A classic of New Zealand theatre, John Vakidis' Tzigane is an enormously affecting story about an immigrant family. Warm, passionate and very funny, Tzigane (Romanian for Gypsy) introduces us to a Greek-Romanian New Zealand family whose situation (separated from each other by distance and expectations) speaks to many of us. The New Zealand born children return to the family home for a reunion, where a secret is gradually revealed.
Winner of the Chapman Tripp Award for Best New New Zealand Play, Tzigane scooped numerous awards on premiere at Downstage Theatre in 1996 and saw Vakidis go on to win the prestigious Bruce Mason Playwriting Award.
"An immensely satisfying play. Written from the heart, with wit and insight." The Dominion
"...a rich goulash of emotions that become a theatrical experience. John Vakidis has the skill, rare in a country dominated by Presbyterian parable-reciters, of being able to evoke all kinds of feelings - melancholy, regret, anger, grief, joy - in a pure uninhibited way. Tzigane is a tragi-comedy about belonging and not belonging, about follies and failings. Given the universal nature of the family gestalt, there is no way you won’t identify.” New Zealand Listener