February 25, 2025 • 10 mins
Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Michael Hurst are a power couple – both having worked extensively in film, theatre and television and both being recognised with Royal Honours.
The pair are in Wellington this week for the start of a nationwide tour of their new show In Other Words, which follows the story of a lifelong love affected by the onset of dementia.
The pair joined Nick Mills to talk about the show, which opens at Circa Theatre on Thursday.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks at.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
B Joining us now are two legends of the New
Zealand entertainment scene. Jennifer ward Leland and Michael Hurst are
a power couple, both having work extensively in film, theater
and television, and both being recognized with royal honors. The
pair are in Wellington this week for the start of
a nationwide tour of The News Show and Other Words,
(00:32):
which follows the story of a lifetime love affected by
the onset of dementia. Jennifer and Michael join us on
the show right now. Good morning, how are you great?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I mean, this sounds like a very very sad story
and I have a family member that is suffering from dementia.
I've got personal feelings so this this must be a
tough show to do.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Do you know it is?
Speaker 5 (01:02):
Because I agree with you.
Speaker 6 (01:03):
I think the subject matter is really tough, and particularly
for the caregivers and the loved ones around the person
suffering from this disease. It's a very very long goodbye.
But this show is also peppered with beautiful humor and
love and the gorgeous music of Franks and Utra just
(01:23):
embroidered all the way through it because I think I think.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
It's fair to say as a full of joy. Actually
the show the enjoy and humanity.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
So it's not as bad as it sounds.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It can't sound. It can't really sound much worse, get it.
I mean, you know when you're you're absolutely in love
with someone, have been with them more their life, and
suddenly they're not, They're not the person you once were
in love with.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
It's it's profound though, it's profound on so many levels.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
As Jennifer was saying that that the people.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Who are the cares in the audience recognize what's going
on so much and feel seen and and it's a
shared experience. You know, I don't think most people know
someone or in their family or a friend or someone
who's touched by this.
Speaker 5 (02:06):
It actually does speak to a lot of people.
Speaker 6 (02:09):
Yeah, there's a very palpable sense of connection with the
audience when we do this show. You know, people you
can hear people going oh, yes, yes all the way through,
which is wonderful. And you know, it's very very humbling
to do the show. And you know, it's an hour
long show. So and I think that's plenty for this
(02:29):
kind of for this kind of content, and we're really
thrilled that Wellington has sold I think ninety over ninety
percent of the season already, so we're looking forward very
much to doing it there. That's my hometown, so I'm
very happy to be going back.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Right. Talk to me about relationships now.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I've always looked at your relationship and want and asked myself,
how how does it keep working? Now you're actually in
the same show and on tour together. They say three
years in a Hollywood marriage is like ten years of
a normal marriage.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
How do you two do it?
Speaker 5 (03:06):
Well?
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Never a cross word, that's right, ha ha ha.
Speaker 5 (03:11):
No, you know, I think.
Speaker 6 (03:12):
We're very lucky in that we well, firstly, this is
our first two hand to show and as a great
pleas to be on stage with Michael. I think we
trust each other very much as actors.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
But we know we our life gets.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
It's full of change. We get whatever project we're on is.
Speaker 6 (03:28):
You know, God is taking us in a different direction
and I think that's good. And I think humor is
very good in a long term relationship, and I think
respect for the other's talent as well.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Yeah, I think we have that other theme, which is
work that we both you know, love. And the thing
about the show, one of the things that makes people
laugh a lot, is that.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
That anyone in the audience.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Who's in a marriage or any long term relationship just
recognizes it because of the habits, you know, the habits
or a lifetime together. And when I read the script,
I could see straight away, Gosh, we could do this
so well, I think, because we we just have that
I mean, some of the dialogue, but we might as
well we're.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Saying it in our kitchen.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Yes, and sometimes we do.
Speaker 6 (04:09):
And Michael did lose the keys the other day, all
right and found them.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
So what happens then when an hour before showtime one
of you stirs the tea the wrong way and the
hell of a fight starts.
Speaker 6 (04:22):
Oh, that just doesn't happen, you know, because we're both
so practiced at being in the theater, you know, we were.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Doing this for decade.
Speaker 6 (04:30):
Warming and so we have a very sort of disciplined
way of approaching the play.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
So we go and we're at least two hours before
the show.
Speaker 6 (04:38):
We're in the theater, and there's a physical warm up
and a vocal warm up, and then we might run
some of the scenes and then you know, putting on
whatever makeup and costume. So is it kind of a lovely, slow,
deliberate lead up to actually stepping on the stage, which
is when the audience should get all of us, one
(04:59):
hundred percent of us and not You know, I don't
think we've ever had it up before we go on
the stage, because what good would that be, you know,
the room for it.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
We have to take care of business, and taking care.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Of business is getting like you know, we will go
into separate parts of the theater to do some of
our warm up, you know, and things like that.
