‘Public Figures’

Press, 27 April 1984, Page 4

‘Public Figures’

'‘Public Figures,” a dance revue choreographed by Paul Jenden, presented by the New Zealand Students’ Arts Council. At the Arts Centre Great Hall, from Thursday, April 26, to Saturday, April 28. Running time: 8 p.m. to 9.50 p.m. Reviewed by John Farnsworth. This was a strangely mixed performance, ranging from the anaemic to the enjoyable. It was hardly improved by the shoddy organisation sprinkled throughout the evening, from an enforced wait by the audience outside the venue until after starting time to the absence of coffee promised at interval. The programme itself is really a series of male duets by Paul Jenden and Louis Solino, except for a single appearance by Christina Asher in the second half. The first of four dances

was “Punch and Judy.” The two dancers, dehumanised by stockinged masks and bright costumes, broadly retold the traditional tales to the music of Ry Cooder. Unfortunately, the originals are both funnier and often easier to grasp, even if they are for children. Of the “Three Tales” which followed, the vivid image of “Harpie” stood out, created by a clever mask, dexterous movements and some fitting Kenyan rhythms. The last item in the first half, “Brief Spell,” was also the most substantial, interweaving simple fables to construct a tale about change and loss. At times, this had an enchantment that was enhanced by some charming medieval music, but some of the performance was surprisingly impersonal, especially in the intimate male dance

sequences. The second half was given over to nightclubbing, with “Love Songs” to the thundering music of Ike and Tina Turner, complete with the rusty favourite “River Deep, Mountain High." Christina Asher smouldered lithely between her undulating partners, and although the numbers revived stolid male-female stereotypes, nonetheless there was a nice sense of style, fun and rhythm. The sequences moved from the fluid to the amusing and, judging by the prolonged applause from a small audience, was a great hit. In all, however, this was a disappointing performance, especially from dancers who possess obvious flair and technique but who seemed, on this showing at least, unable to sustain a necessary sense of involvement.