Going to the theatre is exciting. That’s a given. Well, it is for me. I may grow out of it – it’s only 60 years after all, and anything’s possible – but somehow, I doubt it.

Productions like Raru e Maruakaītā certainly reinforce my love of the work, and the excitement it generates.

That excitement doesn’t ever wear thin, and a visit to Te Pou Theatre is always something I, in advance, look forward to, and, in retrospect, treasure.

They really know how to do it.

My research for Raru e Maruakaītā proved challenging because I couldn’t find out much about the show beyond that it’s a Kūki Airani (Cook Island’s) based work. I did find that a show of the same name and most of the same people had enjoyed a season at BATS in early 2023 as a ‘jukebox musical’. A ‘jukebox musical’ (in case you didn’t know, I didn’t) is a stage musical in which most of the songs are well-known, pre-existing, contemporary pop numbers rather than material newly composed for the work. Yep, like John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, a delicious expose of the criminal underworld in Augustan London or, in a more contemporary filmic version of the genre, An American in Paris and Singin’ in the Rain. In my own defence, I did know about them.

Interesting, certainly, but it seems ‘jukebox musical’ is no longer the form being used in this new production staged for two nights (three performances) in the Tokomanawa Theatre at Te Pou Theatre. The Te Pou hospitality is on show as it always is with a welcoming host at the door and box office staff who are simply the best in the city. ‘Are you excited?’ I am asked. Turns out I am, though I’d not realised quite how much.

When I checked out Kūki Airani theatre, I couldn’t find much reference to that as a form either. Turns out, that’s because there isn’t much. I did track down an interview with the principals at one of my favourite media sources, The Coconet (check it out if you haven’t already), and found this: ‘Cook Islands theatre is making waves on the New Zealand stage, and at the heart of this movement are two passionate creatives: Poe Tiare Tararo and Roy Iro. Both Tararo and Iro are dedicated to bringing stories from their Cook Islands heritage to the forefront of theatre, creating a space where myths, legends, and contemporary experiences are celebrated. Poe Tiare Tararo, the playwright and lead actor in Raru e Maruakaītā, has long been driven by the desire to preserve and share the stories of the Cook Islands. For her, theatre is more than just a form of artistic expression; it’s a way to keep her culture alive. “I have always felt a responsibility to write about the stories that my grandparents and ancestors passed down. There is a richness in these legends that can speak to all generations if we share them in the right way.”

Tararo views her work as part of a larger movement to ensure that the Cook Islands’ cultural narratives are not lost, particularly for younger audiences growing up in New Zealand. “Our stories aren’t as well-known here, and I want to change that. I want our youth to feel proud when they hear a story from their island and know that it’s part of who they are.”

For Roy Iro, acting is about more than playing a role; it’s a way to connect with his heritage and pass on that connection to others. “Theatre is a powerful medium for our people to see themselves reflected on stage. Every time I perform a Cook Islands story, I feel like I’m standing on the shoulders of our ancestors. It’s about honouring where we come from.” His involvement in the production stems from a deeply personal place, as he believes the play offers an authentic representation of Cook Islands culture that audiences rarely see in mainstream theatre. “It’s not just about telling old stories; it’s about adapting them to speak to where we are now. We’re using the old fables, but we’re making them relatable to today’s world. That’s how you keep a culture alive — you let it grow and evolve.”’

Sound familiar? It should, because our own indigenous theatre with Te Ao Māori content, post colonisation, evolved in a similar way, as it has in many indigenous cultures around the globe in recent years. Long live the Renaissance, let’s make it the norm rather than the exception, and let’s honour those names we must never forget: Te Ika a Maui Players, Rowley Habib, Jim Moriarty, Brian Potiki, Maranga Mai who “drew widespread and mostly adverse comment, especially from politicians and the press, for inciting ‘racial disharmony” (sound familiar), Rawiri Paratene, Rangimoana Taylor, Te Ohu Whakaari, Apirana Taylor, Riwia Brown, Briar Grace-Smith, Taki Rua, Hone Kouka, and, of course, Don Selwyn.

