If you're planning on seeing The Wizard of Ōtāhuhu, I'd get booking. Saturday evening's 80-minute performance attracted a capacity crowd who laughed uproariously, cheered wildly and applauded loudly enough to lift the roof of the Māngere Arts Centre.
This is the fifth school holiday production that Alison Quigan and Troy Tu'ua have co-directed and each production gets bolder, brighter and funnier. Ostensibly for families but really for everyone, this time they've put a uniquely South Auckland spin on The Wizard of Oz, staging it with a 50-strong cast, including a live band, aged 9 — 30.
There's a quartet of gender-fluid witches who are "wicked" in every sense of the word; rainbow-attired munchkins who hang out, appropriately, at Rainbow's End and a feisty Dorothy (Irene Folau) who leads her dog Koko (Aaron Ryan), the brainless scarecrow (Josephine Mavaega), heartless tinman (Bob Savea) and the cowardly lion (Rokolani Lavea) to meet the Wizard of Ōtāhuhu (Torie Pickering) who hangs out at WINZ (Wizards in New Zealand).
They're pursued by Dorothy's aunts (Luse Sua-Tuipulotu and Unaloto Funaki) who elicit the most laughs when they're sniping about whether Manu Samoa or the 'Ikale Tahi Tongan Rugby team are the best. Remarkably, nearly every character gets a humorous backstory enlivened and made relatable by dance (Parris Goebel, who was in Saturday night's audience, should be proud of the work her protege Elvis Lopeti has done with the choreography), song and topical wit.
The humor runs the gamut from physical comedy to sharp social commentary. There are jokes about privacy and social media; the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, and its links to fast food, and running rivalry between Samoa and Tonga. Other Pasifika cultures come in for some gentle ribbing, too; music, dances and costumes are used to reference them.
