LOST IN TRANSLATION |
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) Spinning Mountain Directed by: Nina Nawalowalo Composed by: I Wayan Gde Yudane & Gareth Farr Puppetry directed by: I Kadek Setiawan & Rebekah Wild Puppetry design by: I Kadek Setiawan Librettist: Ketut Yuliarsa Additional libretto: Gareth Farr CAPITAL E NATIONAL THEATRE FOR CHILDREN at Town Hall, Wellington From 21 Mar 2007 to 22 Mar 2007 [1 hr, no interval] Reviewed by Lynn Freeman, 28 Mar 2007 originally published in Capital Times |
What a great idea - to meld Indonesian puppet theatre and gamelan music, a Pacific Island-New Zealand director and our own gamelan expert Gareth Farr to create a blended multi-cultural theatre work for Kiwi kids. Yet somehow something is lost in translation.
Of course this reviewer is not an eight year old, the target market, though I was entranced by the shadow puppetry (even having seen it before) and by the music (ditto).
In terms of action, it sounds like a Playstation game with the fate of the world at stake - epic battles between gods, demons, the elixir of life, the way humans are destroying their environment, and of course actual spinning mountains. The narrators are a father and son trying to find common ground. There is naughty humour which the kids (and adults) love, but not nearly enough of it. While beautifully sung. the songs aren't exactly catchy. Too often the action drags, especially the big battle scene which is interminable - remembering there are only a few puppets and arrows which are used over and over and over and over again.
It's beautifully and professionally directed and performed, but even with these unquestionably high production values it feels stretched beyond its natural duration. It's a 40 minute story not an hour long one, in other words. More laughs, less repetition, even some involvement for the littlies would make it more involving, but as it is this is a beautiful and rich production.
See also reviews by:
Sarah Delahunty
Laurie Atkinson (The Dominion Post);