Wellington's Opera House used to be the venue for a highlight of the city's entertainment calendar: the annual "Extravaganza" staged by Victoria University students to celebrate capping. It was a launching pad for familiar names such as comedian John Clarke (Fred Dagg), playwright Roger Hall, actor Barbara Ewing. Paul Holmes, Dave Smith and many others.
Thirty years after the last "Extrav" at the Opera House, Jack Perkins attends a recently staged revival of the old "Extravs" featuring many of the original cast. One of these, George Andrews who travelled down from Auckland, delights at the ballet revival. Geoff Datson rehearses ‘Rolo the Ravaging Roman’ . They observe students of the 1940s, 50s and 60s were more politically aware and able to draw on great characters of that time like Sidney Holland, Keith Holyoake and Robert Muldoon.
Excerpts from the rehearsal and banter about the script play between interviews with original cast members. Fun was poked at politicians and political events at the time, including the Spanish Civil and Vietnam Wars, the Great Depression and the Springbok Tour. Undergraduate humour is defined as without finesse, blunt and uncensored.
The stage manager recalls the days of “Extrav” in the 1960s at the opera house. This programme includes extracts from the “Extrav” shows of the 1950s.