Love, death, marriage, religion, national identity, personal identity, an actor’s head-space and ninjas, are the motivating forces for writers of this year’s Short + Sweet, Theatre and Song finalists.

The afternoon starts at a cracking pace, with Annie & Joshua,a musical two-hander showcasing delightful, enjoyable performances by Bridget Costello and Callum Blackmore. Director Thomas Sainsbury’s tone is melodramatic and gushy by design, which works well in this brief format.

The performers are in fine voice, and while occasionally Costello is a bit shrill in her higher register, both are very strong in their recitative. Robbie Ellis is a suburb intuitive accompanist, always in synch with the singers. Lyrics start obvious, but just when the story arch looks certain to be sealed with a hug and a kiss, a twist emerges: the ‘Pre-nup’.

Writers Robbie Ellis (words & music) and Thomas Sainsbury (proto-words) master perfect structure and clear plot development. ‘Together Forever’ is a cheeky musical nod by Ellis, to ‘Tomorrow’, from the Broadway hit Annie. Ellis layers nice harmonies onto the final refrain (the only time these two talented singers break into harmony). Sainsbury’s equally cheeky cheesy moment, ripped from the blockbuster Titanic, is hilarious.

A fun, well-written, perky, wordy, light musical gem. Very easy to engage with and enjoy. The play-out music alone, should win a prize.

Next up is The Third Person by Dan Borengasser. While I’m initially very drawn into both the story and the method by which it’s told, for me, this work plateaus at the three-quarter mark. A side-of-stage narrator speaks to us – and a confused lone actor on stage – in the third person.

Mike Lowe is an accomplished narrator, articulating the location, action, mood, sound and special effects. While Lowe is polished and slick, Lauren Porteous, in the centre of her own narrated story, is natural and suitably organic. However, once the narrator becomes an actual character in her story, the momentum of the journey stalls somewhat. What started with promise, humour and intrigue, fizzes out to a flat end. 

Reading Lamouche
is witty, light and very entertaining.

More than any other finalist, each of writer Finnius F. Teppett’s well-formed and recognisable characters, holds my interest from the start. I am left wanting to know more about all of them, as well as what will happen next, in this comedy about a director trying to tame the egos of his cast during the first reading of a pretentious French play.

Greg Bailey as Stefano, a cocky self-absorbed method actor, is spot on in his delivery and execution; as are both Liesha Ward-Knox as the earnest and over-analysing Rose and Britta Brandt, whose character is, by contrast, straight-talking – no ‘BS’. Carl Drake, as the exasperated director trying to appease his demanding three, is marvellous, while Raj Singh as venue technician Tim, thrust into the play reading, brings a perfect ‘fish out of water’ energy to his performance. 

Great premise, great pace, great characters and great direction by Calum Gittins. I hope this promising work is expanded into something longer.

Writer Pete Malicki’s V.D. is brought to life brilliantly, through actress Jess Holly Bates and director Catherine Boniface. This work is a wonderful vehicle to showcase Bates’ versatility and skill.

First, she entertains as anxious fluffy OCD Sophie; facing her sixth Valentine’s Day with anticipated disappointment. Later, she is just as believable as Dan, the handsome princess who throws a twist into the mix.

Clever, topical, well structured, well delivered, real and well done.  While many finalists suffer from a weak end, here, Malicki finds the perfect note to finish on, plus the perfect play-out song. 

Writer Greg Gould, finds the ideal vehicle for his dark black comedy, Last Drinks, in the striking and impressive, Rachael Blampied, although her co-actor, Rohan Glynn, could have made more – both in terms of physical and verbal reaction – out of Rachael’s stunning entrance in full bridal-wear.

Director Matt Baker settles them into a dialogue that flows naturally, despite the utterly macabre nature of Gould’s premise: her boyfriends keep dying dramatically, while his attempts to kill himself, keep failing miserably.

Full credit to writer Robyn Paterson, for taking the forbidden fruit, the creation story or myth (depending on your perspective), and devising a tale of everyday domestic discord, complete with nits, golf and scary toes nails. In The World’s First Fight, director Patricia Vichmann and cast members Carl Drake and Val Carroll, strike up a believable interplay, which is enjoyable and entertaining.

However, because we know how things well end, the inevitable bite lacks a certain… bite.

Staged Madness by the Winter’s Collective and directed by Bruce Brown, is an ambitious premise, given the constraints of time. While talented cast members Matt Norton as a psychiatrist and Kate Vox as a disturbed patient are well matched, the loaded synopsis – an actress suffering from a breakdown who is being evaluated – is hard to jump into, given the time constraints.

