PURPLE ONION
Pātaka Art + Museum, 17 Parumoana Street, Porirua
01/12/2016 - 03/12/2016
Production Details
“My mother taught me how to dance, my grandmother taught her how to “entertain”. We are hostesses by nature and naturally … we dance” – Fusi
Inspired by the stories of Pasi Daniels (original owner of the Purple Onion nightclub) and Carmen: my life: as told to Paul Martin – this development piece peeps into the world of Wellington’s infamous burlesque parlour, the Purple Onion. Established in the mid 1960s, the Purple Onion was Wellington’s premiere strip club which attracted some of New Zealand’s social elite as well as its fair share of dubious characters. Le Moana were originally supported by the Pūtahi Festival in Wellington to present a first development of the Purple Onion in February 2015. Since then, Le Moana have devised and further developed a contemporary interpretation of the comings and goings at the Onion for the Measina Festival 2016.
“The art of enticement, the dance of enticement…The drop of the head and eyes, to come across shy or submissive, while your eyes are fixed….on my hips moving side to side…” – Charlene
PATAKA Art + Museum, Porirua
Thursday 1 December & Friday 2 December at 8.30pm
Saturday, 3 December at 2pm & 9pm
Event prices range between $5-$15
Tickets can be purchased from http://www.ticketdirect.co.nz/event/season/1429
More information can be found by visiting https://measinafestival.org/
Theatre ,
Delightful delineation, music and dance
Review by Margaret Austin 02nd Dec 2016
The title of this show is eponymous – it recalls the late sixties and early seventies when the Purple Onion nightclub presided as Wellington’s notorious burlesque parlour, attracting New Zealand’s social elite as well as numerous dubious characters. It was a favourite hangout for Carmen, friends with owner Pasi Daniels.
Aptly performed by the group Le Moana, and directed by Tupe Lualua, the show is replete with a strident energy. There’s a band and a rendering of ‘Disco Baby’ to begin. Dancers – male and female – capture the spirit of the Onion with edgy, staccato movements. At one point, male dancers erupt into the audience – don’t sit in the front row!
Also embodying the spirit of the place is Madame Charlene – self-described as the “Diva of Desire”. We witness her promoting the charms of her girls over the phone. She succeeds in selling a “lucky dip” to a client, and instructs him, “Money up front and we’ll meet out the back.”
With such subject material, it would be difficult not to make a performance piece that is both intriguing and stageable. Individual characters are well delineated, as are the stories they tell.
But the real energy and delight in this show comes from the music and the dance. A round of applause for the dancers and the band.
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
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