Review: Te Tupua - The Goblin offers rollicking ride through the life and story of Jimmy Graham

John G Davies' drama remains a powerful piece of storytelling.

REVIEW

Te Tupua - The Goblin

Written and performed by John G Davies

Performed at Hamilton Arts Festival, March 3

Reviewed by CATE PRESTIDGE

In just over an hour, veteran stage performer John G Davies takes us on a rollicking ride to bring to life the story of Jimmy Graham, a young Highland Scot displaced and exiled from his family.

From the rough and tumble of his harsh early years at sea to a shipwreck and capture by Māori, Jimmy’s survival often hangs on a thread of fortune, wit and opportunity.

This is history brought to life in vivid form by Davies. He invites the audience in with a mihi, introducing himself as a sort of everyman inquiring about the life of an ancestor and trying to make sense of the past.

Strong use of te reo Māori throughout the play is contextualised by the action, and Davies’ stagecraft, honed over 50 years, sees him move impressively between the wiry smallness and vulnerability of young Jimmy to shouting sailors, Māori chiefs, wāhine, soldiers and ‘freaks’.

In one scene, his voice flutes high and his hands soften as he becomes the immense presence of ‘her’, contrasting with the tightly wound energy of adult Jimmy – by now, Te Tupua.

While some non-speakers of te reo Māori may find the language a barrier to a specific understanding of the text in places, Davies’ characterisation reveals relationship dynamics so meaning can be made – a tilt of a head, the squaring of shoulders, a crouch or the softness of a footfall speak volumes.

Davies uses the simple set to great effect, with a strong wooden bench anchoring the action and transforming into multiple spaces as he clambers, leaps and slides across it. A paddle, laden with a specific significance, takes on many forms, most effectively for me in the early stages as a portal - a simple but well-executed device.

Performances in the Medici Court at Hamilton Gardens are always special, and while there was some sound bleed from other events nearby and a noisy helicopter overhead, these things are expected and didn’t detract me from the main action. This is a show Davies debuted nearly 20 years ago, and it remains a powerful piece of storytelling.