And The Lochburns

Nicola was on ushering duty at Circa Theatre again last night, so I bought a ticket to go and see the show as well. It was an early start at 6:30pm, as it’s a two hour show, and Wellingtonians of our vintage (who frankly make up most of the audience) like to be tucked up in bed by 9 o’clock.

Dinner first, naturally. Mr Go’s and their sister restaurants Kisa and Ombra have been running a promotion throughout the winter whereby if you dine at one and spend over a certain amount, you get a $25 voucher for your next visit. We had one of these that needed to be used up, so along we went to Mr. Go’s. To be honest, we’d probably have gone there anyway.

They’ve changed their regional menu to Shanghai (it was Hong Kong last time we went) but the Typhoon Prawns have now made it onto the main menu so we had some of those, along with Korean wings, dumplings and a Shanghainese mushroom and bok choi dish. All very tasty as ever.

And The Lochburns is a play by William Duignan, Wellingtonian and all-round theatre guy. The cast includes Circa stalwarts such as Simon Leary, Peter Hambleton, Hannah Kelly, and Jthan Morgan. It’s set in the home of Gus, or Sir Angus Lochburn, celebrated musician, and now losing his mind to Alzheimer’s. His son Jason has been taking care of him with his partner, but the time has now come for Gus to be moved to residential care, and Jason’s two sisters arrive to help clear the house. And that’s where the trouble starts, as old rivalries, perceived slights and behaviours resurface between the three siblings and Jason’s partner, Sam.

Interspersed between the present-day sniping, the story of their parents also gradually unfolds – often being played out at the same time as the children are arguing, and music plays a strong part of the proceedings. At one point there’s a full-on song and dance routine of Tom Dick or Harry, and we learn about the older Lochburns’ musical career and partnership. Margaret, Gus’ wife, has died several years earlier, but appears sometimes as a ghost to the demented Gus, and in flashbacks as herself whilst alive. Go and see this whilst you can.