When Mr Spring is on stage as Jack in The Raft at the Howick Little Theatre, he really steals the show.
His character has suffered a stroke, possibly from the stress surrounding the tragic and unresolved death of his grandson.
As a result, he speaks with a pronounced slur, and Mr Spring keeps it up in the convincing performance of a broken and beaten-down man.
The action takes place at the Alymer family’s remote lakeside bach on the South Island’s West Coast over the course of a wet weekend in August.
Director Jason Te Mete oversees a talented cast, strapped in for a two-hour emotional roller coaster.
Mark is played by an excellent Mark Madden-Snoad, and Tonia by an equally convincing Melanie Heap.
They play young parents shattered by the tragic death of their young son a year ago.
The drama centres on Mark’s ongoing conflict with his father, Jack, and the two have not spoken until forced together for the weekend by their wives.
Bronwyn Bent’s set is an excellent representation of the classic Kiwi bach, with food well-past its prime and lots of alcohol on hand.
The start of the play draws the tension out because there is no clear sign why Mark and Jack are not on speaking terms.
Answers are delivered as the two are forced to communicate, and Mark explains his grief and why he has not spoken to his father for so long.
