Riverside Theatres presents
An Auckland Theatre Company production
still life with chickens
By D.F. Mamea
Some friendships are just clucking surprising!
When Mama discovers a mischievous chicken invading her flourishing veggie garden her first instinct is to reach for the spade. But what starts out as a skirmish over the silverbeet develops into an unlikely friendship.
Award-winning playwright D.F. Mamea’s slice-of-life story paints a vivid portrait of the local neighbourhood, its colourful characters, and Mama’s dreams for herself and her family. Goretti Chadwick (Pani and Pani) gives a tour-de-force performance in the role of a lifetime, as she brings this glorious character to life.
An intimate, heart-warming, and funny play about friendship, loss, love and life. Still Life with Chickens was developed with the support of Auckland Theatre Company.
Dates & Times
Wednesday 7 August at 7:45pm
Thursday 8 August at 7:45pm
Friday 9 August at 7:45pm
Saturday 10 August at 2:15pm and 7:45pm
DIONE JOSEPH – NZ HERALD
David Fa’auliuli Mamea’s one-woman play (very capably supported by puppeteered chicken) is a charming chamber production.Still Life With Chickens offers a glimpse into the life of Mama, an ageing Samoan woman who fights off loneliness with a few simple strategies: talking to her deceased cat, warding off her nosy neighbour’s attempts at pumpkin-thieving and rebutting her husband’s incessant food-centric demands with wifely humour.
But Mama needs something more. She needs something to love, something alive and preferably something that won’t talk back to her. Enter Moa, a homeless chicken that, after narrowly missing the pot, finds a home in the heart of an old lady.
Mamea’s writing is lyrical and insightful and his portrayal of Mama is both familiar and touching. Goretti Chadwick is a wonderful comedian and her performance gives life to a strikingly familiar character, not necessarily for the details of her journey but for the empathy she arouses.
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