Unafraid to go for diversity

'The Caretaker' was a polished reading of a psychological dance with death.

I prefer not to offer an overview of theatre in Auckland for the full year because I did not begin my reviews until July.

I have enjoyed re-establishing a regular habit of theatregoing and the second half of the year provided plenty of memorable moments.

For sheer intensity it was hard to go past ATC's revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Although the play was written in 1961 it proved surprisingly appropriate for a year in which the United States election delivered such a resounding triumph of illusion over reality.

Colin McColl's explosive production created a domestic combat zone in which personal conflict melded seamlessly with Edward Albee's complex political and philosophical concerns.

Stephen Sinclair achieved a similar effect in The Bach, where a weekend retreat to patch up a disintegrating marriage morphed into a wide-ranging satire on contemporary politics and a penetrating analysis of our befuddled sense of national identity.

Sinclair has shown an unerring feel for the Kiwi idiom and with The Bach he struck the rare double of a work both intellectually challenging and highly entertaining.

If there existed an award for artistic daring, producer Logan Brewer deserves a prize for booking the Civic to premiere the stage adaptation of Whale Rider. Choosing a venue of this size to launch a play was an audacious move - especially when the work requires the presence of a pod of sperm whales.

In retrospect it might have been prudent to use a smaller venue to iron out the kinks, but fortune should favour the bold and one hopes the production will find success internationally.

A Lethal Set presentation of David Auburn's Proof at the Maidment Studio augurs well for the state of live theatre in Auckland.

The fact that a production-specific company can deliver a highly professional staging of a recent Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play suggests the city is developing the adventurous do-it-yourself spirit essential for theatre culture to thrive.

Dave Armstrong's adaptation of A Christmas Carol provides a fitting end to the year by showing it is possible to enjoy the festive season without wallowing in sentimentality or drowning in commercialism.

Dickens' simple tale has a density that can support an enormous variety of interpretations and Armstrong was able to modernise the story without diluting the potency of the original.

Director Jennifer Ward-Lealand delivered an exuberant production that captures the chaotic multicultural diversity of Auckland City. Paul Simei-Barton

My year at the theatre has been an eclectic mix of new homegrown works, international tales of murder and mayhem, and slick musicals.

Fourteen shows in total and - except for the three musicals - all were interesting alternatives to the mainstream notion of a theatre show.

They offered a healthy diversity of material for audiences to choose from outside the Auckland Theatre Company umbrella, and featured fresh young talent, which bodes well for the future development of Auckland theatre.

And despite the youth of the practitioners, there was only one real stinker - The Incredible Case of Clara Parsons, which was irritatingly naive.

Refreshingly, the New Zealand works - This is What We Call the Justine Smith Show, The Packer and The Magic Chicken - moved away from angst-ridden Kiwi gothic to explore more comedic genres.

Justine Smith's show featured the most memorable opening scene of any show this year and had the best use of filmed footage and live action.

The Magic Chicken was a delightful treat and any further work from this young company will be on my must-see list.

The musicals - Evita, Saturday Night Fever and My Fair Lady - had me questioning my serious theatre critic credentials.

They were glossy, dumb fun - guilty pleasures that were more enjoyable than I care to admit.

In 2004, the SiLo Theatre was the most exciting place to be with a standout season of thought-provoking international works - 4.48 Psychosis, Bash, Closer, Mr Kolpert, Tape, The Women and Under Milk Wood.

The intimate space that is SiLo has long been recognised as a place for edgy alternatives to the mainstream.

Previous SiLo seasons were patchy but could usually be relied on to feature some outstanding acting. This season the excellent acting has continued, but standards have been raised across the board and there has been an increased sophistication to the entire theatre package.

Production values have improved with more effective use of lighting, costumes and design to tell the story.

There have been many memorable moments at the SiLo this year. It has stepped up to a new level and revitalised the Auckland scene. Long may it continue.

And on the fringes ...

Some other highlights in the 2004 theatre year:

* The Caretaker: (potent pause) productions continued their exploration of the rich texts of Harold "Merchant of Menace" Pinter with a polished reading of the playwright's psychological dance of death between three men in a grotty one-room flat.

* The Packer: Dianna Fuemana wrote and directed this one-man, many-character play (the charismatic Jay Bunyan) set in Henderson which our reviewer approved of as a "slice-of-life comedy".

* Macbeth: That most consistently impressive director and perfomer of Shakespeare, Michael Hurst, waded right into the jet-black heart of the bloody tragedy, with Anna Hewlett playing a beautifully judged Lady M. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast couldn't keep up.

* The Prophet: Hone Kouka's third element in a trilogy cataloguing the demise of an East Coast town over 50 years, with an exceptional performance by Tanea Heke. Our reviewer, who hadn't seen the first two works, commented that "the view was exquisite and deeply challenging".

* Once Were Warriors, the Musical: Leads Willy Craig and Tina Cross were simplified, sentimentalised versions of Alan Duff's Jake and Beth Heke, but the zest of the supporting cast of mostly very young actors and dancers provided the high points in this rather ambitious version of the iconic book and film directed by Jim Moriarty.