Westpac St. James
May 9-13 | Reviewed by Melody Nixon

Maui: One Man against the Gods is a storytelling spectacular in which the legends of Maui are interpreted through dance, music and theatricality. The effect is an evening of powerful and visceral beauty and emotion, as well as a too rare opportunity to view a professional show presented mostly in Te Reo Maori.

The production is very much a spectacle, impressing its audience with powerful set, sound and lighting design. Such elaborate visual effects might detract enormously from a production if too overdone; fortunately here they serve to prove the consummate experience of the crew involved.

While the whole show could be called a visual kai, certain scenes remain embedded in our imaginations long after. The representation of the thighs of Hine, the goddess of darkness, and Maui’s capture therein, is gorgeously dark, with a powerfully expressive use of bodies and dance. The third, underwater scene is an earthy, raw experience that contacts with us directly through the skin. Aesthetically the colour, movement, lighting and music work to create a harmonious vision that is both dreamy and soothing.

This said, at times the build up of action and effects at the beginning of Maui is a little relentless, and more pause or slowing down could be used in the first four scenes to reduce what becomes a too prolonged and heightened tension. As in the scene of dialogue between Maui and his father at the beginning of Act Two, further moments of quiet reflection – either as dance, dialogue or song – could serve to relax the audience, and make the next moment of deep emotion and power all the more affecting. Furthermore, the occasional spot back-lighting is quite blinding, and while this in itself is not unwanted it means we miss the next few seconds of action while our eyes readjust.

However, overall lighting design by Martyn Roberts is brilliantly emotive. The wide-reaching musical score, composed by Gareth Farr and directed by Louise Clark, is also very moving. It combines classical, instrumental, vocal and modern styles; the hip hop piece at the beginning of Act Two is particularly engaging. The harmonizing in the waiata between Maui and his mother in scene six is chilling and uplifting; and leaves us wanting more of the same. Creatively costuming by Gillie Coxhill, a hybrid of traditional arts and modern fabrics, also assists to stimulate and entertain, particularly in the case of the mesmerizing headdresses worn by the ensemble.

The use of theatre space is another very striking aspect of the show; the split stage is raised at the rear, and so provides a sloped area for actors to utilize vertical as well as horizontal space. This assists the movement towards non-European modes of storytelling, aiding the play’s spiritualism and magic realism, and allowing us to more readily receive its tale. The effect is further enhanced by the team of ‘aerialists’; Sacha Copland, Pipi-Ayesha Evans, Claire Lissaman, Jenny Ritchie and Alexandra Sim. These hanging dancers are suspended alternately above crowd and stage, twirling and spiraling as nymphs, flames and tupuna; often breathtakingly seductive.

The twelve scenes are interlaced with spoken interludes, in which sun-god Ra (Te Kohe Tuhaka) narrates the story in English. While Tuhaka’s voice is a little muffled at times, these interludes do much to aid understanding for the non-Maori speaking members of the audience, as even those of us with a reasonable knowledge of the legends of Maui need to turn to the storyline pamphlet given out at the beginning. This is partly because the retelling of the stories has ventured away from some of the more conventional interpretations we may have been taught. For instance, in the show the ‘capturing of the sun’ to slow its progress through the sky is retold as a very personal battle between Maui and his adoptive father, Tama-Nui-Te-Ra.

On the night I attended Jason Te Patu played Maui, the “man, determined to become a God.” Te Patu’s performance was primarily striking for its dance and physicality, though strengthened by his versatility in kapa haka techniques such as taiaha and haka. Te Patu also brought important elements of comedy into the production, especially in the scenes between brothers. The friendly rapport of Kereama Te Ua, Jacob Tamaiparea, Maaka Pepene and Matu Ngaropo formed a solid backbone of support for Te Patu’s role, their strong, ‘big’ acting always making the meaning of the situation clear to non-Te Reo speakers.

Toni Huata as Hine-Nui-Te-Po dazzled us with her voice, and her machinations at the rear of the stage invariably created an atmosphere of beauty and darkness. Kirsten Te Rito as Taranga performed the night’s most beautiful solo piece when lamenting the loss of her son for the second time, and provided important moments of insight into the real and painful human aspect of the Maui story.

All in all, Maui: One Man against the Gods is a wonderfully engaging and creative spectacle. Constantly being refined and modified, the show has so far endured for four years from its pilot production. Let’s hope it will continue to evolve and grow, and remain a show New Zealanders support and encourage, for years to come.