New Zealand’s first professional Pacific Island musical is both slick and sincere.
The Factory
The Factory, billed as New Zealand’s first professional Pacific Island musical, begins in darkness, with the gentle sound and rhythm of the sea lapping on the shore. Layers are added to the aural landscape – first strings, then percussion, then other instruments – until finally the cast’s voices rise in unison, building to a melodic roar.
It’s a spine-tingling start to a show about Islanders’ experience in Aotearoa, of which the eponymous factory is a microcosm.
Created by Vela Manusaute and Anapela Polataivao in close collaboration with the cast, The Factory manages the neat trick of being both slick and sincere, and the performers pull off the difficult feat of making everything seem effortless.
Poulima Salima’s music channels numerous influences – including the funky soul of Car Wash – and is delivered by the excellent musical ensemble with a Pasifika inflection; Siaosi Mulipola’s choreography is enormously fun and energetic while advancing the story; and Sean Coyle’s set and lighting design are deceptively simple and extremely effective.
Although it offers a critique of the callousness of contemporary capitalism, not to mention this country’s casual racism and entrenched inequality, The Factory is ultimately a celebration of community and ends on a note of optimism that’s honestly earned.
Which is not to say all is perfect – a few lyrics tip into the trite, and soggy enunciation and a sometimes muddy sound mix are occasional problems. But, when all’s said and sung, these are carping quibbles about a joyful triumph that brought the opening night audience to their feet.
THE FACTORY, written and directed by Vela Manusaute and Anapela Polataivao, Kila Kokonut Krew at the Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland, until September 10.