WITTY, PERCEPTIVE AND QUITE ASTONISHING |
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) Te Radar’s Eating the Dog Notorious Entertainment (2009) | Te Radar Foundation (2010+) at BATS, Wellington From 12 May 2009 to 16 May 2009 [2hrs incl. interval (2010)] Reviewed by John Smythe, 13 May 2009 |
The title refers to the pretty pass one may come to when one stuffs up as an explorer. Specifically this happened to Thomas Brunner and party during their early ornithological exploration of the South Island's West Coast.
Te Radar has burrowed into our history to drag up "the bumblers and the ne'er-do-wells who personify the "She'll be right" spirit that epitomises this great country." (publicity flyer)
With his characteristic glee at discovering and sharing anything odd, idiosyncratic and questionable about our past histories and present natures, Te Radar plunges us - via PowerPoint - deep into a land richly populated with a wide variety of birds. Then comes Brunner, guided by Epikewaiti and Mokakehu and their wives (spellings as per Brunner's diary, I think) ...
In Te Radar's view, the eight words penned in Brunner's diary when things have got about as bad as they could get "sum up what it is to be a New Zealander" (no I won't reveal them here; you have to see them in context). They also set the theme for the hour to come.
We leap right back to (not so) Able Tasman then forward to the Wakefields (Edwards Gibbon and Jerningham, and the ill-fated Arthur), with the odd connection made to more recent times, like Te Radar's descent into the belly of the beast while pig hunting with Glen Osborne. Graphic.
When bad land deals go badder, we learn a salutary lesson from Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata. And naming issues get a good run too: the more things change ...
I'd never heard of the Great Uranium Rush of 1955, in and around the Buller Gorge. Nor of The Burgess Gang, the bringing to justice of whom is far too bizarre a tale to have been made up. The Taranaki Highwayman is news to me too - hey, we had it all!
As for Sir Trevor Chute's attempt to march his 500 men around the mountain (Taranaki) ...
The more familiar Bob Semple is a surprise inclusion until we learn about his tanks. Then there is the gold-seeking submarine made by a bunch of Australians called Villain for a Mayor by the name of Fish. All true.
We've all heard of Richard Pearce but what about hot air balloonist Charles Lorraine, pioneer of our extreme sports industry? The story of his demise brings the hour to a poignant ending.
I have but sketched the bare bones here of what is decidedly not a dog. The flesh Te Radar puts on them is witty, perceptive and quite astonishing in multifarious ways. What's more he reveals hitherto hidden talents in vocal and physical performance, specifically the call of the conch and the dance of indecision.
Highly recommended.
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Comments
| Richard Grevers | posted 14 May 2009, 01:01 PM |
I hate to spoil a reviewer's pun, John, but it's Abel Tasman |