Trio tackle play's music

BACKING TRIO: Providing the music for Red Riding Hood at Repertory are (from left) WHS student James Lee, Ted Charlton and WHS student Ben Power.
PICTURE / HARMONY MAY.

"Play it with passion," I once heard Ted Charlton, music director for Red Riding Hood exhort his musicians. Ted follows his own advice. He started learning to play the piano at the age of four and has since taught himself to play several other instruments. "I can get a tune out of everything except bagpipes," Ted told me. He's playing electric keyboard for Red Riding Hood.

When Ted was in the third form at Pukekohe High School he won the part of Frederick in Pirates of Penzance. A love of musical theatre was born and other roles followed. A highlight for Ted was when he won the Golden Globe award for comedy when he played Henry Perkins in Funny Money at the Dannevirke Theatre Company.

Other highlights in Ted's musical theatre life include understudying for Michael Barrymore in the role of Pharoah in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and understudying for Ray Woolf who played the lead in The King and I. "But playing the lead in Les Miserables was the pinnacle," beams Ted.

After attending a Roger Hall comedy writing workshop run by the man himself, Ted wrote, directed and put to stage his own play, Ringing Changes. It was a sell-out success.

Assisting Ted is 15-year-old pianist Ben Power who's learnt music since he was six years old. Both of his grandmothers helped him to read music so that he could play guitar then showed him how to translate those notes to the piano. More formal lessons followed. Ben's also had ukulele lessons and he enjoys violin lessons, but his favourite instrument is the piano for which he's been composing from the age of nine.

Although Ben's just completing Year 10 at school, he's sitting NCEA exams in music this year.

Normally students wait until Year 11 to sit the first NCEA exams.

Percussionist James Lee completes the trio. James has been learning to play the drums since he was 12 years old and for the past two years he's been a pupil of Michael Franklin-Brown. His Rutherford Junior High School band was called Party on the Paradox where he played bass guitar. Although James has played in several concerts, including with the Wanganui Orchestra, playing for Red Riding Hood is his first foray into musical theatre. "It's fun," he grins.

With three such talented musicians providing the backing, Red Riding Hood can't help but be anything but fun.

By Nadine Rayner
Wanganui Midweek 23/11/16.