Both Tararo and Iro speak about challenging the divide between their honouring their own content and culture and being swamped by Aotearoa’s embedded pakeha traditions, about being Pacific Islanders in Aotearoa, navigating two worlds, and trying to hold on to who they are. Ask any of the names I’ve cited, and they’ll all tell you that, while it’s a rough road and it ain’t all going to happen tomorrow, it’s more than worth the effort involved.

Tararo’s play, Raru e Maruakaītā, represents a unique collaboration between these two creatives. Tararo wrote the play to bring one of the less well-known Cook Islands fables to life, drawing on the myth’s themes of survival, strength, and cultural identity told to children in the traditional homeland, warning them of the dangers of greed and ambition. The story serves as both a cautionary tale and a moral lesson, reminding young listeners that the pursuit of power or wealth at any cost can lead to devastating consequences.

Produced by Ngahiriwa Rauhina, written by Poe Tiare Tararo, and with Tainui Tukiwaho on board as a new set of eyes for this northern iteration, Raru e Maruakaītā has become a darker version of itself.  As the narrative unfolds, we are confronted by awe-inspiring visuals projected on a floor to ceiling screen, images of a brace of God’s and God-like human’s (a pastor, a come-hither drug dealer), the overall impression of two young people whose lives are not wholly driven by their own intentions. We are exposed to themes of death, domestic abuse, and family-gone-awry, all driven by a thread of dark comedy anchored in a deep and innate understanding of sibling psychology.

Poe Tiare Tararo as Raru is splendid, credible to a point, and we understand – and even accept – the intense and justified emotions she feels about her situation. She makes the role look easy, but it’s not. It’s profoundly nuanced but she avoids all the potential pitfalls that could easily have unbalanced the narrative

Roy Iro as Maruakaītā is also excellent. Locked between a rock and a hard place, Maruakaītā makes all the wrong choices, even before the play starts, and we are left with the dilemma posed by the end of the play: just how much ‘just desserts’ can actually be considered just, and what other options might there be available to Raru in her decision making. Whatever you might end up thinking, it’s a powerful finale whether you see it as realistic or existentially symbolic. Sorry, no spoiler this time.

Tainui Tukiwaho directs. Tukiwaho is one of the great symbolist directors working in Aotearoa in recent years – and, of course, actors play actions. This production is rich in symbolism, if it’s not the outsized God’s manipulating us poor humans it’s the ongoing action played by Raru, filling, emptying, and refilling a set of cardboard boxes. Is it symbolic, and if so, symbolic of what?

History, well, the almost three thousand years of Greek literary – and mythological – history, tells us that their gods intervene in human affairs. They get involved in sibling arguments, petty squabbles between individuals, and they even had babies with humans. Obviously, real Greek history was a wee bit different from Greek mythology, yet the parallels with Kūki Airani mythology – and mythological structures across the Pacific – are remarkably similar. This understanding is at the heart of Raru e Maruakaītā and it’s beautifully presented. Giant God-like puppeteers fiddling about with human’s emotions with tragic outcomes? Awesome, historically accurate, and thought-provoking.

Ex-president of the American Theatre Association Oscar G Brockett, reminds us that ‘symbolism cannot be logically understood, truth cannot be expressed directly, it can only be suggested through symbols that evoke feelings and states of mind, corresponding, though imprecisely, to the dramatist’s intuitions.’

In plays like Raru e Maruakaītā that use symbolism, the simple actions that a character plays, like the ongoing packing and unpacking of boxes, exposes a much deeper meaning.

Tukiwaho’s weighty direction nails it, big time. As always. His work is good, very good.

The curtain speeches talk about this being a ‘development season’. It’s better than that, and there is no need to disguise any imagined shortcomings behind the term ‘development’. OK, it’s a personal view, but I’m not a fan of the term ‘development’. Make your work and stand by what you’ve made. Raru e Maruakaītā is well worth it.

My last word goes to actor Roy Iro who plays Maruakaītā. Iro says “when the opportunity came to audition for a character of Kūki descent, I had to snag it. It’s not about the work, it’s about the culture, so our job isn’t only to do a service to ourselves, it’s to do a service to our community as our number one priority.’

To Poe Tiare Tararo, keep writing. It’s a damn good script. Be proud of it and more please.

To Tainui Tukiwaho, another win. Well done.

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