We were all teenagers once. We may not have all had iPads, iPhones and access to an unending stream of cash, but we all went to school and we probably all disliked maths; it is of course “a glorious waste of time,” I say borrowing the words from the maths tutor himself. 

The Tutor finds John Sellers (Phil Vaughan), the father of a spoilt, unruly and angry teenager, trying to encourage/bribe his son, Nathan (sixteen year old Jake Metzger), to pass NCEA maths. Towards this end John employs the help of Richard Holton (Jon Pheloung), a “hippie” maths teacher from the local (low decile) high school “Bunga-roa High.”

John, a professed “dole bludger” and now a self-made millionaire, is as brash and abrasive as his son. Needless to say these attributes are less appealing on a 40+ year old man who really should know better. In his performance Vaughan hits the ground at 100km/hr and his pace and energy don’t relent throughout the entire show.

Unfortunately this leaves Vaughan nowhere to go; he is ‘too big too quick’ and although there are some subtleties in his performance his character becomes trapped and is threateningly close to appearing two dimensional. Vaughan is a very comic performer and his skills are utilised well in this piece – he certainly ‘gets the laughs’ – but I can’t help but wish there is just a little more depth in his characterisation. 

As John’s son, Metzger shows promise as a young actor. Nathan is the teenager we dread having, but the teenager we probably were. He is obnoxious and rude and… Let’s just say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Metzger holds his own well throughout and doesn’t allow his character to fall victim to the larger-than-life character that is his father. 

Richard, the tutor, has a tough gig but the compassion with which Pheloung approaches his role makes him every bit as loveable as John and Nathan are despicable. Pheloung proves that you don’t need to yell and swear to get what you want, or the audience’s attention for that matter.  

Under the experienced direction of Patrick Davies, The Tutor is full of those ‘little touches’ that prove to us no decision was made rashly during the creation of this piece. As we enter the foyer there is a wall of photographs placed directly opposite those of the actors. These faces are the faces of maths teachers and the wall is dedicated to them as a ‘Tribute to the Maths Teachers of Dunedin.’

Further, it is worth noting that all of the music played throughout the piece, and in the foyer pre and post show, is New Zealand music and there is a special dedication to showcasing the work of Dunedin artists and bands.

The set, I must say something of the set. It is immaculately constructed and even includes a real ‘water feature’ in the middle of the living space with the dining table off to the left and living room off to the right. The set looks good but I find the functionality of the space limiting as the actors are forced into a shallow stage with a bit of a dead space in the middle.

The Tutor marks the end of the Fortune Theatre’s ‘quad of comedies’: four excellent plays, well presented and incredibly well received. From here we will see the children’s show, a musical comedy straight from Broadway and the world premiere of the New Zealand drama, The Truth Game.

The Tutor is a high note to end this section of the Fortune Theatre’s season. If you don’t mind coarse language and the occasional racist slur The Tutor will undoubtedly prove to be a spectacular night out; very funny, very passionate and most importantly very New Zealand.
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