The Whale Rider at The Civic

Reviewed by PAUL SIMEI-BARTON

It is enchanting to imagine that the stage version of The Whale Rider could emulate the international success of its screen cousin. Producer Logan Brewer certainly has the vision to make such a dream a reality, and he has assembled an impressive array of talent to bring Witi Ihimaera's story to life on the stage.

Guiding the production is Toby Gough, an acclaimed writer-director whose intriguing credits list includes a series of cross-cultural Shakespearian productions in locations as diverse as Havana, Delhi and Lhasa. His staging is brilliantly inventive, demonstrating that the most moving spectacles can be generated by the simplest of means.

The drama is most engaging in its portrayal of the hardcase denizens of Whangara. Karlos Drinkwater as Uncle Rawiri projects an infectious sense of humour from the moment he walks on stage.

Vicky Haughton as Nanny Flowers, and an irrepressible Mabel Wharekawa-Burt, also deliver robust performances that keep the drama firmly grounded in the rural community that has gifted this wonderful story to the world.

Rawiri Paratene as Koro commands the stage with an imposing physical presence. His superbly modulated voice glides effortlessly between a mellow resonance used for narrating the mythical story and the gruff staccato of Koro's vernacular.

Newcomer Joylene Davis brings freshness and vitality to the pivotal role of Pai. Her impressive dexterity with the patu and taiaha allow her to convincingly take on the boys who are being drilled to usurp her leadership role in the community.

The drama is interspersed with moving performances by the Matariki kapa haka group, and brief but highly effective interludes of contemporary dance choreographed by Maaka Pepene.

At the heart of the novel, Ihimaera speaks of the difficulty of joining two worlds - the real and the unreal, the natural and supernatural, the scientific and the fantastic. This metaphysical challenge is echoed in the technical and imaginative problems inherent in bringing a pod of whales into the Civic.

In depicting the migration, led by the Ancient One ridden by Paikea on his original journey to Whangara, the production is not totally convincing. These sequences are lyrically described in Ihimaera's novel, but this is the only element of the production where one felt there was some failure of stagecraft.

Musical director Wayne Laird creates some deeply evocative soundscapes, but though he manages to avoid the New Age cliches of whale song, he makes some strange musical choices in scoring the migration.

When the whales leave the warm waters of Hawaiki they are accompanied by the pounding rhythms of Cook Island log drums. The sound is uplifting but seems incongruous with the fluid movements of a cetacean migration.

Similarly, as the herd breaks out of an Antarctic ice cave, the performance of a spirited haka strikes a discordant note.

When Koro explains the military origin of haka gestures to the students at his wananga, he identifies the reason why this art form might not be the best choice for representing the numinous presence of leviathan.

The ethereal singing of Hinewehi Mohi was much more successful in articulating the voice of the whales, but the frequent intrusion of electronic rhythms meant she did not always have the space needed to establish the ineffable quality of whalesong.

However, in the opening and closing sequence all of these problems are brilliantly resolved. A harness and simple floating shapes combine with Bryan Caldwell's magical lighting effects to create a dazzling image of Paikea's mysterious liaison with the whale.