Sir Roger and his wife, Dianne, recently hosted Channel Mag’s Liz Cannon in their beautiful home overlooking Takapuna Beach. With the walls adorned with fine art, it felt like an afternoon in an intimate gallery. Seated in the inner sanctum of his beloved home office, Liz chatted with Sir Roger about his recollections of 'Glide Time' and the excitement surrounding its fiftieth anniversary revival.
On 11 August 1976, a new Kiwi play opened at Circa Theatre in Wellington. Rather than being set in a traditional English drawing room or with a Shakespearean landscape backdrop, it was set inside a common-or-garden Kiwi government office, complete with filing cabinets, fluorescent lighting and the familiar rhythms of public service life. That play was 'Glide Time'. Its writer, Sir Roger Hall, went on to become the most prolific and successful playwright in New Zealand history.
Written at a time when contemporary, local stories were still carving out a place on New Zealand stages, 'Glide Time' broke new ground. A reference to the flexible work schedule enjoyed by government sector workers, 'Glide Time' was a sharp, funny satire of the public service, inspired by Sir Roger’s own experience working within the education, insurance and government sectors. Fifty years on, it’s widely regarded as a defining moment in New Zealand theatre – the point at which Kiwi audiences truly began to see themselves reflected on stage, with truth, humour and a healthy disregard for local government culture.
Wellington in 1959 was Sir Roger’s initial Kiwi stomping ground. As a newly arrived 19-year-old originally from Pinner in northwest London, his ambition was to write sitcoms for the BBC. He sent a London-based agent a 30-minute comedy script, which received a scathing response. Undeterred, an early turning point came when he received a travel grant requiring time in the USA. Robert Lord (1945–1992), recognised as one of New Zealand’s first professional playwrights, insisted he attend the highly regarded Eugene O’Neill Memorial Playwrights Workshop. Sir Roger recalls the experience, saying, “A few of the plays being workshopped weren’t any good at all.” Chuckling, he adds, “I thought I could write a far better play than the ones I was seeing.”
So, he sat down to write one set in a Kiwi public service office, focusing on authentic, funny dialogue between the 'working hard/hardly working' banter of relatable characters. Over several weeks and many drafts, the play, originally and ironically titled ‘Hard Day at the Office’, took shape and became 'Glide Time'. Asked about whether he expected such immediate success, Sir Roger says simply, 'Yes. Most Kiwi plays back then were about New Zealand history, and had nothing to do with the present. It just took off straight away."
A play that changed the Kiwi stage
When 'Glide Time' premiered in 1976, it struck a Kiwi chord instantly. Set in the stores branch of a Wellington government department, it captured with razor-sharp wit the small frustrations, quiet ambitions and human quirks of office life. Its authenticity set it apart. Sir Roger was writing what he knew, and what many others recognised. At the time, the public service shaped the working lives of thousands across the country. The result was a work that reflected not just a workplace, but a culture, and the response was immediate.
Pride of place on Sir Roger's study wall is the framed original ticket sales sheet from opening night. The premiere, performed at Circa Theatre on Wednesday 11 August 1976, was a complete and unexpected sellout, with “Full house!” scrawled across the sales sheet, and a waiting list for tickets exceeding one thousand. Sir Roger recalls the evening clearly, describing how the audience reacted as they entered. “People came into the theatre and started laughing before the play even began. They recognised what they were seeing on stage, and they loved it.” That shock of recognition became central to the play’s success, proving that everyday Kiwi life was worthy of the stage. "A full house was quite something back in those days," Sir Roger reminisces. "It changed live theatre by opening up local theatre to normal, everyday people."
The production quickly outgrew its original one-hundred-seat venue and transferred to larger theatres, drawing thousands. It wasn’t just a hit; it marked a cultural turning point. Audiences wanted stories reflecting their own lives – their workplaces, relationships and realities – rather than imported narratives. From that moment, Sir Roger Hall’s career took off.
