 Maggie Pie (Ben Middlemiss) gives Mr Fluffy (Bruce Davis-Goff) a good talking to, possibly concerning the correct usage of litter trays. Mr Fluffy pretends to listen. Photo: Gulf News Take some good old island issues, a healthy dose of social politics and a truckload of gags.
Mix them in a pantomime and shake.
You would be doing well to come out with anything as well cooked as The Oneroa Town
Musicians.
The second pantomime from Alan Knight, this one rattles along at a wonderful pace, takes heed of no one and pokes fun at almost everyone.
Knight has taken the Bremen tale by the Grimms, twisted its arm a little and, with sticky stuff shooting from aerosol cans, marched it down the main street of Oneroa.
From the antics over Matiatia, this year they have moved inland to rooster country as they give us another debrief, in their lovely sceptical way, on how the year on Waiheke went. Along the way they all sing some great songs, the music for which they've flogged from various places.
 Theatre for the masses. A grand finale, with bubbles and assorted animal costumes. Photo: Gulf News
The show belongs, understandably and not exclusively, to the four animals: Bert the rooster (Knight), Mr Fluffy (Bruce Davis-Goff), Duncan the donkey (Alex Duncan) and Baldrick the dog (Cory Martin).
Mention simply must be made of Mr Fluffy's solo from Carmina Burana, for which Davis-Goff might have been practising all his life. Sidesplitting.
But then there's the wonderful rendition of "Rooster Pie". In fact, both acts are riddled with funny moments one could mention.
As one would expect there's the Dame (Philip Symond), all boobs and bustle, and a love interest in
Vexatia (Vrnda Torckler) and the hippy-head hero Nigel Lentil (Rebekah Tysoe). That is, once the
affair with the donkey is sorted out.
None of it would have been the same without the "choral society", "Waiheke TV" and the rest of the
cast, so everyone gets a mention, really.
Anne Willmann on the piano gets one, for sure, especially for the Birdcatcher song from Mozart's The Magic Flute.
Jane Rushton's costumes absolutely get a mention. As does the lolly scramble.
Once again, thanks to the energies of this dedicated company, we get to have a good laugh at ourselves and cheer up just in time for Christmas.
You'd be mad to miss it. Greg Treadwell
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