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Written by
Sir Roger Hall -
Directed by
Dan Bain -
Featuring
Ross Gumbley
Loveable curmudgeon Dickie and his wife Glenda have moved into an Auckland apartment, Seaview, with a body corporate and a tiny peek of the sea, to be near their grandchildren.
The crusty old bloke — the protagonist of Sir Roger’s hit plays C’mon Black and You’ve Got to be Joking — tries valiantly to confront life in the great big, bad city, and with Hall’s signature comedic touch.
Then, like a bolt from the blue, Covid strikes and Dickie finds himself isolated and starting to go downhill. Thankfully, he rallies. There’s still life in this old dog and, by crikey, he gives it heaps!
Sir Roger has been making us laugh for over five decades with hit comedies such as Glide Time, Spreading Out, Four Flat Whites in Italy, Who Wants to Be a Hundred, and Last Legs.
“Amusement, laughter, gasps and ‘oof’s at the slings and arrows launched by life.” - John Smythe, Theatreview
“Utterly engaging from go to whoa.” - Tanya Piejus, Regional News Wellington
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Key Dates
- 7:00pm, Saturday 21 June 2025: Opening Night
- 6:30pm, Wednesday 25 June 2025: Post Show Q&A - a special performance where the audience gets to ask cast and crew questions after the show
- 6:30pm, Saturday 16 August 2025: Closing Night
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Tickets
Price Standard $49 Senior (65+) $44 Friends of The Court Theatre $42 Group (10+) 10% discount* Child (under 18) $29 Community Services, Student ID or Hāpai Access cardholders $29 * Discount applies to all ticket prices in this table. - Cast
- Creatives
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Press Reviews
"...this thoughtful and sweet show offers hope as Dickie looks to the future with optimism. End of Summer Time opens on the shortest day of the year, and will certainly warm audiences through the winter. "
"Engaging performance delivers both the laughter and deeper feelings of 'golden years' transitions."
"All aspects of this production are superb. Whether baffled, elated or depressed, Gumbley manipulates our emotions with aplomb, enhanced by the deft direction of Dan Bain."
"...credit must come back to Ross Gumbley and the indelible, nostalgic, and charmingly colloquial writing of Sir Roger Hall — an impeccable combination. Those getting old, or watching someone growing old, will surely be moved by what will be a timeless piece of theatre."
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Audience Reviews (2)
"Thank you Roger Hall for giving us the opportunity to gently laugh at ourselves. A truly New Zealand perspective of the last few years. Ross Gumbley rapidly convinced us that he was ‘the crusty old’ Dickie Hart. We were taken through the experiences of his new life in his Auckland apartment with humour and pathos. A wonderful play; brilliantly acted.""Absolutely brilliant play and performance."
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