N.Z. street-life on stage

Press, 18 January 1986, Page 20

N.Z. street-life on stage

Driftwood. By Rachel McAlpine. Victoria University Press, 1985. 73 pp. $8.50 (paperback). (Reviewed by Paul R. Bushnell) This latest issue in the New Zealand playscripts series represents a development for its author from the self-consciously poetic style of her earlier play “The Stationary Sixth Form Poetry Trip.” McAlpine has moved from the classroom on to the streets, and presents a panoramic view of young people moving restlessly through the years before adulthood. In search of a future and an identity they compete in breakdancing competitions, sniff glue, go surfing, talk with each other, and argue with their parents. Many of the scenes seem convincing and McAlpine writes characters which

are sharply differentiated. Only the adult figures are shadowy. This may be intentional, but the character of Miss Pike, the local girl made good in the big city, is little more than a cliche. The subplot which concerns her, tells of an offer for two gifted young dancers to appear in a televison programme. Compared to the rest of the play, it lacks sense or credibility and is out of key with the surrounding scenes.

Despite the passing of the breakdancing fad which is so important a part of the play, “Driftwood” will probably find a secure niche in secondary schools, both for study and performance. It is one of the few New Zealand plays which deal with the experience of the lives of young adults.