The Afterbirth of a Legend
Morning Magpie, 46 Stuart St, Dunedin
27/04/2017 - 29/04/2017
Production Details
Sacrilege
After a stressful year it seems that all might be lost for Sacrilege; the founding members have scattered to all corners of the globe. The company has been left in the incompetent and terrified hands of Jake Hammer, a wannabe rockstar hailing from the outskirts of Ohakune. With the help of the mysterious Accompanist he must find a cast, assemble a show and save Sacrilege. He might even learn how to knot his tie.
Sacrilege is a company dedicated to bringing high quality comedy and cabaret to Dunedin, with a particular focus on breaking norms and providing a platform for performers marginalised by mainstream drag and burlesque culture.
“It’s like hearing Prince Tui Teka play live, but like… in my stomach?”
Starring Jasper Ririnui as Jake Hammer and Tyler Neumann as The Accompanist.
Play dates: April 27-29, 2017
Times: All shows 8pm
Morning Magpie, 46 Stuart Street, Dunedin 9016.
$15/$10 concession. Door sales only.
R16. Contains nudity and sexual themes.
Cabaret , Theatre ,
A memorable, unique experience
Review by Emer Lyons 28th Apr 2017
Tonight, Sacrilege Productions popped my cabaret cherry and it was like the first time everyone dreams of (and hardly anyone gets): low-lighting, piano playing, serenading, magic and poetry. Except… the piano player is in a gimp costume, the serenading is done by a Swedish woman in her knickers, the magic is performed by a palaeontologist and the poetry is a mix of creepy and kinky.
The Morning Magpie café provides the perfect backdrop for The Afterbirth of a Legend: A drag cabaret. The intimate setting relaxes the audience members who may be unsettled by the greeting of a sign, “Performers may interact with audience members.” Don’t let this alarm you, the interactions are gauged effortlessly by the vivacious performers.
Our guide for the evening is Jake Hammer (Jasper Ririnui), whose friend Dr Richard B Hayve (the disembodied voice of Maddie Woods brought to us via a very kitsch flip phone) has left him with the job of running auditions for the upcoming cabaret with the help of The Accompanist (the fabulously talented piano player Tyler Neumann).
The auditions commence and it’s like a talent contest jumble sale packed with gems. Stella del Lure (Megan Wilson) has come all the way from Sweden to fulfil her Dunedin dream; Hieronymous Black (Jerome Rouse) swoops in and out determined to get to the 18th stanza of ‘The Raven’; Andrew & Andrea Woolf’s (Andrew Brinsley-Pirie) gyrating and juggling provides glittering sex appeal; Magnificus Rex (Allyn Robins) performs musically stimulated magic tricks and Ms S Hambles (Sofie Welvaert) surprises and delights the audience with her poetic candour.
Sacrilege was founded in late 2015 by a group of local queer and alternative performers. The performances are staged to challenge harmful standards present in drag, fetish and burlesque performance. The performance pamphlet includes A Note about Pronouns, content warnings and contact details for Sacrilege in the event that audience members may have issues they’d like to discuss.
All of this weaves the inclusive net that writer/director Kerry Lane and everyone involved in the production are throwing out into the community. They are creating a queer, safe space for people to express themselves in a non-judgemental encouraging environment. In a time where the world feels more and more insular, queer progressive theatre is of the utmost importance and deserves support.
The Afterbirth of a Legend is a memorable, unique experience that will get people talking and open up the Dunedin audience to realms outside of the norm. I look forward to seeing what Sacrilege does next.
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