London Producer Heaps Praise on Maui Production

“I loved it, I absolutely loved it” – Adam Spiegel, West End producer

West End theatre producer Adam Spiegel has lavished praise on the ground-breaking theatre production Maui - One Man Against The Gods calling it “one of the most accomplished and exciting pieces of raw theatre I have ever seen”.

Maui – One Man Against the Gods opened at Wellington’s Westpac St James Theatre on Wednesday night to a rapturous response from a packed house.

Spiegel, whose company produced the Olivier Award-nominated Fame The Musical and the UK tour of Saturday Night Fever, flew to Wellington specifically to see Maui and left extremely impressed.

“I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I was entranced right from the beginning and I would be very surprised if this show did not have a future outside this country.

“Maui is one of the most accomplished and exciting pieces of raw theatre I have ever seen – and I’m very hard to impress.

“In my job I see a lot of shows and there are very few new tricks in theatre, but Maui was immensely original and demonstrated an extraordinary variety of good theatrical skills.”

Maui – One Man Against the Gods was originated by dancer and artistic director Tanemahuta Gray and combines aerial theatre, traditional Maori kapa haka and contemporary dance to tell the legends of Maui.

“Maui tells the story of the legendary hero, whose epic adventures include capturing the sun and fishing up the North Island,” Gray says.

“Our aim was to combine cutting-edge theatrical devices with traditional Maori performance in a way that appeals to all New Zealanders and takes them on a journey where gods actually fly and one man challenges the laws of nature.”

The two-hour show features a cast of 20 performers, including eight aerialists, with original music by well known New Zealand composer Gareth Farr.

Maui – One Man Against The Gods is at Wellington’s Westpac St James Theatre until June 5. An Auckland season is scheduled for February 2006.

ENDS

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