From stage to national icon
'Glide Time' soon evolved beyond the stage. First came a radio version, then a television adaptation, and ultimately the TV show, 'Gliding On' (1981–1985); in a pre-streaming era, it became New Zealand's most successful locally produced sitcom. Running for five seasons, the hugely popular series expanded its familiar cast (Jim, Beryl, John, Hugh, Michael, Wally and ‘The Boss’) into a national institution, capturing everyday working life with affectionate but sharp observation. “Almost everyone was a public servant in the 1970s,” Sir Roger says, reflecting on the era. That shared experience helped it resonate deeply. The humour was gentle but incisive, poking fun at bureaucracy while still celebrating the humanity within it; a balance that became the Roger Hall hallmark.
Across his work, he has explored themes that shape everyday lives: marriage, work, ambition and ageing, through characters who are flawed, funny and deeply human. Asked how he achieved this, he says, “Well, I could write funny lines. I knew what would work.” Prompted further, he reflects, “I don’t know. Maybe being brought up in a class-ridden UK, where one did keenly observe others’ behaviours and the way they spoke. But New Zealand wasn't so class-conscious. It was great to move away from such innate class consciousness.”
Over the decades, Sir Roger built an extraordinary body of work: more than 40 plays, alongside television, film, books and pantomime. His ability to capture New Zealand life with wit and honesty became his signature. His second play, 'Middle-Age Spread', cemented his reputation, going on to a successful West End run and major awards, proving that stories rooted in Kiwi life could travel. His achievements were formally recognised in 2019 when he was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM). He is the first New Zealand playwright to be knighted, following earlier honours including a QSO (1987) and CNZM (2003). Beyond his writing, he has been a passionate advocate for theatre, including helping establish New Zealand Theatre Month and serving as the Patron of the PumpHouse Theatre. When asked about his greatest achievement during his illustrious career, Sir Roger states, "Converting Kiwi audiences to New Zealand plays."
Why Glide Time still resonates
Fast forward fifty years, and the North Shore is preparing to celebrate this milestone moment with Phoenix Theatre bringing 'Glide Time' back to the stage at the PumpHouse Theatre, just minutes from where Sir Roger now looks out across Takapuna Beach. Although a man of prolific written words, he is sparing but precise in his spoken words. Asked about how he feels about his first play being revived so close to home, he says simply, “It means a lot.” Encouraged to elaborate further, with a rare but warm smile, he adds, “I’m enormously flattered… I’m really thrilled.” Curious about how 'Glide Time' will land with modern audiences, he has already bought himself and his family tickets to the opening night at the PumpHouse on 18 September. “Things have changed enormously. That’s what I’m going to find so interesting… what a contemporary audience will get out of it. I hope they'll still laugh!” Workplaces may look different today, but something more fundamental endures. “The companionship is very important… that human connection.” That thread gives Glide Time its lasting appeal. Beneath the satire are characters navigating relationships, responsibilities and identity. Take Beryl, the lone female role; a quietly poignant figure representing a generation shaped by different expectations. “They’re still good characters,” Sir Roger says. “They’re all quite different.”
Today, the fiftieth anniversary feels especially meaningful here on the North Shore. Sir Roger has lived locally for many years, and his connection to Takapuna’s PumpHouse Theatre runs deep. The venue, a not-for-profit community theatre on Lake Pupuke, is a cornerstone of the local arts scene. “It's a huge asset for the North Shore. It’s often booked every night,” he notes. “That shows what demand there is. There is a huge North Shore audience, which Auckland city theatres are foolish to ignore." While acknowledging the challenges theatre has faced, particularly post-Covid, he remains optimistic. “There’s something different about theatre,” he says. “Each night… It’s always slightly different.”
As 'Glide Time' returns to the stage, there is a sense of something coming full circle: a play born from everyday life in 1970s New Zealand rediscovered by a new generation, in a theatre just minutes from the playwright’s home. For Sir Roger, there is one lingering question: Will it still resonate? His answer is a characteristically understated, “I hope so.” And so, what’s next? “Alas, the muse seems to have deserted me. Recent attempts to write a new play have come to a very quick halt. But after fifty years, maybe it’s not surprising,” he says with his signature wry smile.
Tickets are on sale now for Phoenix Theatre's production of 'Glide Time' at the PumpHouse Theatre from 18 September
to 2 October. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit pumphouse.co.nz/glide-time
