Performance: Moahunting

By SUSAN BUDD

SILO THEATRE, Auckland - Moahunting blends history and myth in the tale of a girl who leaves 19th-century Ireland for New Zealand and - like the protagonist of Witi Ihimaera's Woman Far Walking - becomes an ancient matriarch whose life spans our history from early Pakeha colonisation to the present.

It combines puppetry, songs and broad humour with energetic physical theatre to present a light-hearted portrait of a magical land in which moa still roam and a young girl may escape certain death to find love and the happy-ever-after.

The play begins with gentle parody of what has become a cliche of indigenous theatre, a medley of native bird calls, as sun and then moon describe speedy arcs across a patch of sky.

Short scenes dart about time and place with dizzying rapidity.

A strong bond is formed between the ancient and indomitable pig huntress, Minna, and her pregnant great-granddaughter, Dianne.

Then - ping - to a farm in 19th-century Ireland where Elsie and her mother are feeding the chooks. A letter and moa egg arrive from New Zealand.

In a matter of moments they are on the ocean wave with an assortment of eccentrics, most notably Randolph, a lisping bird-fancier with designs on the giant egg, and his ditsy wife, whose strangulated Home Counties vowels mangle Maori words to great comic effect.

Writers and performers Julie Nolan and Kate Parker project an infectious sense of utter enjoyment. Their rapport is such that slips are simply an opportunity for more fun.

Parker, whose stillness and grace were so arresting in The Candlestickmaker, attacks the roles of Minna, Elsie and the Maori language mauler, Maree, with gusto, never failing to go over the top when it is appropriate.

She is indisputably the star of the show when, mounted on Georgie the Moa, she parades the theatre to laughter and thunderous applause.

Nolan's approach is gentler, as befits the less extroverted characters she plays, but she has considerable charm and a quick wit.

Suitable for children of ages from eight to 80, Moahunting is charming comedy.