Acushla-Tara Kupe, Jen Van Epps and Fiona Collins play Emilia at various stages of her life. Photo / Julie Zhu
Acushla-Tara Kupe, Jen Van Epps and Fiona Collins play Emilia at various stages of her life. Photo / Julie Zhu
Emilia is the final production at Pop-up Globe before it closes permanently – at least in Auckland - and what a beautifully crafted gift director Miriama McDowell has bequeathed.
With an all-female cast, the story of Emilia Bassano (made famous by Shakespeare's sonnets referencing the "dark lady" – possibly, according to some Bassano) replaces the Bard's traditional plays.
Written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm specifically for London's Globe, this production places a woman centre-stage at what was a deeply misogynistic time despite the flurry of artistic creation.
Emilia is played by three compelling actors (Acushla-Tara Kupe, Jen Van Epps and Fiona Collins) and surrounded by women from a variety of backgrounds and rank.
The story itself gets occasionally lost in the tumult of jokes, hearty humour and audience interaction but it's true to the Globe Theatre's highly interactive style and, at two hours long, guarantees a fabulously theatrical experience enhanced by the number of women, of different ages, sizes, abilities and backgrounds, performing.
All three Emilias are excellent; their costumes are meaningfully chosen by Chantelle Gerrard, who uses clothing to reflect the essence of the times. Kupe's young and fiery Emilia is a well-chosen juxtaposition to the older versions; Van Epps and Collins show no less fire and bring nuanced understandings of motherhood, emotional fatigue and ultimately unwavering determination to creating change in an oppressive society.
While the overall production rides high on energy and collective change, the writing is reminiscent of a very particular brand of dated 1980s feminism. While it is heartening to see women of colour on stage, it is also a tad disappointing as, for the most part, we are still encouraged to see it as colour-blind as opposed to colour-conscious casting.
Acushla-Tara Kupe, Jen Van Epps and Fiona Collins play Emilia at various stages of her life. Photo / Julie Zhu
The exceptions to this also don't work well. The use of te reo Māori to welcome the ensemble appears strange as Emilia herself is an Italian immigrant; and when the washer women share banter they do so in deeply exaggerated accents to emphasise where they're "really" from. The intentions behind these choices might have been well meaning but seems to perpetuate the marginalisation of women rather than challenge the status quo ."
Nevertheless, it the final season of the Pop-Up Globe and McDowell's direction has created a lasting legacy with much to see, feel and embrace.
What: Emilia Where & when: Pop-up Globe, Ellerslie until Sunday, March 22 Reviewer: Dione Joseph
