FLOWERS FROM MY MOTHER’S GARDEN
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Writera; Stuart McKenzie Director: Tim Spite at Downstage Theatre, Wellington From 7 Sep 2012 to 29 Sep 2012 Reviewed by: John Smythe; Ewen Coleman (The Dominion Post); Lynn Freeman (Capital Times); |
A DAUGHTER TELLS HER MOTHER'S STORY
Kate: Absolute rubbish! You're making it up!
Miranda: That's what I remember. That's how I see you.
We're excited to announce the return of one of New Zealand's most loved productions. Flowers from My Mother's Garden is a delightfully honest and heart-warming theatre experience.
It is charming, it is delightful, it is funny, it has pathos, it has historical content, it is just superb and brilliantly, brilliantly produced! –Radio New Zealand
Flowers from My Mother's Garden, created by Stuart McKenzie and Miranda Harcourt, is a classic story of growing up and growing old.
"Often funny, sometimes poignant these are everyday stories of a New Zealand family. Kate talked about her parents, Miranda talked about hers and we in the audience thought about ours." Nelson Mail
Flowers from My Mother's Garden is a mother/daughter conversation supported by domestic snapshots from 100 years of New Zealand's history. Everyday moments from a shared history, including the sparring and the celebrations, are told in a documentary-style narrative.
"Flowers From My Mother's Garden shares the experiences of a mother, daughter and extended family with an ingenious simplicity that belies the depth of insight. It's a prime example of how universal the particular can be.” – Nastional Business Review
Audiences loved the humour and poignancy of Flowers when it was first commissioned by the NZ Festival. After touring the nation it was published by Penguin Books and broadcast as a Radio NZ Christmas Day feature.
“It's real storytelling, plain and simple. They are talking about things we want to know about and we're grateful to these people for having the performance skills to do it for us... It really is a blend of the extraordinary and the universal. –Radio New Zealand
Miranda and Stuart have described Flowers as the ‘prequel' to the 2010 hit Biography of My Skin, also written by Stuart McKenzie and directed by Tim Spite. Flowers is the first work in their trilogy of autobiographical theatre that includes Biography and the in-development Warriors in the Kitchen (scheduled Downstage 2013).
Downstage Theatre
7 Sep – 29 Sep
Performance Times
Wednesday 6.30pm
Thursday - Saturday 8.00pm
Sunday 4.00pm
Preview: 6 Sep $25
Matinees: Sun 9, 16 & 23 Sep 4.00pm
Meet the Artists: post show 12 Sep
Duration: 75mins
Ticket Prices (Allocated Seating)
Opening Night + function: $55
Adult: $46
Book early / Book a lot / Come first: $40
Come with friends (Group 6+): $40
Live a long life (over 65's): $39
Study hard (Students): $25
Child (under 12): $20
Creative Team
Writer: Stuart McKenzie
Director: Tim Spite
Performers: Kate Harcourt, Miranda Harcourt
Original Music: Paul Casserly
Set Design: Mark McIntyre
AV & Sound Design: Rowan Pierce
Lighting Design: James Kearney
Production Team
Stage Manager: Rebekah Mora
Technical Operator: Glenn Ashworth
Production Manager: Simon Rayner
Set construction: Tim Spite & Glenn Ashworth
By Arrangement with Playmarket