THE PINK HAMMER
01/11/2014 - 13/12/2014
Production Details
Centrepoint Theatre with support from Mitre 10 Mega and Broadway Radiology is proud to present the world premiere of The Pink Hammer a new play by Michele Amas.
Warning: Women in the man-cave!
Rules of the Man Cave:
- My cave my rules
- No crying, whining, or talking about “feelings”
- Hydrate with beer from the mandatory mini fridge
- Feel comfortable to make any trouser adjustments necessary in the pursuit of comfort
- Don’t touch/move/tidy anything within the cave
- Sausages and bacon are the only necessary nutrition
- Flatulence is permitted
- Any disputes will be settled with arm wrestling or rock, paper, scissors.
- The colour pink is banned
10. As are all members of the opposite sex
11. Any problems with the above rules? See rule 1
Buried in the dark depths of many homes, the man cave, that wonderful refuge, has long provided a space for men to be men while offering a momentary escape from the trials of family life.
But for Woody, this shrine to masculinity has been invaded in the most incomprehensible way possible… with the appearance of 4 women in his workshop.
Looking for empowerment and sisterhood, Amanda, Helen, Louise and Siobhan, turn up to The Pink Hammer – a women’s only woodworking course. But when Maggie the instructor disappears they find themselves left with a disgruntled Kiwi bloke, Woody, unwilling to let them play with his tools. Undeterred, the fearsome foursome meets immovable object with neither side giving in, and it’s not long before the woodchips fly.
“Against the odds unlikely friendships arise and together they learn to build a bridge and get over it. Thursday nights in Westend will never be the same.”
The Pink Hammer is the culmination of writing, directing, and acting talents seen many times before as individual entities at Centrepoint but never before as this wonderful collective.
Writer, Michele Amas has spent most of her working life acting and directing for notable theatre, radio and television. During this time her writing has been published in key journals, and she has won and been nominated for a number of distinguished literary awards. Amas describes the The Pink Hammer as “Outrageous, laughter filled and heartwarming. If you’re looking for a great night out The Pink Hammer hits the nail on the head.”
Centrepoint regulars will recognise Craig Geenty (playing peeved workshop owner, Woody) from his appearance in last years Shop ‘til you Drop. 2014 has been busy for Craig has it has seen him take on the role as director for Centrepoint’s Basement Company (a year long acting/directing programme for local young performers) which celebrates it’s 10th birthday this year.
Darien Takle returns to Centrepoint as the skittish but lovable Louise, with film credits in Sir Peter Jackon’s Heavenly Creatures, Darien was last seen here in Taking Off and Happy Coupling, the latter of which saw her act a multitude of roles in both genders!
Donagh Rees stars as the straight-talking Helen, with 3 Centrepoint credits to date (Enlightenment, Doubt and The Farm directed by our very own Artistic Director Jeff Kingsford-Brown) a 5 year stint on Shortland Street, and Best female supporting performance at the 1993 New Zealand Film and TV awards for her role in Crush to boot.
Jessica Robinson returns to Centrepoint for the first time since her performance in The Glass Menagarie as the hilariously Irish Siobhan who has a penchant for married men and no knowledge of tools other than the ones she’s dated. Jessica is a New Zealand Theatre regular with credits including All My Sons, Live at Six, and West End Girls.
Rounding out the cast is newbie to Centrepoint, Amanda Rees as the counsellor and retired feminist Annabel. Sister to Donagh, Amanda has notable acting credits in a number of films and television shows including The Piano, Broken English, In My Father’s Den TV series Hercules and Outrageous Fortune.
Yet another regular talent to return to Centrepoint is Weta Workshop Set Designer of the Year in 2008 and The Pink Hammer set and costume designer Daniel Williams. Tasked with transforming the stage into a fully fledged man cave (and a Trumps make over for all the female cast members half way through the show!) this is Daniel’s sixth stint at Centrepoint and is a far cry from his most recent work with Royale productions which saw him turn a basement car park into a huge interactive set for zombie theatre show The Generation of Z at the infamous Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
We are privileged to welcome Conrad Newport back to Centrepoint since his last stint here in 2012 for Well Hung as director of The Pink Hammer. Conrad’s directing credits include Live At Six (Downstage), The Motor Camp (Fortune), The Thirty Nine Steps (Centrepoint), as well as the national and international tours of Niu Sila, King And Country, Le Sud, Me & Robert Mckee, Entertaining Mr Sloane and Conjugal Rites (Fortune) amongst many others.
