Cultures meet in perfect harmony

Vula is an exotic hybrid that seamlessly blends the European traditions of mime and illusionism with imagery, dance and music drawn from Pacific Island cultures. Director Nina Nawalowalo conjures up a procession of visual delights in which simple objects are magically transformed to create richly suggestive images. A slowly unfurling tapa cloth rises mysteriously in the darkness, fans flit across the stage like reef fish, and pandanus reeds vibrate above the surface of the water in an electrifying display of kinetic energy. A woven basket becomes the head of a mythical creature. And perhaps most strikingly, a triad of rolled mats stand upright evoking the carved figures of Polynesian statuary.

Without any need for dialogue, the images are skilfully woven into a recognisable narrative in which the intrusions of Western culture threaten to disrupt a deeply romantic vision of Polynesia. The ringing of a church bell ushers in images of anguish and entrapment, and a television set draws the women away from the communal life of the lagoon.

It is a familiar tale that probably owes more to Rousseau's indictment of civilisation than to the contemporary experience of Pacific Island women.

For much of the production the cast take second place to Nawalowalo's spectacular choreography, but they eventually assert their presence in an exuberant display of clowning. Kasaya Manulevu is engagingly mischievous as she taunts a group a church matrons during a rainstorm.

All the actors have a strong physical presence and in the clowning sequence their work is charged with a joyful enthusiasm - Fiona Collins is particularly amusing.

Nawalowalo has assembled a highly talented production team to help realise her vision. Gareth Farr's musical score brilliantly complements the complex rhythms of the performance and Tolis Papazoglous' aquatic set provides a dazzling arena for Stephen Blackburn's sophisticated lighting design.

By emphasising its Pacific roots and celebrating cultural diversity, the production provides a model for the type of work that could help the festival establish a distinctive international identity.

Review

* What: Vula
* Where: Maidment Theatre
* Reviewer: Paul Simei-Barton