Dunedin actor Peter Hayden is relishing the challenge of re-creating the popular character of Dickie — cow cocky and rugby fanatic — in a new play by Roger Hall.
Titled End of Summertime, the play traces Dickie’s struggles to adapt to life in an Auckland apartment, after he and wife Glenda move to “the big smoke” to be closer to their grandchildren.
Produced by Dunedin theatre collective Glorious Ruins, directed by Karen Elliot and starring Hayden in a one-man role, End of Summertime will be staged from May 8-14 at Te Whare o Rukutia, 20 Princes St.
“Roger has always been able to tap into the zeitgeist of the Boomer generation, from share clubs to book clubs and going tramping, and this is a further example of that,” Hayden said.
“And he can make jokes about pretty much anything, which is fun.”
Hayden has enjoyed a diverse career on stage and screen for the past four decades and also as a documentary film-maker — including for Natural History NZ.
In 2017 he was made a Member of The New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the film and television industry.
Dickie was first introduced to New Zealand audiences in Hall’s 1996 play C’mon Black, following the rugby fanatic’s trip to South Africa for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The play was a hit and so was You Gotta Be Joking, Dickie’s next adventure when he and Glenda retired to town.
Now, 30 years later, the loveable curmudgeon is in an apartment with a side view of the sea, trying valiantly to navigate life in the big city.
Hayden said End of Summertime traversed the period from 2019 to 2023, including the effects of the Covid pandemic, with Hall’s characteristically comic touch.
“There’s a lot of stuff for poor old Dickie to come to terms with, Roger definitely pushes all the buttons on the way through.”
It was also an enjoyable challenge to rehearse and perform a full-length solo play, he said.
“It’s a wonderful experience as an actor to be one-on-one with an audience like that.”
Roger Hall’s End of Summertime will be staged at 7.30pm on May 8, 9, 12, 13 and 14, and at 4pm on May 10. Bookings via humanitix.com
A tour of the South is planned for later in the year.
