The Star: March 22, 2018

20
Thursday March 22 2018
Theatre/Arts
Wicked percussionist heard but not seen
• By Georgia O’Connor-Harding
CRAIG GIVEN has never
had the desire to soak up the
spotlight and perform on stage.
Instead you will find the
percussionist hidden away in the
dark orchestra pit of a theatre
juggling a spectrum of quirky
instruments.
“We have got to blend into
the background, we have to
be invisible, which is quite
impossible when you are waving
you arms all over the place,” he
said.
Next month, Given, 39,
will take on what is both a
percussionist’s dream and
nightmare, playing nearly 60
instruments in Wicked, Showbiz
Christchurch’s first production
of the year.
Wicked is one of the largest
grossing musicals in Broadway
history and tells the back story of
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Although Given has been
playing percussion for Showbiz
for more than 20 years, he said
Wicked is one of the highlights of
his musical career.
“There is so much diversity in
the music . . . it ebbs and flows.
There is African influences,
orchestral and jazz – all sorts of
different stylistic pieces,” he said.
STRANGE SOUNDS: Percussionist Craig Given with a waterphone, one of the strangest
instruments he will play in Showbiz Christchurch’s production of Wicked.
Finding the instruments
required to create the thematic
music has been as much of a
challenge as playing it.
For many of the instruments,
Given has either had to track
them down from overseas or
build them himself.
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
“I have had to make a few
instruments; there is one called
a bird-flapper, which is sections
of bolts glued together which
represents the sounds of birds
flapping,” he said.
Other unique instruments
which did not exist or had to be
tracked down overseas included
a bell plate, trine, talking drum,
nut-shaker and wand.
Given said some of the music
ranges from very earthy to high,
sparkly sounds.
One of the strangest
instruments used to represent
The Star
a character in the show is the
waterphone, which is often used
in horror films.
“It is a bizarre instrument –
you have probably heard nothing
else like it,” Given said.
He has been looking for the
instruments and preparing for
the show since December.
Given said while living in New
Zealand means performers are
exposed to a bunch of shows, it is
also difficult because the country
is isolated.
“I’ve talked to guys overseas in
Broadway and doing productions
in America and got a lot of
photos and videos from them to
help research and fabricate the
instruments,” he said.
As for playing the music,
Given said the most difficult part
is the choreography of getting
from one instrument to the next.
“If you have a moment of
inattention, you will get yourself
into all sorts of trouble,” he said.
Given said he is looking forward
to passing his knowledge
about the instruments onto other
percussionists as the show is
performed by companies around
New Zealand.
•Wicked opens on April 6
at the Isaac Theatre Royal.
To book tickets, go to
https://www.showbiz.org.nz
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