by Curial
Red Leap Theatre is considered the leading movement theatre company in New Zealand – some of their award-winning productions are The Arrival and Paper Sky which have toured overseas. With such creative forces at the helm, I was expecting a performance that would delight my senses and I was not disappointed by their latest offering, Sea, at the Maidment Theatre.
After arriving and trying to find my tickets at the box office, my friend and I were seated and started talking about politics and can-you-spot-the-Shortland-Street-actor in the crowd for about 15 minutes and then it started – the opening scene was a feast for the senses. The use of props were cleverly used and at first I was thought I was attending a contemporary dance performance, as the actors were dancing and prancing across the stage to set the tone for the play; humans battling the dichotomous nature of the ocean, revealing the ugly side of human nature and the lengths people go through to survive; the relationship we have with the ocean and the life that inhabits it.
The main character is first introduced as a grown man, with scenes after that showing him developing from an infant to a toddler who leaves the safety of his parents and finds solace with the animals that inhabit the sea, especially a turtle that he forms a close bond with; his parents struggling with their loss and dealing with the dynamics of being with a group that are trying to survive; we see the reverence that humans once had for sea life and how that has changed to exploitation and defilement. It is set in the Pacific, with many of the characters speaking in a mixture of English, te reo Maori and Cook Island Maori.
The play raises some really good questions about how we treat nature and the destruction we have caused, but also how the customs of an indigenous people have been marred by capitalism and the throwaway nature of Western society; I felt the play was didactic in some ways, but doing it in a positive way. I really enjoyed seeing diversity amongst the cast and the hard work that has gone into getting it onto stage.
My only bug bear of the play was some of the music used wasn’t quite the right fit for the scene and would envision the music being used in an episode of Firefly! The physicality of the performance was high and I was really impressed with how strong and lithe the cast are and being able to give a great dramatic performance.
It only has a short run at the Maidment Theatre (until the 10th of March), so I would suggest you go and see it – it is well worth the money, plus you are helping support the continuation of the arts in Auckland.
Four stars
