Composer home with 'Maui'

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34009, 25 November 1975, Page 14

Composer home with 'Maui'

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.Maori mythology has been put into dance-] drama form by a New Zealand writer and artist who has been living in London for 13 years. Royce Sutcliffe, of Auckland. has just returned to New Zealand in the hope of presenting the work to his homeland, through television. “The Maui Cycle.’’ says Mr Sutcliffe, portrays the Maori myth of the creation to the death of Maui and resultant i mortality of man, in a fulllength ballet. It uses mime, dance and drama, set to I voices, orchestration, and [electronic video techniques. A New Zealand composer/ [Chris Small, is writing the [music, and a British actor and

ballet dancer, Lindsay Kemp, is choreographer. Mr Sutcliffe wrote the scenario. Mr Small received praise when he presented a similar work at the Commonwealth Institute in London. Mr Kemp won an Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in the Ken Russell film, “Savage Messiah,” and is highly regarded in Britain as a ballet dancer and mime artist. David Bowie was trained in the Kemp mime troupe in the late sixties. Mr Kemp claims to be a descendant of William Kemp, Shakespeare’s clown, and says he found himself cast as an entertainer from an early age. For his “Maui Cycle,” Mr Sutcliffe envisages the use of Maori chants and rhythms, but this will be left to the composer. The choreography breaks down into semi-static; ritual figures, ritual dance, and free-form movement. It has three acts, and 10 scenes, climaxing in the death of Maui, the gods and the “great fish Aotearoa.” The idea developed from an exhibition of paintings based on the Maui theme, shown in Sydney in the very early sixties. If Maui is not enough, Mr Sutcliffe intends to bring a: 77,000 cu. ft monster to New; Zealand in the New Year. lt[ is a 75ft high, hot-air balloon ie hand-painted over six nonths and launched in Bri:ain last year to commemorite the history of flight. Huge panels around its circumference depict historic jvents, some of Hieronymus Bosch’s visions of hell are ■edrawn around its base, and he sky and various flying i objects are on top. i The balloon is named; ‘Marie Antoinette,” for the; .voman who persuaded Louis* <VI of France to let Pilatrel ie Rozier take the place of I i condemned criminal and jecome the first man to fly. Mr Sutcliffe says he would ike to settle again in New Zealand, but if he cannot irouse interest in his works lere he will be off to the Jnited States, or Australia, i