It never ceases to amaze me how much skill, talent and creativity exists on this little island. We have a tiny population with very limited resources, and yet, somehow I sense that my children have experienced many opportunities here that perhaps would not have come their way otherwise: involvement with theatre being one of them.
After many months of rehearsals, NATS (Norfolk Island Amateur Theatrical Society) presented - over two nights, a musical production titled The Pied Piper. Loosely based on the traditional story, the play had all the typical "pantomime" characters including a lazy fat cat, a boy with a magical violin, an incompetent mayor and his bossy but unproductive wife, a bumbling rat catcher and his witless, blundering assistant. Plus, as with all good muscial theatre, there was energetic dancing and rousing singing! With tunes set to the familiar melodies of Sullivan and Rogers, the lyrics and script were all original and cleverly created by two of Norfolk's most respected theatre enthusiasts - Ian and Monica Anderson.
I should mention that the play was rather short so in order to give folks value for money, some of Norfolk's talented musicians and singers gave performances prior to the show. Hence the photos of Harry on stage with his guitar. He played a classical piece called Evening in Venice. He wasn't even nervous - what a champ!
I can't wait for the next show!
PS Is that not the cutest little rat you've ever seen?
