$46 – Adult
$38 – Seniors & Students
$25 – Under 25s
$39 – Groups of 6+
$36 – Groups of 20+

Reservations can be made by calling the Box Office ph. 04 801 7992.

Everest Untold

By Gareth Davies, directed by Toby Leach

Circa Studio Theatre, Wellington, until June 11.

There has been much documented over the last 60 years about one of New Zealand’s greatest adventurers, Sir Edmund Hilary being the first man, along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, to climb to the top of Mt Everest.

But little has been told about the others in the team, led by British Army officer Sir John Hunt, which included another Kiwi, George Lowe .

READ MORE:
* Everest Untold: Don’t look down
* Everest Untold pays homage to unsung heroes of the 1953 expedition

And it is the role Hunt and Lowe played in assisting Hilary to achieve his momentous climb, that, as the title suggests, is the essence of Gareth Davies’ play Everest Untold, currently playing in the Circa Studio.

It sees the stoic, militaristic Hunt (Stephen Lovatt) is giving a very detailed talk about the team’s exploits, joined part-way through by the down-to-earth, typically Kiwi bloke Lowe (Edwin Wright) .

Full of endless facts about the climb and all the intricacies of what it took to reach their goal, the structure of Davies’ play combines narration with interacting dialogue, to give a certain amount of dramatic depth and interest to the story so that it never becomes boring.

And there is sufficient tension in the exchanges between the two – Hunt giving the distilled glossy version, while Lowe adds in much of the basics of what really went on –  to hold the audience’s attention.

But to achieve this, the play needs performers of consummate skill and in Lovatt as Hunt and Wright as Lowe, the production succeeds exceptionally well.

With Lowe on one side of the stage in front of a New Zealand flag and Hunt the other in front of the Union Jack, they use a series of slides to tell their story, expertly building to what little dramatic climax there is in the piece – that moment before the summit is reached – to make the piece incredibly captivating.

Lovatt is the epitome of the stiff-upper-lip British army man, never letting his guard down or ever showing any emotion, until the final moments, while Lowe is the gutsy guy who tells it like it is with much raw emotion.

Together these two work together exceptionally well as a team, sparking off each other with great confidence, to make, what could be considered a slight piece of writing, entertaining and very engaging theatre.

 – Stuff

Raymond Hawthorne: I can’t tell you how informative it is, how entertaining it is and what a great evening it was at the theatre.

Kate Ward-Smythe – Theatre Reviewer: I’m left feeling proud to be a Kiwi, and happy to be fully enlightened about the 1953 team, especially the ‘other’ Kiwi in the band.

Matt Baker – Theatre Reviewer: Everest Untold has all the components of success when it comes to (re)educating New Zealander’s on one of our greatest triumphs in a genuinely entertaining way; a story that resonates in the psyche of its audience

Prue Smith – Chair of  the Himalayan Trust: The play will contribute to keeping the memory and historic significance of the Everest summit ‘alive’ in the minds of Kiwis today.

Bruce Chad-Lowe – George Lowe’s son: I understand the adulation of Hillary and Tenzing but what this play tells is actually THE story. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!