DINNER
Te Auaha, Tapere Iti, 65 Dixon St, Wellington
04/03/2020 - 07/03/2020
Production Details
Written, directed and performed by Eli Payne
“A dark and surreal piece embodying a home of family violence and hereditary depression; where the parasite of Human Decay takes human shape, and rules as king. Dinner is an abstract piece, filled with raw emotion, that will incite the grinding and gnawing of teeth.”
Created by recent Te Auaha graduate Eli Payne, Dinner is a show that deals with the ugly side of humanity, focusing on mental illness (specifically manic depression) and abuse, and its ramifications, shown through the story of a family that is plagued by this ‘Parasite of Human Decay’.
Taking heavy inspiration from expressionist, abstract, and physical theatre, Dinner relies on physical cues and body language rather than text and dialogue to tell a story, thanks to its unnerving Butoh-inspired style.
Tapere Iti at Te Auaha, 65 Dixon Street, Wellington
Wednesday 04 – Saturday 07 March 2020
9:30pm
Price General Admission $15.00 Concession $12.00 Fringe Addict $10.50
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Wheelchair access available
Theatre , Solo ,
Makes beauty out of horror, destruction and nihilism
Review by Michael Gilchrist 05th Mar 2020
“Dinner is a dark and surreal piece embodying a home of family violence and hereditary depression; where the parasite of Human Decay takes human shape, and rules as King.
“Dinner is an abstract piece filled with raw emotion that will incite the grinding and gnawing of teeth…” Or so says the flyer.
Patrons are greeted with a sign at the entry: “Dinner contains material that may offend. These include depictions of violence, mental illness, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, gore, and self-harm.” Laugh if you dare.
Writer, director and central actor, Eli Payne, delivers a dinner unlike any you will ever experience. This is a stunning display of pure physical theatre, extending to vocalization. Payne is the ‘chef’, the creator of Dinner – a challenging, cerebral and visceral smorgasbord of horrors. It is ugly, brutal and dramatic. And, I love it.
Payne’s mesmerizing performance, in which he sustains four central roles, sets the stage for a harrowing 60 minutes. The early rape scene is handled with skill, empathy and range. Bravo, to that alone.
At Dinner’s heart is the pain and destruction of family neglect; societal pressures to maintain ‘appearances’; and the resulting loss of identity. On first encountering its brooding set, darkly-lit with a two-metre high vulva-esque opening in the curtains, one could be forgiven for anticipating a ‘birth’ of sorts. Do we create monsters, or are they born that way? Can one escape the ‘darkness’ of our family of origin? These questions are explored throughout Dinner’s provocative content.
Parasites 2, 3 and 4 (Nanuk Black, Jonathan Beresford, and Lucia Tabeira) provide the meat to Payne’s bones – their performances are both riveting and disturbing. Tabeira’s co-direction, props and minimalist set, skilfully evoking a middle class family home, all contribute to a very fine offering from a promising company, Eclectic.
How can you make beauty out of horror, destruction and nihilism? Dinner achieves that and leaves you wanting more. But the warnings are apt: proceed with caution, please.
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
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