Hudson and Halls were a New Zealand institution. Between 1976 and 1986 they appeared
together as a double act on New Zealand television, hosting a
cooking show like no other at the time. With camp comedy and slapstick, they
squabbled and ad-libbed their way through the show.
Before we got here, of course, there was the obligatory dinner. I'd tried to book first at Fratelli, then at Hippopotamus, but both were fully booked; presumably with it being Christmas and all. So we were reduced to booking at the staff canteen, also known as Logan Brown.
In 2015,
Silo Theatre in Auckland commissioned a play, Hudson And Halls Live!, based on an episode of their
television show. It follows the production of a Christmas special show, and
included the stage manager and director. The show is being performed and aired
live, and is a complete and utter shambles behind the scenes, but somehow they
manage to hold it together on camera, as manic changes and improvisations are
made during the ad breaks, including a late stand-in for their surprise guest
no-show.
The whole
thing gets pulled together at the last second, and the table set for Christmas
dinner. It’s a rollicking good ride and had us in stitches.
We really enjoyed it, particularly how the audience was involved. Glad we weren't sitting too near the front...
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