What the critics say

One of the most controversial plays to come out of Britain in the past decade opens at Auckland's SiLo Theatre on Wednesday. When Blasted, by Sarah Kane, was first staged at the Royal Court Theatre in 1995, critics could not take its startling portrayal of the gamut of bodily functions, rapes, cannibalism and mutilation.

Set in a context of a Bosnia-type war raging outside a British hotel, the three-character drama was generally described as a truly brutal piece of modern theatre, and Kane - who committed suicide in 2000 - reeled under epithets like "a disgusting piece of filth".

But then people like Harold Pinter sprang to Kane's defence. At her memorial service, he said, "She was appalled by the world in which she lived and the world within herself ... what frightened me was the depth of her horror and anguish ... she had a vision of the world that was extremely accurate and therefore horrific ... this species mankind is an absolute bloody disaster".

Actor Josephine Davison plays the extremely vulnerable Cate in the SiLo staging, along with Jeff Gane as the journalist she encounters in the hotel room, and Matt Sunderland as the traumatised soldier who enters the room. The production is directed by Michael Lawrence.

"We have just had the first full run of the play and you have to prepare yourself for it emotionally and physically," says Davison. "Sarah Kane said if you can't portray something on stage you may as well say it doesn't exist. We are living in such a soft television kind of world, where we see war through a screen and we are so far removed, but a large proportion of the world's population is not.

"It is about highlighting what goes on, not for the shock value but to heighten awareness and perhaps compassion."

Guardian critic Michael Billington, at first dismissive of Blasted, revised his opinion after seeing a posthumous production last year. "Initially I was stunned by the play's excesses. Now it is easier to see their dramatic purpose. Kane is trying to shock us into an awareness of the emotional continuum between domestic brutality and the rape camps in Bosnia, and to dispel the notion of the remote otherness of civil war ... her work is part of an honourable tradition."

Says Davison, "We are not sure how it is going to be received, how it's going to affect the audience. It is very confronting but from all the sadness and pain and violence, there is a beauty. At this time in the world, we need to think about these things. It clearly illustrates that violence begets violence."

We're on the move:

This is the last Arts on Monday section. We are relocating to a new weekly arts section from next Thursday, March 6, as part of a makeover of the Herald, announced today. We believe moving a dedicated arts section to Thursday makes sense. Many theatre productions and gallery exhibitions open at this time of the week and our coverage will also point readers to cultural pleasures to enjoy in the weekend ahead. We will also have the opportunity to run arts news and features on a daily basis, as well as expanded coverage in the weekend Timeout section and the new high-quality weekend magazine which launches on March 8.

- LINDA HERRICK

Vavasour Godkin Gallery, Various artists:

Fine digital and inkjet prints by Deborah Crowe and Jennifer French (whose Whangai is pictured above) emphasise the vivid colour and surface games that make up the rest of this predominantly abstract show of works flooded with light and precision in the process of their making; until March 8.

- T J McNAMARA

Ranges of Inspiration II, Corban Estate Arts Centre, Henderson:

An exhibition by 40 big-name artists to mark the 30th anniversary of the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society; paintings, photography, sculpture and craft will be on show at the centre's homestead (426 Great North Rd, access at the intersection of Great North and Lincoln Drive, 10am-4.30pm seven days a week) until March 30, when the works will be auctioned at 4pm.

- LINDA HERRICK