Speaker 5 (05:17):
It's just a matter of.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
How do you feel when one of you gets a
little bit of success when the other one doesn't, as
both being actors of high regard.
Speaker 6 (05:27):
You know what I'm saying, it's well I do because
you refer to the Hollywood marriage a thing, and what
I've seen over the years, so many people have split
up because one often the woman becomes more successful than
the man.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
And then something else happening.
Speaker 6 (05:41):
But you know, we've had two very individual and successful careers,
So I don't think there's any professional jealousy or we
don't compete. No, we don't compete, because yes, there are
things we do with both in the theater, but there
are things that Michael does like directing television, that I
don't do at all, and things that I do. I
(06:03):
do quite a lot of in seeing or teaching or
intimacy court nation, and that's not in Michael's area at all.
So I think we appreciate what the other person does,
but there certainly isn't competition.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
And yeah, that to be no point. There would be
another one.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
If you've just joined us, you're listening to Jennifer Ward
Lealand and Michael Hurst. The play that's coming to Circa Theater,
the new you Decorated Circa Theater. It looks incredible, by
the way, in other words, which one of you, and
I suppose you're not going to tell me this because
it might be giving away the story, which one of
you gets dementia?
Speaker 5 (06:38):
Oh no, it's fine.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
I mean, it's when I read it, this is what
affected me.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
It is that the man that in this case it's
my character after that gets it.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
But I guess when I read it, what really touched
me was imagining what it would be like if I
did in fact, you know, have have dementia, and this
Jennifer had to become the care I found it very
very touching, incredibly touching actually, and.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
I thought we'd both be very good at it. So yeah,
that's but.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
It's not so much that doesn't even s toilet really
because it's the whole unfolding and the connections and best
connections that really tell the story of you gradual acceptance,
I guess, and golly yes.
Speaker 6 (07:21):
And so I think the audience, you know, dementia strikes.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
People in many, many different ways. We know that there's
certain types, but.
Speaker 6 (07:28):
I think in this show, anyone with a loved one
going through this well recognized something.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
Of the situation.
Speaker 6 (07:38):
Yeah, and that's actually been wonderful to hear people's stories
after the show, and the inevitably someone in the group
has said, oh, that's my mom or my dad, and
and as Michael said, but well, you know that work,
that's the work of the partners, often very invisible work.
And I think this show shines a light on that
(07:59):
and and those caregivers and the audience just go, oh, yeah,
that's me.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
I feel seen.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
And there's there's theater.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
If it's best you know, reflect humanity.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Theater is best as someone taking away a message from
the play, what message do you hope that the audience
will take away from?
Speaker 3 (08:17):
In other words, I.
Speaker 6 (08:20):
Hope it's hope that it's not like there's a cure
for this, but that there is a way back for
both of these people in this couple to connect.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
With each other and in a deep sense of I know,
there's a deep sense of our humanity together because it's
actually that's what happens in the room when we do
the show. It just fields and everybody's been this. You know,
we're all in this together. We're very profound on that
little I think.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Do you know that, because I've obviously got a bit
of experience, a little bit of experience in this, do
you know that the population with dementia and New Zealand
in the next twenty years is going to quadruple? It's
going to be insanely big. Did you know that when
you're doing this?
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Yes, we do not know that.
Speaker 6 (09:02):
We did quite a deep dive into that, and Michael
in particular had some a good session with some dementia
experts about.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
The way to kind of put you know, what we
needed to do to perform this.
Speaker 5 (09:15):
They were very.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Useful when you know. It was fantastic. Yeah, and it is.
There's something that affects all of us. And it used
to be called you, oh, they're going senile. Didn't that
was one of the things that we always heard as
kids about people being senile. It was a lumped into
that category. And of course now there's so much more
really going on preventatively, you know, how can we can
(09:36):
be how can we limit this? You know, how can
we keep brain stimulated, keep you know, social and all
of this.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
We don't cover all this in the play actually as well.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
You both had really long and successful careers and hopefully
they'll keep happening that way, really really quickly.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
What's the highlight for each of you?
Speaker 6 (09:53):
Oh golly, I'm going to put this so up in
a highlight actually, and it's particularly wonderful to be able to tour.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
We both love touring the country.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Oh golly, well, there's so many Oh no, it's too hard.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Okay, another thank you both for joining us this morning
and break a leg with the show. It starts as
Thursday and other words as Air at Circa Theater from
Thursday till March eighth. Thickets are from Circa dot Co
dot is dead. Jennifer Ward Leland and Michael Hurst. Thank
you both so much for joining us this morning. I
hope you enjoy Wellington. Wellington has been magnificent lately. The
(10:30):
weather's been great. You'll never enjoy Wellington like you're going
to enjoy from Thursday onwards.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
Yeah O fact, you're right.
