One of my more humiliating episodes of a life richly episodic was in a play called I Hate Hamlet in which I played the great American actor John Barrymore teaching a young actor how to play Hamlet. I am no Shakespearian actor. I was excruciating and it was fully ten years before I returned to the stage—and that was in drag!
But as bad as I was, it wasn’t as bad as the television appearance of Henry Winkler when he attempted a soliloquy from Hamlet. True to their wont (and credibility) the American audience cheered and whistled as The Fonz finished his farcical and facile portrayal. The point is, that audience thought Mr Winkler couldn’t really act in high theatre and in their admiration for him—or more accurately The Fonz—it is was lost on them that they were exactly right. But The Fonz was the epitome of cool in those days and Mr Winkler played him brilliantly particularly when we consider how remarkably uncool Mr Winkler looks these days.
So what has all this to do with Len Brown?
Mr Brown was cool too. Particularly when compared to that walking stress-inducement John Banks. That may have been the reason for the landslide vote in his favour.
But already after just two weeks in office and in conversations I am having with others I am detecting some disquiet and disappointment at Mr Brown’s performance so far. His Obama-like vision seems to have cooled somewhat and already I am hearing that he is starting to prevaricate on promises made and to hedge on some key issues.
However, it is early days. Mr Brown may yet become the best mayor Auckland has had in decades and Fryday will be proved wrong.
But if I am right, Mr Brown’s election campaign may just prove to be nothing more than a great acting performance deserving both the acclaim Mr Winkler undeservedly got and the public derision I deservedly did.
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