While I am captivated by both performances, it does feel like a hard, if not impossible, task to ask the audience to jump holistically into the inner turmoils and conflicts of mind games and manipulations, at such a deep level, when the minutes tick by so fast.

The Antichrist Cometh, by David MacGregor and directed by Rebekah Bourhill, explores what might happen if an ordinary man discovers that he might be the Antichrist. While cast members Scott Hayden and Erica Kroger do well, because the entire premise is articulated in the first minute, and nothing else is on offer from MacGregor, the rest of the play therefore lacks jeopardy or suspense.

Script-wise, augmenting the premise with predicable, lame in-law and advertising jokes, doesn’t help. I feel removed and detached from the performances and premise.  

The Adventures of Kazu and Kengo(a.k.a. This is how Ninjas say hi…!), presented by The Oryza Foundation for Asian Performing Arts and directed by Gerald Urquhart, is as disjointed as the title itself. I’m not sure what is being sung or said half the time, but I do tap my toes and thoroughly enjoy the energy, commitment and bravery of these young ninjas: Kazuhide Shaun Okuda, Kengo Hosaka and Hiroshi Nakatsuji.

The relentless pre-recorded accompaniment is far too loud, often drowning out the vocals. Often the sung melody is note for note, the same as the accompaniment, making for a full frontal assault to the ears (MD & Composer: Jun Bin Lee). On saying that, the catchy refrain, “ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-nija”, could well be redeveloped into a cult classic, with the right direction and guidance.

In its current form, it’s silly cheesy slapstick. But in a good way. There is a frog, a princess, a journey to the RSA, and a misunderstood ruler with his finger dangerously close to a big red button that could destroy the world (overtones of Korean totalitarianism). The ruler then bursts into tears and needs a hug. Great to see that peace and love are the winners at the end of this ten-minute ninja epic. A pity, then, that one of the overly excited energised ninjas accidently treads on the big red button. Oh well, at least they end with a bang.

How fabulous to hear Blam Blam Blam’s timeless classic, ‘There Is No Depression In New Zealand’, to round off the night, as the lead in song for the final playette. The last finalist is Lucky C*ntrywritten by Jess Holly Bates and devised by Romy Hooper and Jess Holly Bates, for Dead Leg Theatre Company.

As the cast of two, Romy Hooper and Jess Holly Bates, give the audience a tsunami of issues for every parent and grandparent in the audience to think about – What do we tell our kids, our tamariki, about today’s New Zealand? What is right and what is wrong? What the hell is going on? – using several easy to recognise Kiwi characters, including a PC mother from Grey Lynn, a pig-hunter and a Maori man in touch with all aspects of his Maoritanga.

Perhaps Hooper and Bates needed an outside eye to give the work a more cohesive structure. It feels more like performance poetry in its current form. While it articulates issues of national identity very well, there is no suggested way forward, no possible solution, no hope offered. So what DO we tell our kids?  Sunscreen and slipslop slap is about the only black and white certainty in this potent mix. Exhausting. Yet in so many ways, necessary. Very necessary theatre.   

Short+Sweet Theatre Awards 2013

• Judges’ Choice Award – V.D
• People’s Choice Award – V.D.
• Best Director Award – Catherine Boniface
• Wallace Arts Trust Emerging Artist Award (Theatre) – Matt Baker-Matt Baker & Calum Gittins
• Best Actor Award – Callum Blackmore
• Best Actor Runner Up – Carl Drake
• Best Actress Award – Jess Holly Bates
• Best Actress Runners Up – Rachel Blampied & Romy Hooper
• Playmarket Best New Zealand Script Award – Lucky C*nt-ry (Written by Jess Holly Bates & Romy Hooper)
• Stage Manager’s Prize – Annie & Joshua
• Best Wildcard – The Third Person
• Best Independent Company (ITC) Award – Staged Madness
• Best Comedy Script – V.D by Pete Malicki
• Best Drama Script – Lucky C*nt-ry by Jess Holly Bates & Romy Hooper
• Jimmy Shoe Award (for best shoes in a performance) – Lauren Proteous
• Overachiever Award – Matt Baker-Matt Baker
• Not-By-Choice Cameo Award – Max Thompson

Short+Sweet Song Awards 2013

• Best Overall Prize – The Adventure’s of Kazu & Kengo
• Judges’ Choice Award – Annie & Joshua
• People’s Choice Award – The Adventure’s of Kazu & Kengo
• Wallace Arts Trust Emerging Artist Award (Song) – Callum Blackmore 

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