ACTION-PACKED SHOW IS NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED |
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) Written & directed by Anya Tate-Manning at BATS, Wellington From 2 Feb 2010 to 15 Feb 2010 Reviewed by Ewen Coleman, 5 Feb 2010 originally published in The Dominion Post |
Although this year’s Fringe Festival doesn’t officially start till next week, Bats Theatre has got in early by labelling its current productions as part of their Fringe programme. And if Anya Tate-Manning’s production of Pirates vs Ninja is any indication of what is in store then it bodes well for a great Festival, at BATS at least.
Power, revenge, loyalty, love and betrayal are but some of the many themes running through this hour-long action-packed show of the type Shakespeare was a master at. It is also reminiscent of Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls – a group of archetypal women coming together around a table for a meal. And although the writing of Pirates vs Ninja is tight and terse, like Churchill’s, the comparison stops there; Shakespeare’s Titus and Andronicus is a more similar play that comes to mind, with the stage, in the final moments, being littered with blood and bodies.
The Clans of Freedom have come together from various wars in an unspecified time to elect a new leader. Initially presided over by Cliff the Cowboy (Thomas La Hood), he meets an early demise. Factions soon develop between Captain Pain the Pirate (Hadleigh Walker) and Seared Lily the Ninja (Sarita So) ,as each tries to get the votes of the rest of the group sitting around Jon Coddington’s impressively designed table.
Vying for attention are Esmeralda the Gypsy (Anya Tate-Manning), Trevor the Scottish Bastard (Sam Bunkall), Olaf the Viking (Natano Keni) and Vittoria the Maori Warrior (Maria Rose MacDonald). Within the global sphere of the various clans at war, and the power struggle of one clan over another, are the interactions of each individual, through the bond of brotherhood between the men and the power of seduction between the men and women.
But none of this is at a subtle, romantic level. Raw energy and physical strength is the name of the game throughout this production, and the young cast have this in abundance, so much so that at times the physicality takes over, to the detriment of the diction. But the professionalism and confidence the cast have in bringing Anya Tate-Manning script to life, and her assured direction, aided by the excellent costumes and realistic special effects – this play is not for the squeamish – make it a thoroughly engaging and entertaining show.
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John Smythe
Lynn Freeman (Capital Times);
Uther Dean (Salient);