Well, actually, no. No, as in, no, I’ve never coloured my hair. I guess the girls from Sutherland Todd were right when they told me Pureology is just as good for natural colour as it is for the artificially enhanced. Renowned for helping to prevent expensive hair colour treatments from going down the drain, the products also brighten the locks of natural blondes like me.

Since first experiencing a professional wash and condition with Pureology at Sutherland Todd in Christchurch, I’ve been devotedly using the products at home. These are truly beautiful products to use. All natural – vegan, in fact – they’ll make you feel good inside and out. The fragrances are divine. The girls have prescribed me the Hydrate shampoo and the smell is lusciously sweet and flowery. I’ve never been one for shampooing twice (usually in too much of a hurry), but the girls recommend giving it a go – the first shampoo removes product build-up and the second works its magic as a treatment for your hair. So (when I’m not running late), I’ve been trying the tactic and it does seem to make a difference with a cleaner feel after rinsing.

But if the shampoo is nice, the Hydrate conditioner is even better. Peppermint fresh, the fragrance fills the shower as soon as you flip the cap. Again, the product demands a slightly different modus operandi; I’ve always applied conditioner just to the ends of the hair, but Hydrate should be massaged into your scalp. Believe me, it feels fantastic – tingly and refreshing – and it smells amazing.

Pureology products aren’t cheap, but they are super-concentrated so you’ll only need a little (even for long hair like mine) – perfect if your hair needs an eco-friendly treat.

You can get hold of your own Pureology hair care products at Sutherland Todd Hairdressing in Christchurch and other good salons around New Zealand.

What a beautiful scene. Layers of cool blonde timber in the furniture, the trees and the backdrop of a manor house where a shutter opens briefly, shedding a square of golden light. It is evening. Crickets chirp and shadows play on the dark indigo of the lake beyond. We are perfectly transported to a summer evening in rural Russia, where the air is close and Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplyov (Owen Black) is about to see his first play come to life on stage. It’s a makeshift outdoor stage and the audience is a small gathering of locals, but to Konstantin, this moment is everything; his mother is watching.

His passport may read ‘shopkeeper class from Kiev’, but his mother is Irina Nikolayevna Arkadina (Rima Te Wiata), a highly successful actress in popular theatre. Konstantin is well aware that his mother is having difficulty with the idea of passing on the mantle of artistic success to a younger generation – “When I’m not there she’s 32. When I’m there, she’s 42.” – but his deep need for her approval keeps him trying to win it, however vulnerable it makes him.

Chekhov is a master of capturing the minutiae of family life, with all its beauty and its drama. Perceived by some as heavy and dark, Chekhov in fact regarded himself as a comic writer even when his stories had tragedy at their core. This Tom Stoppard translation has a lightness and compassionate warmth that lets us laugh tenderly (perhaps recognising something of ourselves in our weaker moments) at the desperate actions humans resort to in the very attempt to preserve their dignity – even to the point of inflicting cruelty on others.

A hugely talented cast breathes real life into this superb story. Visually exquisite, with gorgeous lighting and an evocative soundtrack capturing the landscape that was so integral to Chekhov, this is a highly polished production of one of the great theatrical works. Whether you’ve had the pleasure of encountering Chekhov before or not, The Seagull is a must-see this month at The Court Theatre.

The season runs until 12 June 2010.
For bookings, phone 03 963 0870 or visit www.courttheatre.org.nz.

Finally, a worthwhile discussion about feminism! In this age of angst about whether men are becoming emasculated and whether boys are struggling to learn because classrooms have been ‘feminised’, an age in which society alternates between ridicule and fascination at the idea of women in relationships with younger men (‘cougars’, as you’ve probably heard), it’s clear that gender politics are still a highly contentious domain. Enter The Court Theatre’s new production, The Female of the Species, a ferociously funny take on men and women from the sharpened pencil of Joanna Murray-Smith. In a domain so often dominated by angry voices (on both sides), it’s incredibly refreshing to be encouraged to laugh about it all.

The Female of the Species opens with a woman we can all recognise (and many aspire to be!) cinched into a black waistcoat and trousers, owning the stage in her red stilettos as she tells her Editor: “F*** off!” Margot Mason (played to perfection by a blonde-bobbed Jude Gibson) is a hugely successful – and equally controversial – feminist writer with a long history of shaping popular opinion. Now she’s caught in the grip of writer’s block, worrying about the possibility that her best work might be behind her. When an unhinged former student turns up at her country home, things quickly spiral from bad to worse. In her Doc Martens and black layers (both literal and figurative), Molly Rivers (Elsie Edgerton-Till) is a darkly bohemian antithesis to Margot’s polished façade. She has a very major and very personal axe to grind and she intends to do so with violence.

A procession of other characters variously damaged by Margot, her books or each other enact the notion of victimhood – played equally well by men or women – and suggest that perhaps we had better be making up our own minds rather than relying on the pronouncements of others. Inspired by a real-life event in which feminist author Germaine Greer was temporarily held hostage – although the playwright insists that Margot is not a portrait of Greer – The Female of the Species hauls sometimes touchy subjects into the open and invites us all to laugh at ourselves. And what is Greer’s view of the play? Well, she dubbed Joanna Murray-Smith an “insane reactionary.” Clearly feminism is a subject that still gets tempers flaring.