The TelstraClear Season of A Shortcut To Happiness

The TelstraClear Season of A Shortcut To Happiness

For a little mid-winter romance, Roger Hall's joyous new play A SHORTCUT TO HAPPINESS is coming Auckland's SKYCITY Theatre on June 7 before transferring to the Bruce Mason Centre on July 4, and then heading on a wider tour to Hamilton, New Plymouth, Hawkes Bay and Tauranga.

Ever since GLIDING ON, Roger Hall has amused us all by lovingly poking fun at our Kiwi foibles.

We've laughed at hilarious travel hi-jinks in FOUR FLAT WHITES IN ITALY, adored the old men of WHO WANTS TO BE 100? and loved the O.E. tales of our four Shirley Valentines in TAKING OFF. Now we'll be swept off our feet by Roger Hall's romantic comedy.

In classic Roger Hall style, one-liners abound and satire mixes with poignancy making A SHORTCUT TO HAPPINESS a hilarious and heartfelt show.

A SHORTCUT TO HAPPINESS' recognisable kiwi characters will have you laughing in the aisles.

There's Ned, quietly adjusting to retirement and life on his own, the man-hungry Coral, old friends Janet and Laura, serial-class-takers Bev and Ray and the no-nonsense Russian folk dancer Natasha, who teaches them all that love and adventure can come at any age!

A SHORTCUT TO HAPPINESS is about discovering the ways of a new country, accepting differences, finding love and dancing your way to happiness.

"classic Roger Hall stuff...New Zealand characters he portrays so well...good fun and lots of laughs...just what the doctor ordered" The Press

Our stellar cast including Stuart Devenie (FOUR FLAT WHITES IN ITALY), Laura Hill (TAKING OFF), Cameron Rhodes (THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST) and Alison Quigan (SHORTLAND STREET) strap on their dancing shoes as Hall's misfit characters.

The title, A SHORTCUT TO HAPPINESS, is derived from a statement by Vicki Baum that "There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them." Combine that quote with Roger Hall's own recent participation on folk dancing classes and, as the author himself says, "I can feel a play coming on."

Hall is New Zealand's most successful playwright. His distinctive comic voice celebrates the resilience of his characters and also encompasses social commentary.
Hall's earliest drama was for television, but in 1976 he wrote his first stage play GLIDE TIME. The play catapulted him to the forefront of New Zealand theatre writing and its characters have become national icons.

Many successful plays followed, including MIDDLE AGE SPREAD (which ran for 18 months in London's West End and won the Comedy of the Year Award), PRISONERS OF MOTHER ENGLAND, SPREADING OUT, BY DEGREES, MARKET FORCES, C'MON BLACK, SOCIAL CLIMBERS, THE BOOK CLUB, TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, A WAY OF LIFE, TAKING OFF, and WHO WANTS TO BE 100?, along with stage musicals including FOOTROT FLATS, LOVE OFF THE SHELF and DIRTY WEEKENDS.

In addition, Hall has written pantomimes, radio dramas, books and plays for children, and comedy series for television, most notably GLIDING ON, MARKET FORCES and CONJUGAL RITES for Granada TV.

Hall was awarded a QSO and the Turnovsky Prize in 1987. He holds an Honorary Doctorate of Literature from Victoria University and was the Katherine Mansfield Fellow in Menton in 1997. He was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in 2003.

"Roger Hall is back to delight us once again. There is a clash of cultures and prejudices as a group of laid-back North Shore retirees confront the strict discipline of a Russian folk dancing class. This is classic Hall - incisive, funny and full of compassion." says Colin McColl, ATC's artistic director.

Production Information

Season sponsor TelstraClear

A SHORCUT TO HAPPINESS
By Roger Hall

Auckland
SKYCITY Theatre
07 - 30 June
Book 0800 Ticketek (842 538)
www.ticketek.co.nz

North Shore
Bruce Mason Centre
05 - 07 July
Book 0800 111 999
www.ticketmaster.co.nz

Hamilton
Clarence St Theatre
12 - 14 July
Book 0800 Ticketek (842 538)
www.ticketek.co.nz

New Plymouth
TSB Showplace
20 - 21 July
Book 0800 111 999
www.ticketmaster.co.nz

Hawkes Bay
Hawkes Bay Opera House
27 - 28 July
0800 Ticketek (842 538)
www.ticketek.co.nz

Tauranga
Baycourt Theatre
02 - 04 August
Book 07 577 7188
www.ticketdirect.co.nz

Cast:
Stuart Devenie - Ned
Laura Hill - Natasha
Alison Quigan - Bev
Sylvia Rands - Laura
David Aston - Sebastian
Cameron Rhodes - Ray
Bronwyn Bradley - Coral
Darien Takle - Janet

Creative team:
Alison Quigan - Direction
John Parker - Set & Costume Design
Philip Dexter - Lighting Design

ENDS

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