Monday, June 23, 2008

HANSEL AND GRETEL

NBR New Zealand Opera opens its New Zealand touring production of Hansel & Gretel in Kerikeri on June 29 and then is touring nationally until August 13. For itinerary details go to the opera company's website here.

In the NZ Listener this week, June 28-July 4, there is a most interesting three page interview with Hansel & Gretel's director, the talented and ubiqitous Michael Hurst, (where does he find the time & the energy for all that he does?!), by Guy Somerset. And some truly stunning photos of Hurst byJane Ussher.

Worth buying the Listener for this story alone but for booklovers there is also a two page piece on Montana fiction finalist Alice Tawhai (Luminous) , for whom Keri Hulme's the bone people was an early source of inspiration, along with full length reviews of four New Zealand titles, and of course the cultural curmudgeon Hamish Keith, while on The Black Page Joanna Black ruminates about media freedom under the heading "Publish and be damned".

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a result of this and your other recent enthusiasms for the Listener I have started buying it again at my local dairy on a Monday. And I am enjoying it, so thank you for that.I am pleased to observe that the book review section is as big and strong as ever.
I note that you sometimes mention wine writer Michael Cooper which is fair enough for a book blog I guess seeing he is one of NZ's most successful non-fiction authors.
He writes a good column, I got some good tips from his one in this week's Listener.

Beattie's Book Blog said...

Thanks Merilyn, I'm glad you are enjoying the Listener again.
Yes Michael Cooper must be one of our most successful non-fcition writers. He is in my view our foremost wine writer, our most prolific too! I have all his titles and wouldn't buy wine without a copy of his "Buyers Guide to NZ Wines" at hand. And his "Atlas of NZ Wines" is a real treasure.