Take a Chance on Me
Remarkable Theatre’s latest production is Kiwi playwright Roger Hall’s Take a Chance on Me. The funny, warm and relatable comedy will take over Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall next week and follows a lively group of characters as they navigate the ups and downs of love, loneliness and starting over later in life.
The show features a smaller cast of eight, including Natalia Brown who is playing Fleur and Peter Waaka, playing Dan. Both are very excited to take to the stage. Brown is a high school teacher and has lived in Queenstown for nine years. She auditioned for the role not thinking she’d be a part of the show as English is her second language and there’s quite a bit of dialogue, but is thrilled to have been selected.
“Out of the eight characters, two of them are facilitators and six of us are people struggling with dating after their 30s. My character is Fleur, she is divorced and a primary teacher and she’s looking for love – like a corny love,” Brown says.
For Brown, representing her South American community is something she’s really proud of. She’s enjoyed rehearsals, which always make her laugh, and being part of the team of people all making the production happen.
“You don’t see that many people, where English isn’t their first language, to be a part of something like this and given this opportunity – it’s a big deal for everyone.”
Waaka has been here for just over 30 years and has acted in a number of musical theatre productions in that time, but this will be his first time just acting with Remarkable Theatre. He’s enjoyed trying something a little different.
“My role in the play is the oldest person on stage, an elderly gentleman who finds himself a widow, and the entire show is about people meeting each other and dating,” Waaka says.
Take a Chance on Me is written by Roger Hall, one of New Zealand’s most famous playwrights and was originally aimed at an Auckland audience, so director Ryan Brennan has worked in some more Queenstown-relevant dialogue to get people laughing. Waaka says it has been very cleverly written.
“The six people, three males and three females, find themselves single. There are also two other parts that play multiple roles – they’re very challenging roles and it’s fantastic to watch both Marty Newell and Janey Bytheway acting out all these various roles and interacting with us all.”
Both Waaka and Brown agree that we get so little live theatre here in Queenstown, so the show is the perfect way to experience some.
“We don’t have many opportunities to go to the theatre, it’s only on a few times per year, and this is the greatest opportunity to enjoy a show that’s prepared with love and dedication. It’s a perfect way to poke fun at your own problems, by laughing at them as they play out on stage,” Brown says.
And if you’re thinking of auditioning for an upcoming production, they each encourage people to do so. Waaka explains that in his time on stage and on different committees, he has seen many people grow and develop. “We always manage to find really good talent here in Queenstown, a lot of raw talent, people who perhaps hadn’t performed a lot but have been able to be brought out of their shell by performing”. Keep an eye on Remarkable Theatre’s socials to see when the next production and audition dates are.
Take a Chance on Me will run at Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall from Thursday, 11 September until Saturday, 20 September with shows each night at 7.30pm and a Sunday matinee at 3.30pm. The show is PG13, tickets and more information can be found at humanitix.com/take-a-chance-on-me-2025
