The things you bump into on Cuba Street... This open air exhibit is part of the annual Fringe Festival, which is one of the many, many events on in Wellington at the moment. Keeping track of everything that's happening here is pretty time-consuming but I'm just loving the variety and range of activities on offer. This is why I thrive in cities and wilt away in provincial towns - the more action, the better! 
In the past three weeks alone Wellington has hosted the Pacific Island Festival, the Greek Food Festival, the Chinese New Year Parade, the Petone & Newtown Street Fairs, the French Film Festival, the Fringe Festival and the biggest one of all, the 2008 New Zealand International Arts Festival, a bi-annual event that has a very exciting line-up of world-renowned dance companies, theatre groups, writers and visual 
artists. Time and budgetary constraints didn't allow me to attend everything I would have hoped, but last Friday I did see a play I'd been interested in for ages: Blackbird, directed by my favorite actress Cate Blanchett. It's probably a bit bizarre to go see a piece of theatre based solely on who directed it, and in retrospect I should have read the synopsis first. The winner of this year's Laurence Olivier Award for best new play, Blackbird is a drama about a sexual relationship between a 12-year-old girl and her 40-year-old male neighbour Ray. The action in the play takes place 15 years later, when Una, played by Paula Arundell, confronts Ray in his workplace. Blanchett has said she wants the play to fuel "discussion, debate, controversy and disgust", but I mainly felt bored by the cliché use of language and disappointed by the dramatic over-acting. Oh dear, I guess this proves it's sometimes vest to leave your heroes alone...
In the past three weeks alone Wellington has hosted the Pacific Island Festival, the Greek Food Festival, the Chinese New Year Parade, the Petone & Newtown Street Fairs, the French Film Festival, the Fringe Festival and the biggest one of all, the 2008 New Zealand International Arts Festival, a bi-annual event that has a very exciting line-up of world-renowned dance companies, theatre groups, writers and visual 
artists. Time and budgetary constraints didn't allow me to attend everything I would have hoped, but last Friday I did see a play I'd been interested in for ages: Blackbird, directed by my favorite actress Cate Blanchett. It's probably a bit bizarre to go see a piece of theatre based solely on who directed it, and in retrospect I should have read the synopsis first. The winner of this year's Laurence Olivier Award for best new play, Blackbird is a drama about a sexual relationship between a 12-year-old girl and her 40-year-old male neighbour Ray. The action in the play takes place 15 years later, when Una, played by Paula Arundell, confronts Ray in his workplace. Blanchett has said she wants the play to fuel "discussion, debate, controversy and disgust", but I mainly felt bored by the cliché use of language and disappointed by the dramatic over-acting. Oh dear, I guess this proves it's sometimes vest to leave your heroes alone... 
2 comments:
Looks like fun. I'm glad you're happier there these days :)
We'll have to call in so that you and Gert can whisper the truth in Nederlands. It might be that all he knows about New Zealand is that 'it's the only perfect country in the world'. He says that like he's mocking me .... imagine that! ;)
You can show him some propaganda metarial before he leaves, like 'Whale Rider' or 'Rain', full of stunning Kiwi landscapes! But I'm sure Gert will find something to find fault with (The Warehouse, anyone?) - us Belgians usually do ;-). Any idea when you might be visiting down under?
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