    |
 |
|
|
|
Penny Ashton is co-producing a play called Little Che which is based on Che Guevara\'s writings from The Motorcycle Diaries.
It received rave reviews in Auckland and Wellington last year and is due to tour through New Zealand later on this year. It is a very humerous look at Che as a young man, a depiction of his beginning to see the injustices around him which propelled him towards the revolutionary he became and even has a live motorcycle onstage.
Hasta la victorie siempre!
Strap up your buckles and get ready to ride on a journey into South America with one of the 20th Century’s most evocative figures; Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
That’s right the smash hit sellout of 2001 is careering back into theatres around New Zealand on a nationwide tour this September and October, and you don’t want to have to tell people you missed this one again! Jump aboard with Paolo Rotondo, Eryn Wilson and director Andrew as they once more bring to life the “two crazy dudes” that had the critics so revved up on their last road trip:
“The anarchic silliness works a treat; the two crazy dudes are totally charming, perfectly capturing the spirit of youthful exuberance, male camaraderie and rebellion.” - - The Listener
“The comedy is anarchic, even surreal at times, and very, very funny. Jokes travel at the speed of light…” - - The New Zealand Herald
“Comedy, philosophy, overhead projections, x-rated shadow puppetry, motorbike acrobatics and a multiplicity of characters made this a veritable feast.” - -The Capital Times
“The way they manifest Ernesto and Alberto’s Norton 500 trek through South America is as ingenious as it is casual looking.” - - National Business Review
“Hitting the road with Che and Alberto, two lovable rogues seeking the holy grail of wine, women and wild times, is a riot…. Armed with dodgy Latino accents and a large dollop of machismo, they set a cracking pace, squeezing the last bit of juice out of bad puns, taking in a myriad of mad characters, including pornographic shadow puppets, and finally allowing a moment of pathos and a glimpse of the Che to come.” - -The Listener
Join a 20yr old Che and his friend Alberto as they tour through South America on a quest for adventure, or maybe just the next glass of wine. The year is 1951 and the two medical students have fixed up ‘La Poderosa’ (the powerful one), an old Norton 500cc motorbike and have set off to discover the world. This is a travel story but with a difference as from these carefree beginnings Che will one-day grow into one of the most revered symbols of youth, rebellion and idealism the world has ever known. For the moment though, his grumbling belly is the next battle to be won. Be swept into their world which is simultaneously silly, moving, dramatic and insightful. Through this entertaining travelogue witness first hand how the social injustices and hardships they encounter along their journey will change their outlooks forever. It is here that the seeds of Che Guevara’s political beliefs are sown and the passions are sparked that will eventually spill into the entire world.
Little Che is the brainchild of Paolo Rotondo, an actor who is fast making his mark as one of New Zealand’s most prolific up and coming performers. He was the star of the hilarious Stickmen, one of New Zealand’s cinematic success stories, and played the lead in The Ugly. He is a familiar face on New Zealand stages having performed in numerous productions such as Never Never, Dog, The Young Baron, Metamorphosis and Accidental Death of an Anarchist and also on our TV screens with appearances in Street Legal, Cleopatra 2525, Waterworld, Ivanhoe, Young Hercules and Xena. He is currently completing his own short film The Freezer, which he wrote and directed after receiving funding from The NZ Film Commission and is starring in the Auckland Theatre Company’s production Angelo’s Song, a solo piece. He will play Alberto in Little Che.
“Rotondo is strong in the lead” - –Empire Magazine (The Ugly)
“Rotondo, who most will now know from the film Stickmen, shows once again [his] fantastic stage presence..” - -The Dominion (Little Che)
Paolo has once again gathered a very talented team with which to tour Little Che around New Zealand. The role of Che will this time be taken by budding star Eryn Wilson. Eryn has been a familiar face on stage and screen throughout New Zealand since graduating from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in 1994. His latest credits include Scott Reynold’s (The Ugly ) new film When Stranger’s Appear and a part in Rotondo’s The Freezer. He has graced our television screens numerous times in Shortland St, Young Hercules, Cleopatra 2525, Cover Story and Spin Doctors to name but a few and his theatre accolades include Little Shop of Horrors at Sky City, Marathon at Wellington’s Circa, Trainspotting in Auckland’s Herald and Blue Sky Boys in Christchurch’s Court theatre. He is nothing short of a prolific acting force throughout the country and will bring his particular brand of anarchy to the comic portrayal of Che Guevara.
“Eryn Wilson as Tommy, who is destroyed by his addiction, gives a performance of warmth, vulnerability, and poignancy” - – New Zealand Herald (Trainspotting)
“Eryn Wilson is a dazzling performer” - – The Fix
And all of this will be overseen by the talented eye of director Andrew Foster. Andrew has coached improvisation at Edinburgh University and Glasgow College, co-founded Bats Theatre and has produced numerous very impressive pieces with his company Trouble Theatre. His other credits include One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Briar Grace Smith’s When Sun and Moon Collides in Wellington’s Shebang Festival of Female Playwriting and of course the first season of Little Che:
“Top script, top acting and top direction by Andrew Foster.” - - Capital Times (Little Che)
“I commend Mr Foster for his sharp intelligent and sympathetic direction, which I found to be exciting, rewarding and truly dramatic.” - - Globe Theatre Director, London
Thanks to our sponsors: The Listener, The Wallace Corporation, Arts Alive, Creative New Zealand, Channel Z, Housewife and Raymon, Coleman’s K-Rd
Little Che will be free-wheeling into a town near you soon:
Auckland
Maidment Studio, Maidment Arts Centre, Auckland University
10.09.02 – 21.09.02
8:30pm
Hamilton
WEL Energy Trust Academy of Performing Arts - Telecom
Playhouse, Waikato University Campus
25.09.02 – 28.09.02
8:00pm
Dunedin
Fortune Studio, 231 Stuart St, Otago Festival of the Arts
04.10.02 – 12.10.02
6:00pm
Wellington
Bats Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
15.10.02 – 26.10.02
8:00pm
Christchurch
Court Two, The Art’s Centre, Worcester Boulevard
29.10.02 – 02.11.02
All 8:15pm except 31.10.02 at 6:15pm
