The beat by day, the boards by night
But he knows to keep his tap shoes off the new vinyl floors at home. David James chats to singing policeman Spencer Kingi ahead of his latest role.
Walking the beat by day, treading the boards by night.
It’s all in a (full) day’s work for Marlborough’s singing policeman, who is dusting off the old tap shoes for his latest role.
Havelock officer Spencer Kingi has been entrenched in the performing arts in New Zealand for more than 20 years, since catching the theatre bug at Marlborough Boys’ College.
That was when Blenheim director Duncan Whiting had him in his chorus ensemble for Les Miserables in 1995.
The two are back working together for the Blenheim Musical Theatre production of Mary Poppins. This time, Kingi, playing the role of Bert, will be front and centre.
The production has been the talk of the town since it was announced six months ago, with some predicting it will be the company’s most challenging musical to date - perhaps fitting for their centennial celebrations.
Kingi says pulling a show like this together, as a father-of-two juggling six months of rehearsals and work commitments, takes a lot of understanding for family and colleagues.
‘‘I have a very understanding wife,’’ he says. ‘‘She understands that it has been a part of my life. I studied drama after school. And so, I can’t just go to the theatre and be an audience member, and not feel like I want to be a part of something.
‘‘Because I work a two-man station, my roster can be pretty flexible. And my bosses are pretty understanding.
‘‘But it’s a huge commitment for everyone involved. It’s massive!
It’s six months of rehearsals, and you do it for the love of the theatre. I think it’s amazing that people take that time away from their family.’’
After his first show, at the age of 16, Kingi says he was like, ‘‘When’s the next one? And the next one’’.
‘‘And I just got the theatre bug. And it’s just been like that ever since.’’
But after finishing drama school Kingi realised there wasn’t a lot of money to be made acting in New Zealand, and he would have to get a day job.
‘‘I gave theatre around threeand-a-half years. And I definitely wasn’t making any money.
‘‘I was bludging off mum and dad. They were helping me travel to Auckland for shows and I thought, ‘I need to get a 9 to 5’. So, I started working in Christchurch as a carpet salesman. I was there for eight months, and I thought,
‘No way. That’s me, I’m done’. So, I applied to police college.’’
‘‘Before I ever went to drama school in Christchurch, I had a couple of mates who tried for police college and got through. And every now and then, when I’d come back to Blenheim, I would see them in the police car, and I thought, ‘Oh I’d like to do that’.
‘‘That’d be an awesome job. And so, it was always in the back in my mind. I thought, ‘Hey, if I don’t do too well in this theatre stuff, then I’ll give policing a go’.’’
Kingi has been with the New Zealand police for 13 years now.
‘‘I always wanted to come back to Marlborough. That was always one of my goals. I worked in policing down in Christchurch for a bit, but I wanted to come back and help my local community.
This is where I grew up. I know the area and the people well.’’
But it’s been a learning curve having to pick up the tap shoes again, this time as a cheerful chimney sweep.
‘‘I’m not the greatest tap dancer ever. This is my biggest dancing role. In drama school, I did two terms of tap, but that was 20 years ago. And I still have my tap shoes from back then. I dug them out recently, there’s a bit of dust on them now. Over the years, I always thought about bringing them out, giving them a little bit of a tap, see if I’ve still got it.
‘‘And I am pushing 40 now, it’s getting a little harder to remember steps and stuff like that. I think I am doing OK. And the choreographer [Blenheim’s Jeannie Mark], seems to think I am doing OK.’’
And all the dancing lessons might even help him out at work.
‘‘When I arrived in the show I was 86 kilograms, and now I am 79kgs. I feel quite fit. I’ve just shed fat. Sweat just pours off me.’’
He must be practising his tap at home. ‘‘Nah, because we just got new vinyl on the floor.’’
The details
Mary Poppins
April 20 to May 5, 2018
ASB Theatre Marlborough Tickets start at $72 (adult), $41.50 (child)
Exhibitions
■ Jarod Udy Art Exhibition. Jarod became passionate about photography as a teenager. Often tramping and camping high in the mountains Jarod searched for the perfect shot. He has spent weeks photographing a single location to capture it in the best light and then put many images together to create his photo art. The Gallery Havelock until April 27.
■ Chasing the Light: Paintings by Ian Hamlin at the Yealands Estate Gallery, 204 High St, Blenheim, Open daily 10.30am to 4.30pm until
Sunday, April 22.
■ Facing Change – confronting social and sustainability issues, paintings and sculpture by Fatu Feu’u, Graham Bennett, Nigel Brown, at The Diversion gallery, 10 London Quay, Picton, until April
26. The gallery is open noon to 5pm
Wednesday to
Saturday or on request. Open
Easter Saturday and Monday.
■ Kiwi in the
Kitchen: An
Eccentric History of Birds in the New Zealand Home. From wooden bellows embellished with a handpainted tu¯¯ı to a shell covered Kiwi figurine, Kiwi in the Kitchen demonstrates how designs and motifs of native birds are highly visible in the domestic environment of 20th century Aotearoa. Millennium Public Art Gallery. Continues until
May 6.
■ Mainland. A substantial exhibition of art related to the land Marlborough and the South Island of New Zealand. Most works are from the Gallery’s permanent collection and range in date from the 1860s to 2017. A variety of programmes will be offered in association with the exhibition. Millennium Public Art Gallery until May 6.
Music
■ With Strings Attached: Eclectic mix of Irish, Scottish, Appalachian folk, with a bit of bluegrass. Pataka the Foodstore, Tuesday at 7.30pm.
■ Daniel Champagne: Australian Finger picking style guitarist. Le Cafe on Thursday at 9pm. Entry $20.
■ Looking For Alaska bring their tight harmonies and upbeat popfolk to Le Cafe on April 22 at 7pm. Tickets $10.
■ Wellington based Indie-acoustic duo Broken Lexicon produce a sound that is part Folk-funk, part Gypsyjazz, part Indie-pop and entirely compelling to listen to. See them at Le Cafe on May 3 at 8pm.
Theatre
■ Blenheim Musical Theatre presents Mary Poppins the Broadway Musical at the ASB Theatre on April 20, 21 and 22. The practically perfect Mary Poppins arrives after George and Winifred Banks’ out of control children, Jane and Michael, have driven away yet another nanny. With help from the chimney-sweep Bert, Mary Poppins leads the family through a series of magical encounters and adventures that they will never forget.
■ Foster and Allen’s style and easy listening sound remains as fresh and exciting as ever. See them at the ASB Theatre Marlborough on April 23.
‘‘It’s a huge commitment for everyone involved. It’s massive! It’s six months of rehearsals, and you do it for the love of the theatre. I think it’s amazing that people take that time away from their family.’’ Spencer Kingi