THE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT with Shane Cortese

David McPhail – Master Of Comedy

Directing ‘Dirty Dusting’ At Bruce Mason Centre In May

I finished “Dancing With The Stars” over six years ago. It was a pretty bumpy rollercoaster ride back in 2005, one that I enjoyed immensely. I met some wonderful people that year (none more important than my wife!). As a result of the show and the profile it gave me, I was sent a script by two New Zealand Producers living in England who were producing the Elvis Musical “Jailhouse Rock” in the West End at the time. The play was entitled “Then Comes Love” and was a fantastic two-handed romantic comedy from none other than “Outrageous Fortune” and “Almighty Johnson’s” creator James Griffin.

I jumped at the chance to play the part. Within days of signing they had cast the female. Her name was Zoe Lucker and she was making big waves in the UK as Tanya Turner in the hit show “Footballers Wives”. We spoke on the phone and got on very well.

Now it’s all good having the two actors cast and ready to go, but we are nothing without the third, the director, an equally vital member of the team.

I remember the excitement when my agent told me that the director was to be none other than David McPhail. I had grown up watching “McPhail and Gadsby” and was in awe of his talent. I was relatively new to the industry in New Zealand and David had received many accolades for his work. He was incredibly well respected and in 2008 was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in recognition of services to television and the theatre in the New Year Honours List.

To work one-on-one with a genuine master of comedy was going to be a great thrill, and it was!

David has produced and directed over 300 programmes for Television New Zealand, ranging from a rock music series to documentaries and children’s programmes. David has written and appeared in a wide variety of New Zealand television programmes, including “Letter to Blanchy”, “McPhail and Gadsby” and most recently two series of “Amazing Extraordinary Friends” and the “Great New Zealand Spelling Bee”.
David and I are still good friends today. I often use what he taught me about comedic timing and professionalism and I hope to work with him again soon.

He is currently directing the three woman hit show “Dirty Dusting” which comes to the Bruce Mason Centre in May. The show stars Suzanne Paul – (who happens to be a very talented comedic actress).

“Dirty Dusting” is a comedy about ‘over the hill’ cleaners who start ‘talking dirty’ and end up ‘filthy rich’! It’s about friendship. It’s about solidarity. And it’s about sex. Three old ladies are nearing the end of their working days, hastened on by a less than pleasant boss who reckons they all ought to be fired. The women are getting a bit on in life to start afresh, but luck sends them a solution via a wrong number – a bloke who thinks he’s phoned a sex line! That’s when the fun really begins.

David’s guiding hands and comedic expertise will be all over this three-hander and it’s my pick of what to see this month. Get along, have a laugh and after the show think about the many weeks of rehearsal and directorial influence, from a very talented New Zealander.

See you at the show!

Shane Cortese – shane@channelmag.co.nz