“Funny touching, dramatic. What happens to a bloke when his man’s shed is taken over by 4 Palmerston North women who want to get their hands on his tools.”
Show Times:
The Pink Hammer opens on SATURDAY 1st November and runs until SATURDAY 13th December.
Performances run Wednesday 6:30pm; Thursday – Saturday 8pm; Sundays 5pm
Please note there is no performance on Sunday 2nd November.
Prices: $38 Adults, $30 Seniors, $30 Under 30s, $28 Community Service Card Holders, $18 Students, $48 Dessert & Show, $68 Dinner & Show.
CAST:
Woody: Craig Geenty
Annabel: Amanda Rees
Helen: Donagh Rees
Louise: Darien Takle
Siobhan: Jessica Robinson
CREATIVE TEAM:
Writer: Michele Amas
Director: Conrad Newport
Set Design & Costume Design: Daniel Williams
Lighting Design: Jennifer Lal
SHOW SPONSORS
Mitre 10 Mega and Broadway Radiology
Good script, strong cast, impeccably directed
Review by John C Ross 03rd Nov 2014
“I am woman! Hear me snore!” Good line, eh? How lovable is raucous snoring? Here are three thoughts this play prompts. Feminist gender solidarity may be all very well, yet some women – not the four onstage, but a couple offstage, for example – can be more rapacious, vicious, and generally bastardly than some men. Assuming other individuals don’t have hard stuff to deal with may depend on your not yet knowing enough about them. Shit does happen, sometimes, and you just have to make the least worst of things.
Clearly, then, this is not entirely straightforward feel-good comedy, although it does offer quite a lot of good laughs, grins and smiles. It does get fairly dark, especially later on, and this production does justice to both sides.
Its opening premise is that Woody’s wife Maggie – who is, like him, a builder – has organised a woodworking course, advertised as the ‘Pink Hammer’ course, and four women have paid the fee and turn up to take it. This is a little awkward. It’s scheduled to take place in Woody’s shed, which is exclusively his shed, not hers at all; his man-cave, set up as entirely his own turf. He turns up knowing nothing whatsoever about this. Maggie herself is nowhere to be seen.
Woody’s first response, naturally, is to be hugely grumpy and rude, and to try to throw them out. But they want to get what they’ve come for, and paid for, and he’s out-numbered, and before long they manage to cajole, wheedle and blackmail him into agreeing to teach them basic skills. They even get to use some of his power-tools. So far, quite humorous.
They are strongly contrasted women and have widely differing ideas as to what they hope to be able to do. Annabelle, a well-dressed marriage guidance counsellor, wants to be able to make a book-case. Louise, a nervy, middle-aged ex-nurse, fears losing her family home, and fancies she might be able to build herself a shed to live in.
Helen, a semi-retired horse breeder and stud-farm owner, has a terminal illness and, having always been fiercely independent, wants to make her own coffin. Siobhan, a drifting, rather hyper, young Irish migrant, has simply seen the course as something interesting to do and a way to get to know people.
Despite a tendency early on to farcical heightening of characterisation and situation, the characters are developed in some depth. All the dialogue rings true. And there’s a strong cast, with Donogh Rees as Helen, Amanda Rees as Annabelle (yes, they are sisters, yet well-contrasted), Darien Takle as Louise, Jessica Robinson as Siobhan, and Craig Geenty as Woody: all of them capable and experienced.
Conrad Newport’s directing is impeccable, with sure variety of pace. Luke Anderson’s production management has clearly made things work.
Daniel Williams has been responsible for the designing both for the set and the costumes. With almost all the action taking place within Woody’s rather splendid shed – there’s a drive outside, upstage, with a car in it, and Woody’s house suggested stage-left – there are ceiling-beams, and walls with plenty of tools, and sawhorses, and a fridge for beers, and a girlie-calendar (bound to cause offence). The costuming is interesting, with the ‘girls’ frocking-up for their ‘graduation’ at the end of the course. Jennifer Lal’s lighting design works well.
There’s a good script here and a seamless production.
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