THOUGHT-PROVOKING EVOCATION OF OUR PAST
Peninsula by Gary Henderson
Reviewed by Brenda Harwood, Mar 30 2014, The Star
The rich tapestry of the New Zealand childhood, with its schooldays, beach excursions, hut- building and daily family life, are beautifully evoked in Gary Henderson’s Peninsula.
The play, which began its season at the Fortune Theatre at the weekend, takes its audience on a trip down memory lane to golden days of freedom and adventure. The adult world is not quite so idyllic, however, with rumblings of discontent arising about life in 1960s small-town New Zealand and old› fashioned, narrow› minded attitudes to difference revealed.
Henderson’s tight, cleverly constructed play, which weaves 46 fast-moving scenes into a coherent exploration of small-town life and relationships, is a joy to behold.
Under the experienced, passionate direction of Patrick Davies, the Fortune Theatre production of Peninsula avoids cluttering the action with too many props and scene changes. Instead, clever lighting designed by Stephen Kilroy and a deceptively simple set by Peter King represent landscape and domestic spaces, while Maryanne Wright-Smyth’s costumes anchor the production in the 1960s. Keep reading here.
