Witty dialogue and sight gags give way to a surprising depth of emotion in Michele Amas’ entertaining The Pink Hammer, at the Globe Theatre.

Directed by Terry MacTavish and starring a very fine ensemble cast of four women and one man, The Pink Hammer uses a clever comic set up to explore the universal topics of love, loneliness and the power of friendship. [More]
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Maggie has absconded with their money, so when Louise, Siobhan, Annabel and Helen turn up for their carpentry course there’s no-one there but Maggie’s furious husband, Woody.

The chances of his taking over and teaching them a few useful skills look non-existent.

Playwright Michele Amas has come up with some intriguing, if not always sympathetic characters. [More] 

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A sawhorse collapses with a clatter. The audience roars with laughter. Four women are at a carpentry empowerment workshop (gone wrong), and one has just sawed right through her workstation. They have convinced carpenter Woody to teach them the basics. This is The Pink Hammer. In for the quips and gags, here for the progressive character studies, and staying – enlivening its audience with effective, loud hammer thuds to drive home a point and one hell of an unexpected, but perfect, ending. 

God, we women aren’t like that, are we? Audience members may find themselves recoiling. Four women inept with tools; blaming themselves for their father’s death/ son’s drug abuse/ absent mothering/ professional neglect; collective blackmailing; the stereotypes go on. The late Michele Amas wins me over however, not by scripting the one-on-one confiding—in the slower second act—of the guilt which has made the characters so timid/ domineering/ cold/ transient, but by having every single confidante say to the distressed person in question, “It’s not your fault. You did the best you could.” Or, “You can still make it right.”

This production raises the question of double standards – why do we blame ourselves when we’d never talk to others like that? Thankfully, it role-models listening, reassuring others, and pinning a twenty dollar note to a guy’s dartboard to encourage him to “Travel the world one day” and help him out of his comfort zone. 

Ray Fleury and David Thompson have constructed the classic Kiwi garage “with screws in jars, and silhouettes on the wall for the tools” down to the final tee. Their attention to detail does justice to the garage; each and every of the play’s eight scenes are comfortably set herein. Brian Byas’ lighting is simple and effective: one blinding overhead light for day, and a soft lamp supported with other soft lighting and ‘outdoor’ lighting through the garage doors for night. 

Director Terry MacTavish has assembled a superb cast. Hannah Pearson (Siobhan) is a charismatic upbeat character. She’s at home both on stage and in Woody’s workshop. Siobhan throws darts or helps herself to a beer from the beer fridge. Pearson can also sing a fine, haunting tune. Sofie Welvaert (Helen), rather than resorting to eye-liner wrinkles or talcum hair, ages herself simply by her posture, discrete limp, and reserve. She’s the one character who sides with Woody, at first (a relief!), but also, perhaps slyly, the one character coherent enough to see they can blackmail him.

Mārama Grant (Annabel) is deliciously painful as the psychologist in denial. A strong actor, she keeps her character, which could too easily become a super caricature, in balance. Laura Wells (Louise) has the versatility to act timid. “Look, you made her scratch,” Siobhan says to Woody when he embarrasses her, and there she is with her nervous itch. Soon she’s a loud, adorable drunk. And finally, a socially-rejuvenated star.

Ashley Stewart (Woody) shows a similar versatility in reverse, going from an aggressive, jittery and rightly annoyed man to a caring, sprawling sort. He better covers Louise with a blanket as she sleeps off her hangover, and dims the lamp.

While this play (written seven years ago) functions heavily on gender and class stereotypes, themes of solidarity, humour and support in times of crisis are what really come through and make this play so relevant. Its intended audience is having a great night. The cast does a wonderful job and obviously enjoys being in character.

Thought provoking, moving, and full of good laughs, this The Pink Hammer is a beautiful tribute to Michele Amas, and an emotional success.  

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