Speaker 6 (10:37):
You made a statement, right, Wellington better back it up.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Well I have no problem appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news Talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks at.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
B Joining us now are two legends of the New
Zealand entertainment scene. Jennifer ward Leland and Michael Hurst are
a power couple, both having work extensively in film, theater
and television, and both being recognized with royal honors. The
pair are in Wellington this week for the start of
a nationwide tour of The News Show and Other Words,
(00:32):
which follows the story of a lifetime love affected by
the onset of dementia. Jennifer and Michael join us on
the show right now. Good morning, how are you great?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I mean, this sounds like a very very sad story
and I have a family member that is suffering from dementia.
I've got personal feelings so this this must be a
tough show to do.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Do you know it is?
Speaker 5 (01:02):
Because I agree with you.
Speaker 6 (01:03):
I think the subject matter is really tough, and particularly
for the caregivers and the loved ones around the person
suffering from this disease. It's a very very long goodbye.
But this show is also peppered with beautiful humor and
love and the gorgeous music of Franks and Utra just
(01:23):
embroidered all the way through it because I think I think.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
It's fair to say as a full of joy. Actually
the show the enjoy and humanity.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
So it's not as bad as it sounds.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It can't sound. It can't really sound much worse, get it.
I mean, you know when you're you're absolutely in love
with someone, have been with them more their life, and
suddenly they're not, They're not the person you once were
in love with.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
It's it's profound though, it's profound on so many levels.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
As Jennifer was saying that that the people.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Who are the cares in the audience recognize what's going
on so much and feel seen and and it's a
shared experience. You know, I don't think most people know
someone or in their family or a friend or someone
who's touched by this.
Speaker 5 (02:06):
It actually does speak to a lot of people.
Speaker 6 (02:09):
Yeah, there's a very palpable sense of connection with the
audience when we do this show. You know, people you
can hear people going oh, yes, yes all the way through,
which is wonderful. And you know, it's very very humbling
to do the show. And you know, it's an hour
long show. So and I think that's plenty for this
(02:29):
kind of for this kind of content, and we're really
thrilled that Wellington has sold I think ninety over ninety
percent of the season already, so we're looking forward very
much to doing it there. That's my hometown, so I'm
very happy to be going back.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Right. Talk to me about relationships now.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I've always looked at your relationship and want and asked myself,
how how does it keep working? Now you're actually in
the same show and on tour together. They say three
years in a Hollywood marriage is like ten years of
a normal marriage.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
How do you two do it?
Speaker 5 (03:06):
Well?
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Never a cross word, that's right, ha ha ha.
Speaker 5 (03:11):
No, you know, I think.
Speaker 6 (03:12):
We're very lucky in that we well, firstly, this is
our first two hand to show and as a great
pleas to be on stage with Michael. I think we
trust each other very much as actors.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
But we know we our life gets.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
It's full of change. We get whatever project we're on is.
Speaker 6 (03:28):
You know, God is taking us in a different direction
and I think that's good. And I think humor is
very good in a long term relationship, and I think
respect for the other's talent as well.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Yeah, I think we have that other theme, which is
work that we both you know, love. And the thing
about the show, one of the things that makes people
laugh a lot, is that.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
That anyone in the audience.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Who's in a marriage or any long term relationship just
recognizes it because of the habits, you know, the habits
or a lifetime together. And when I read the script,
I could see straight away, Gosh, we could do this
so well, I think, because we we just have that
I mean, some of the dialogue, but we might as
well we're.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Saying it in our kitchen.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Yes, and sometimes we do.
Speaker 6 (04:09):
And Michael did lose the keys the other day, all
right and found them.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
So what happens then when an hour before showtime one
of you stirs the tea the wrong way and the
hell of a fight starts.
Speaker 6 (04:22):
Oh, that just doesn't happen, you know, because we're both
so practiced at being in the theater, you know, we were.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Doing this for decade.
Speaker 6 (04:30):
Warming and so we have a very sort of disciplined
way of approaching the play.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
So we go and we're at least two hours before
the show.
Speaker 6 (04:38):
We're in the theater, and there's a physical warm up
and a vocal warm up, and then we might run
some of the scenes and then you know, putting on
whatever makeup and costume. So is it kind of a lovely, slow,
deliberate lead up to actually stepping on the stage, which
is when the audience should get all of us, one
(04:59):
hundred percent of us and not You know, I don't
think we've ever had it up before we go on
the stage, because what good would that be, you know,
the room for it.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
We have to take care of business, and taking care.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Of business is getting like you know, we will go
into separate parts of the theater to do some of
our warm up, you know, and things like that.
Speaker 5 (05:17):
It's just a matter of.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
How do you feel when one of you gets a
little bit of success when the other one doesn't, as
both being actors of high regard.
