The Daily News
(Taranaki, New Zealand),
11 January 2003
Lawless plays second fiddle to movie starIT'S not that Lucy Lawless is being upstaged. But with Tom Cruise in town, the former Xena Warrior Princess star was playing second fiddle. That was something she took in her stride yesterday.
With Cruise grabbing the headlines around New Zealand, Lawless didn' t mind one bit.
"I think he deserves it," she said.
Lawless was in New Plymouth last night for a concert which is part of a three-week tour with Kiwi music legend Dave Dobbyn.
The pair, along with Anika Moa, performed at the TSB Showplace.
Although Lawless said she had not met Cruise before, she was interested to hear the mega-movie star had a date at the same venue this weekend.
Cruise and Lawless are huge international stars, though it is doubtful whether Cruise has ever turned his hand to singing on the road with a rock band.
The music tour had been a blast, said Lawless.
"I'd like to ring my entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles and tell him I'm never coming back.
"It's so great to be here, this country is alive and vibrant. New Zealand is stunningly gorgeous. It's a great time of the year and it's been such an honour to play with Dave."
Dobbyn, who last performed in New Plymouth with Tim Finn and Bic Runga, said he had been looking forward to playing at the TSB Showplace again.
"It's a brilliant theatre, really intimate. It's one of the best, for sure."
Dobbyn, Lawless, and the band travel to Auckland today and then move on to Waiheke Island for their final gig of the summer tour.