28 March 2023
Following on from Cringeworthy the ’70s and ’80s, Andrea Sanders is bringing this tribute to Kiwiana music and culture in the ’60s to Circa Theatre in April.
Along with homegrown hits, Cringeworthy features favourites from iconic overseas acts such as The Beatles, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, The Seekers, Nancy Sinatra and more in a musical journey that takes us back to a time so vastly different to today.
Just in time for Cringeworthy's opening night on 1 April, director and creator Andrea Sanders answered some questions for ARTicle.
Cringeworthy will be performed at Circa Theatre 1-29 April. You can purchase tickets here.
What’s your name and job title?
Andrea Sanders, I'm a singer, choreographer, writer and I also manage and perform with the singing trio The BeatGirls.
What inspires your work?
First and foremost music, also old musicals/movies that combine music and dance such as Sweet Charity, Hair, Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story, all the greats. I love the different eras as well, 1940s, 60s 70s and 80s fashion. I use a lot of retro style costumes in The BeatGirls and also in the Cringeworthy shows.
The ‘60s is such a huge era for great music. How did you go about selecting the songs?
The songs in this show are songs I remember clearly from my childhood. I was the youngest of four and my older siblings had some great records which got played regularly. Beatles, Frankie Valli, Crosby Stills and Nash, The Hollies, Mamas and the Papas. Many of these international artists got played on high rotation on the radio as well and that was pretty well the only musical outlet back then so you got to hear songs over and over. This was long before all the musical platforms kids have today.
I also remember popular TV shows about fictional bands such as The Monkees, The Archies and The Partridge Family [although they were more 70s] and have included some of that side of the music in the show. Then of course there's the New Zealand songs by artists such as The Chicks, Ray Columbus, John Rowles, Mr Lee Grant and Alison Durban.
What is unique about working as an artist in Aotearoa New Zealand?
Well for starters we're at the bottom of the world haha. I think New Zealand artists have their own distinct style although it's hard to describe exactly what it is. People love to support the arts here as well and there's also good funding options available. Given the small population you can build up a fan base that covers the whole country and also it's relatively easy to travel for gigs which I do extensively. There are so many great festivals here as well which showcase local talent, WOMAD, CupaDupa, Homegrown, Fringe Festivals and all of the arts festivals throughout the country. We used to be very insular here and it was a big deal to make it overseas, in fact you had to leave the country to do this. Now there are many artists here achieving global success with their roots still firmly planted in the Kiwi soil.
This is the third time around for Cringeworthy. What can audiences expect this time?
The same formula but with a different flavour. There will be all the usual fab songs, great four part harmonies, costumes, comedy and choreo but this time it's the 60s and of course the last two shows were 70s and 80s. Really our aim is to give people a show that sees them leaving feeling uplifted, also a trip down memory lane.
What’s next for you?
I'm pretty busy with The BeatGirls, we celebrated our 25th birthday last year and are doing a small tour of a theatre show to celebrate that. Covid saw it being cancelled last year. We also have usual band gigs all over New Zealand for corporate and private events. The thing about this industry is that you never know exactly what's going to happen because you can open an email on any given day and there's an enquiry about booking the group which could be anywhere in the country, however we do have confirmed bookings into next year as well. Lastly I am going to write Cringeworthy the 90s and see where that takes me!