Speaker 6 (05:27):
You know what I'm saying, it's well I do because
you refer to the Hollywood marriage a thing, and what
I've seen over the years, so many people have split
up because one often the woman becomes more successful than
the man.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
And then something else happening.
Speaker 6 (05:41):
But you know, we've had two very individual and successful careers,
So I don't think there's any professional jealousy or we
don't compete. No, we don't compete, because yes, there are
things we do with both in the theater, but there
are things that Michael does like directing television, that I
don't do at all, and things that I do. I
(06:03):
do quite a lot of in seeing or teaching or
intimacy court nation, and that's not in Michael's area at all.
So I think we appreciate what the other person does,
but there certainly isn't competition.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
And yeah, that to be no point. There would be
another one.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
If you've just joined us, you're listening to Jennifer Ward
Lealand and Michael Hurst. The play that's coming to Circa Theater,
the new you Decorated Circa Theater. It looks incredible, by
the way, in other words, which one of you, and
I suppose you're not going to tell me this because
it might be giving away the story, which one of
you gets dementia?
Speaker 5 (06:38):
Oh no, it's fine.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
I mean, it's when I read it, this is what
affected me.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
It is that the man that in this case it's
my character after that gets it.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
But I guess when I read it, what really touched
me was imagining what it would be like if I
did in fact, you know, have have dementia, and this
Jennifer had to become the care I found it very
very touching, incredibly touching actually, and.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
I thought we'd both be very good at it. So yeah,
that's but.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
It's not so much that doesn't even s toilet really
because it's the whole unfolding and the connections and best
connections that really tell the story of you gradual acceptance,
I guess, and golly yes.
Speaker 6 (07:21):
And so I think the audience, you know, dementia strikes.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
People in many, many different ways. We know that there's
certain types, but.
Speaker 6 (07:28):
I think in this show, anyone with a loved one
going through this well recognized something.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
Of the situation.
Speaker 6 (07:38):
Yeah, and that's actually been wonderful to hear people's stories
after the show, and the inevitably someone in the group
has said, oh, that's my mom or my dad, and
and as Michael said, but well, you know that work,
that's the work of the partners, often very invisible work.
And I think this show shines a light on that
(07:59):
and and those caregivers and the audience just go, oh, yeah,
that's me.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
I feel seen.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
And there's there's theater.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
If it's best you know, reflect humanity.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Theater is best as someone taking away a message from
the play, what message do you hope that the audience
will take away from?
Speaker 3 (08:17):
In other words, I.
Speaker 6 (08:20):
Hope it's hope that it's not like there's a cure
for this, but that there is a way back for
both of these people in this couple to connect.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
With each other and in a deep sense of I know,
there's a deep sense of our humanity together because it's
actually that's what happens in the room when we do
the show. It just fields and everybody's been this. You know,
we're all in this together. We're very profound on that
little I think.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Do you know that, because I've obviously got a bit
of experience, a little bit of experience in this, do
you know that the population with dementia and New Zealand
in the next twenty years is going to quadruple? It's
going to be insanely big. Did you know that when
you're doing this?
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Yes, we do not know that.
Speaker 6 (09:02):
We did quite a deep dive into that, and Michael
in particular had some a good session with some dementia
experts about.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
The way to kind of put you know, what we
needed to do to perform this.
Speaker 5 (09:15):
They were very.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Useful when you know. It was fantastic. Yeah, and it is.
There's something that affects all of us. And it used
to be called you, oh, they're going senile. Didn't that
was one of the things that we always heard as
kids about people being senile. It was a lumped into
that category. And of course now there's so much more
really going on preventatively, you know, how can we can
(09:36):
be how can we limit this? You know, how can
we keep brain stimulated, keep you know, social and all
of this.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
We don't cover all this in the play actually as well.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
You both had really long and successful careers and hopefully
they'll keep happening that way, really really quickly.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
What's the highlight for each of you?
Speaker 6 (09:53):
Oh golly, I'm going to put this so up in
a highlight actually, and it's particularly wonderful to be able to tour.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
We both love touring the country.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Oh golly, well, there's so many Oh no, it's too hard.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Okay, another thank you both for joining us this morning
and break a leg with the show. It starts as
Thursday and other words as Air at Circa Theater from
Thursday till March eighth. Thickets are from Circa dot Co
dot is dead. Jennifer Ward Leland and Michael Hurst. Thank
you both so much for joining us this morning. I
hope you enjoy Wellington. Wellington has been magnificent lately. The
(10:30):
weather's been great. You'll never enjoy Wellington like you're going
to enjoy from Thursday onwards.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
Yeah O fact, you're right.
Speaker 6 (10:37):
You made a statement, right, Wellington better back it up.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Well I have no problem appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news Talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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