Wheeler's Luck at Maidment Theatre

Auckland Theatre Company opens its season with a high-energy romp that has enjoyed considerable success touring provincial centers. Wheeler's Luck is a wonderful showcase for the talents of Nigel Collins and Toby Leach.

The duo have mastered the art of the rapid fire character change, transforming themselves at will into an extraordinary assortment of caricatures drawn from the zanier fringes of small-town New Zealand.

The ability to embody multiple characters is a beguiling device that is rooted in the earliest forms of story-telling. It has become increasingly popular, and seems to strike a chord with the contemporary understanding of identity as a fluid and ever-changing phenomenon.

Collins and Leach take the technique to extremes, filling the stage with the entire population of a small town and effortlessly switching between roles without recourse to costume changes or props.

The fast-paced production relies heavily on the actors' flair for physical theatre, displayed in an impressive repertoire of movements, gestures and vocal effects. A highlight is the wildly inventive staging of a bare-back horse race, in which two horses tumble to their deaths.

In a similar vein the duo earned enthusiastic applause for a slow-motion fist fight and an outrageous parody of synchronised disco dancing.

The two actors complement each other in a number of finely choreographed set pieces. Leach has an explosive physical presence and gymnastic agility, while Collins is a master of the subtle gesture and ironic facial expression.

The only weakness lies with the scripting and at times it feels as though the play could have been subtitled Two Talented Actors in Search of a Story.

In sharp contrast to the staging, the storyline is safe and predictable with a one-dimensional property developer pitted against a vague and unconvincing advocate for a nature reserve. The premise provides plenty of scope for satire and topical references, but the story fails to deliver.

However, it does offer sharp dialogue and strongly drawn characters, such as the deranged ostrich farmer who occupies himself by dreaming up bizarre methods of dispatching his flock, and the local film buff who terrorises pub patrons with his rambling commentary on the Star Wars epic.

The show succeeds admirably in its core business of delivering laughter and entertainment. The energetic style of the performance reminds that theatre is most engaging when it avoids spectacle and draws on the imagination of the audience.