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INFORMATION
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This tale is about Panapa, a wise old village elder, who tends the sick and
elderly of his village with a special Fairy Juice. This juice comes
from a vine growing in the mountain forests, the domain of the Mountain
Fairies. One day, Panapa takes a young boy, Te Pou, with
him to collect the Fairy Juice. Things go terribly wrong for these two. |
This popular musical takes place in the courtyard at the back entrance
to a restaurant. A gang of hungry Alley Cats waits outside the back door hoping form some scraps of food. Frustrated that the three Burmese House cats are pampered, Kitten is kidnapped for a ransom of food. This sets off a chain of events that involves the rival cat gangs of Big Tom’s Thugs and the Media Mob. Complications, skirmishes and a romance arise. All’s well that ends well. Fifteen songs with optional solos, suitable for large or small cast. Arranged for piano accompaniment with lead line and guitar chords. Commercially recorded backing tracks available. Suitable for 7-16 year olds. Duration 60 mins. Approx. Cats of Ponsonby - Script HIRE ONLY |
Photos, Review and Video Clips from the 2015 Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre production. If there is one thing that is almost certain to make people happy it is watching young people having fun on stage. Gary Daverne’s Cats of Ponsonby recently at the Playhouse Theatre in Glen Eden was such an occasion. Mr Daverne composed the music for Cats of Ponsonby to words and story by Ray Prowse a number of years ago as a vehicle for school choirs, and has now revamped the show for a new generation. Together with Gary’s cousin Christine Daverne who directed, and choreographers James Grant and Jordan Wichman, they have produced a fun musical ably supported by an enthusiastic cast aged from 7 to 16 years, who embraced their feline roles with gusto. At the beginning of Act One the curtain rose to reveal the various gangs of stray cats (the Alley Cats, Media Mob, Thugs, House Cats and Spice Cats) hungrily waiting outside a restaurant in the faint hope of receiving a meal. Alas, only the well-fed Burmese house cats are invited inside, leaving the Alley Cats to take the risky step of kidnapping a Burmese kitten in order to coerce her sisters into stealing food for them. The Media Mob sniff out a news story and the whole thing escalates into a major cat fight. All is resolved in the end however except that the cats are still hungry. I must say I was very impressed with the set designed by Stan Henshaw - an alley situated outside the back door of a Ponsonby restaurant, with a large crescent moon lighting the early evening sky and the Sky Tower’s familiar silhouette dominating a distant skyline. Very well done indeed. The soloists all gave confident performances, the chorus numbers were strong, and the tap dancing segments were particularly enjoyable. The costuming was also very good, turning the stage into a kaleidoscope of colour. During the interval the Media Mob cats came into the auditorium to ask questions of the audience regarding the supposed kidnapping, a unique experience for those who were not expecting it. I am so pleased that all these talented young cast members were given the opportunity to perform in such a delightful show and certainly look forward to Gary and Christine Daverne’s next presentation at the Playhouse Theatre. - Joan Reekie |
The story is set in the Hokianga and Bay of Islands regions in the North Island of New Zealand from 1821, leading up to the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. John Hobbs, is a young Englishman from Thanet, who is compelled to join the Wesleyan Mission in the Hokianga, after hearing the story of the 1809 incident known as “The Burning of the Boyd”, where a young Maori Chief was beaten and flogged by the crew of an English sailing ship. His Maori warriors waited until nightfall, then taking their revenge.
An elder John Hobbs narrates the story. He tells of the establishing of the Mission in the region, portraying the relationships, frustrations, conflicts and troubled times with the early settlers, the native Maori people and their Chiefs, especially, Patuone and Tamati Waka Nene. Also the very colourful life of the Rev. William White.
Hobbs has a special love for his devoted wife, Jane, their learning, teaching and preaching, their unjustified exile to Tonga, then his reinstatement two years later to the Wesleyan Mission in the Hokianga, culminating in the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi at Horeke, in the Hokianga, where Hobbs and Patuone resolve to “Go forward together as brothers” Actual quotations from the diaries of John Hobbs are used in the script.
There is limited dialogue, all recitative (music underscored),.
The cast: Five main male leads: John Hobbs (the older John Hobbs as the narrator) Rev. John Hobbs Rev. William White Rev. Nathaniel Turner Chief Patuone (Maori Chief)
Three main female leads: Jane (John Hobbs’ wife) Ann Turner (Nathaniel’s wife) Slinky Sadie (Prostitute)
Mixed Chorus (towns people, warriors, dancers, with a few minor lead roles)
The musical is in two acts with several scene changes. 19 musical numbers (solos, duets and chorus production numbers), Pre-recorded backing tracks are available.
The popular, New Zealand Song, comes from this show.
Duration is around 100 mins.
Copyright 2017: Viscount Productions
Gary Daverne Musicals for Children are available from: | |
REBA PRODUCTIONS |
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