KEY POINTS:
What: Lena.
Where: Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre.
When: Until November 10.
Reviewer: Shannon Huse.
When an extended family live together in an isolated plantation and a storm is brewing you just know that it's not only the weather that is going to erupt.
In Lena, a new Pacific play by Jason Greenwood, the plantation is in Samoa in 1947 and the emotional storm clouds are gathering over the family's fractured history and future ownership of the homestead.
With three deaths and a rape thrown into the mix, this is a family drama in keeping with the high emotions and epic backdrop of Gone with the Wind.
Justine Simei-Barton's cohesive directing takes a matter-of-fact approach to the material. She draws solid performances from her cast of professional and semi-professional players and keeps the show on the right side of melodrama.
In the title role of Lena, Olivia Lauiula Muliaumaseali'i is a strong centre to the eye of the emotional hurricane surrounding her. Through the course of the play she grows in strength from an observer of village life to someone who will play a leadership role in its future.
Aleni Tufuga is equally powerful as the villainous Viliamu, presenting him as a flawed man seeking power at all costs but with no capacity to bear the weight of responsibility that power also brings.
Pule Simei-Afamasaga plays all of mama's flaws and strength in equal measure and ultimately the play is her story. She pays a big price for her pigheadedness but her power to forgive makes Lena a story of redemption as much as revenge.
In the lesser roles, Nora Aati draws out all the tragedy of wronged housemaid Tinovao and she enjoys hamming it up in a second, much lighter role, as Norma the upwardly mobile young woman who is unashamedly lusting after palagi life.
Jason Greenwood, who also penned the play, has some nice moments but ironically is a little shaky in the beginning of the piece and seems to have to search for his own words.
Mark Webley gives a measured performance as the kind-hearted Jack and is odiousness itself in his second role as a corrupt judge. Also playing two parts is Pulotu Letufuga Canada Alofa, who adds depth to his roles of the vengeful father and the forgiving priest.
Impressive, too, is the chorus of Leeroy Simei-Afamasaga, Liava'a Etuale and Neru Aleki Fa'avae, who add vocal and physical muscle to the play.
The action twists and turns around nine hanging fabrics that represent homestead and fale walls and the plantation itself. No set designer is credited but the rest of the design team work well together to evoke a Pacific paradise turned to emotional hell.
Kate Burton's lighting design is lush with tropical textures and her light pictures help to amplify the emotional resonance of the piece. Composer Poulima Salima Fesola'i Mamea's choral expertise provides many lovely moments with his songs book-ending much of the action.
Iosefa Enari's choreography is understated but effective. I would have liked to see more of it in the second half of the play when the overheated drama is brought to life by words alone.
Greenwood has written a solid play that not only presents Samoan history but also explores how greed and untrammelled power can corrupt.
The play takes some time to warm up, with early scenes focusing a little too heavily on the bigger picture of Samoan history and politics.
When he focuses on the more intimate stories of the family he succeeds in his goal of "echoing voices from the past" to future generations.
