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Weaving historical fact with magical realism, Mark Twain & Me in Māoriland fuses a Spaghetti Western with an epic love story. Inspired by true events, this bullet-ridden, comic tale is set amidst the saloons of Whanganui in 1895 - a combustible time of mercenaries, prophets, vaudeville, and self-serving mayoralty.
This gun-toting production sparks from the true account of Mark Twain's Australasian lecture tour, which came to an abrupt halt when the outspoken writer incurred the wrath of the local English establishment. Twain shocked the colonials when he pronounced a Moutoa monument, honouring Māori loyal to the English, should be blown up for encouraging natives to become traitors to their own race. He also claimed the rebel Māori, slandered as barbarians and fanatics, were in fact the country's true patriots.
Taki Rua Productions' Mark Twain & Me in Māoriland blends live music with audio visual technology as it navigates the complexities and contradictions of colonisation. A theatrical stick of dynamite from the award-winning producers of Strange Resting Places and Te Karakia, this entertaining creation proves that history, as always, is far from black and white.
Writer: David Geary
Director: Anna Marbrook
Designers: John Gibson, Kasia Pol and Jessica Sanderson
Co-produced by the New Zealand International Arts Festival and the Auckland Festival.
Image: Robert Catto
More Info
Review
The Dominion Post Mar 15, 2010
Much of New Zealand's colonial history has been recorded from a British perspective, yet few probably realise that a prominent American travelling through the country in the mid-1890's made some rather astute observations on our race relations, whcih didn't go down well with his fellow Europeans.
