Joe Dekkers-Reihana (left) and Hori Ahipene in Provocation.
Joe Dekkers-Reihana (left) and Hori Ahipene in Provocation.
What: Provocation Where & when: Herald Theatre, until Saturday Reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton
Seldom heard voices are given a much needed platform in Auckland's Pride Festival as original plays shine a light on the experience of marginalised communities dealing with the unexamined attitudes of mainstream culture.
Provocation, by Aroha Awarau, delivers asearing indictment of the obscene legal strategies which have allowed the murderers of gay men to evade conviction by cynically claiming their victims "provoked" the horrendous violence that was unleashed against them.
The taut, 45-minute drama unfolds in a nondescript after-life where the victims of violent crime confront the circumstances leading to their murders and search for meaning by telling stories about themselves.
A superb cast, sharply directed by Jennifer Ward-Lealand, takes full advantage of the play's sizzling dialogue and finely structured conflicts. Verbal firecrackers explode in an energetic clash between men on the contrasting extremes of the gay spectrum, with Paul Barrett vividly expressing the flamboyance and tender affection of an openly gay man while Hori Ahipene movingly evokes the conflicted emotions of a man who staunchly keeps his sexual identity secret.
Joe Dekkers-Reihana skilfully portrays the warped psychology of two murderers, one of whom is coldly manipulative while the other is broken and remorseful. Ruby Hansen highlights the contemporary relevance of the play by clearly articulating how the perverse strategy of blaming victims is also used to justify violence against women.
Sarita Das created and stars in Perfect Shade. Photo / Victoria Brunovski
What: Perfect Shade Where & when: Basement Theatre, until Saturday Reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton
Perfect Shade, by Sarita Das, presents an entertaining and sharply provocative meditation on our deeply embedded attitudes towards skin colour. The one person show uses inventive, wildly poetic sequences to set up an ironic contrast between the Western obsession with gaining a brown tan and colonial histories which have caused some South Asian communities to seek out highly toxic methods for lightening dark skin.
The audience is drawn into the performance by Das's engaging personality, with the show featuring energetic rapping along with evocative spoken word pieces, including a poem which presents an illuminating parade of adjectives commonly applied to skin colour. This multi-vocal experience is powerfully enhanced by director Sananda Chatterjee who expertly weaves recorded voices, dance, song and richly symbolic actions into a well-paced 60 minutes.
The show climaxes with an intensely personal deconstruction of a haunting encounter with a white woman who offers a six-year-old girl an infuriatingly ambiguous compliment on the colour of her skin.
What: Take the Crown Where & when: Basement Theatre, until Saturday Reviewed by Dione Joseph
Presented by The Others Club, the development season of Take the Crown is a solid show that punches well above its weight.
The cast are committed, the narrative is strong and most importantly, predictable cliches are effortlessly turned on their head. The show is made by the queer community for the queer community - and that point is made poignantly, effectively and repeatedly.
Using the Basement's studio space well, the cast create beautiful moments of intimacy, joy and meditation. Each performer is distinctive and their stories striking.
Todd Waters, Tatiana Daniels, Kierron Diaz-Campbell, Carla Newton and Ravikanth Gurunathan all provide an unapologetic and tender glimpse into their personal lives and these stories, both in brevity and simplicity, create some of the most memorable moments.
It's a punchy, powerful show and while some of the sketches are little light in substance and we miss some of the current issues facing the community, Take the Crown speaks volumes.
