Costume Design — Nic Smillie
Sound Design — John Gibson
Camera / Editor — Theo Gibson
Translation — Morita Masako
Language Coach / Voiceovers — Yuri Kinugawa
Cultural Advisor — Rie Shabata
PRODUCTION
Production Manager — Mark Gosling
Technical Manager — Bonnie Burrill
Senior Stage Manager — Fern Christie
ASM — Birgit Lindermayr
Kurogo — Chye-Ling Huang and Jordan Mooney
Operator — Brodie Quinn
Properties Master — Bec Ehlers
Set Construction — 2 Construct
Patternmaker & Costume Construction — Sheila Horton