Why Kiwi theatre is so bad

parts. It was a tough brief. ‘‘I had to figure out what is a plot that can work with 16 actors, that will satisfy someone who is not there seeing their sons or friends.’’

He admits the play had its problems, but in typical style, reckons no other playwright could have turned it around in the time he had. It was, of course, unwieldy in parts, but a highlight was a mocking but almost fond portrayal of the ACT MP David Seymour. Ardern autographed the script, but didn’t see the show; Seymour did, Brooks says, and apparently liked it.

A popular presumption might be that a stutter is a function of shyness. But Brooks has a severe one, and is far from retiring. An extravagant dresser, he’s wearing purple suede curl-toed boots when we meet. He loves talking, and he loves socialising. ‘‘I can speak for ages about me, frankly.’’

At times, the stutter seems to worsen when he’s talking of something difficult – such as his mother’s death – but he says there’s no pattern to it. He avoids phone calls, and warns interview subjects, but otherwise, ‘‘it doesn’t impact my life in a way I’ve ever found hugely awful. Other people think about it a lot more than I do, and that’s interesting’’. For him, it’s a dull distraction from more interesting topics – instead, he addressed it on stage with his 2015 one-man show Stutterpop, where he lipsynched, discussed his love life and did a stuttering Q&A.

Treadwell says Brooks uses it to his advantage: people have to slow down and listen to what he says. ‘‘Sam is really comfortable in his own skin. And he’s just waiting for other people to be comfortable with him.’’