Market Forces (1998)

MARKET FORCES the play had its premiere at the Wellington Arts Festival in 1996. Within two days of opening the season was sold out. This pattern continued to be repeated with every production, and MARKET FORCES was a warmly received hit with audiences all around the country. MARKET FORCES, the theatrical production, has played in all the main cities and most provincial centres. Just as GLIDE TIME was the inspiration for GLIDING ON, MARKET FORCES became a successful seven-part comedy series for TV1. In the first series of MARKET FORCES, Jim, Beryl, John, Hugh and the gang went under the steely scrutiny of hatchet man Brian Fraser (better known as "Chicken Man"). DOSI became SICORP in a corporatisation of Stores. New Zealand's best loved bunch of workmates went through the transformation of a market driven brave new world. They saw off Mission Statements, consultants, full cost recovery, corporate image, redundancies, and finally a near miss with relocating to Auckland. As we head into Series II, Beryl's beloved Prince has passed on to doggie heaven, to be replaced by a perky, as yet unnamed, black labrador pup. Beryl is still married to Perce, still looking after them both while he terrorises the golf courses of the Hutt Valley. Hugh is divorced from Bronwyn, but he still has the kids. He retains just enough energy to pursue the ladies. John is married to Sharon, a nurse. He's a late parent with two kids under five. Raewyn used to deliver the mail, but she was made redundant, and has moved on to working for herself. She's got a booming lunch round, selling to her old workmates - ginger crunch her specialty. And Jim is still Jim. The second series of MARKET FORCES sees our lovable bunch of workmates return to the offices of SICORP, still locked in combat with the market driven machinations of CEO Brian Fraser.