Culture

Directed by Nylla Ah-Kuoi Tamati, (3.5/5).

Best. Welcome. EVER! The whole cast cheered each audience member inside as they clapped along to music that I’m pretty sure was part of the soundtrack for Sione’s Wedding. Which, as we all know, is good music; it makes me feel like a cool person! It also reminds me of that hot guy in the movie, y’know, the one that’s a bit of a man-whore. He’s so fine!
 
The best way to describe this production would be ‘down-to-earth and inclusive’. The mixture of cultures on stage reflected the mixture of cultures in the audience. Everybody seemed to really enjoy themselves. The audience seemed to love it! Laughter was generous from all sides of the room. It was a fantastic buzz to be a part of.
 
Selecting the funniest and most meaningful scenes from Fresh off the Boat (Oscar Kightly & Simon Small), Bare (Toa Fraser), and Frangipani Perfume (Makeita Urale), this production was not only funny but brought up some much needed social commentary about living as a Pacific Island New Zealander.
 
A minimalist set transformed the space, displaying an innovative use of Allen Hall; this time the stage was actually used. There was also some very impressive lighting design with blue lights that looked like the Pacific Ocean waves. I won’t ask where Tamati found two spare toilet seats, but let’s hope there’s still somewhere to sit in the Allen Hall ladies.
 
It was great to see some new talent on the Allen Hall stage. There are some comic gems in Dunedin and James Davidson and Mary Atatai certainly hold some talent in that regard. Kudos also goes to Miriam Noonan for her monologue; she seemed to channel some certain individual Theatre Studies lecturers. And as for Ben Blakely; if there was an Oscar for Best Impersonation of a Wigga, yes, he would win.
 
Well done to Nylla and the team. This was a fantastic production and I hope we can see some more Fale Aitu in future.