Satire Replaced

"We have replaced satire with burlesque, ignored allegory for the easier, occasional pieces of wit in a roughly localised scene. Now, when we want to strike out at public affairs or public themes, we do so only occasionally, and then only after we have prepared the way by giving the audience a colourful background such as the Taj Mahal or a Western saloon, with jokes and chorus to match. The purist may have something when he complains that the modern Extravaganza lacks form; and perhaps those responsible should not ignore his suggestions that we split our talent and present a revue instead of the present mixture of colour, burlesque, variety acts and occasional satire."

Indeed they might—particularly with the "new Little Theatre" and more selective audiences in the offing. With intimate review, groups in the University could produce "skits" from their own outlook-political or otherwise. Telling satire could replace proletarian humour. Anyway, it's a thought!

But the fact remains "Carry On Phil" is big. And, it must be admitted, has a good deal in its favour. Extravaganza now holds an important position in New Zealand musical comedy. Extrav. with imaginative staging, and styling, in the mood of recent Broadway hits like "West Side Story," contributes more to the development of musical comedy in New Zealand than the small companies that are still producing unrealistic "oldies" like "The Desert Song" and "The White Horse Inn."

The style of "Carry On Phil" is largely dictated by the music used. The producers find current Broadway hit songs the most suitable, so, of course, we get a show with an attempt at Broadway slickness. The main problem is to link the chosen songs with a typically New Zealand script.

Extravaganza 1960 will have the smartest production ever. There will be many scene changes—10 in the first act alone. This has created problems. Finally large back-drops were abandoned in favour of two dimentional cutouts against the background of a large fixed cyclorama.