Reckoning – Te Waiata Paihere Wairua

Yoruba and Ngati Tuwharetoa musician Samuel Gaskin has a lot to say about racism and injustice. That he does it through music makes his message clear and strong – especially in this performance where graphic visuals reinforce and sustain his words. Reckoning is using theatre not just to entertain but to reflect society and to herald the need for change. It is activism in its less strident but equally powerful form.

Gaskin uses harsh events of childhood to expound the effects of abuse and discrimination. He does so openly, not attempting to hide where such treatment leads or scars it leaves. But Gaking infuses his production with hope and love – especially in his special family/marriage equality  song “Love”.

Accompanied by The Meridas, Gaskin merges Maori and Aboriginal cultural music and sound and colour, stressing the strength that comes from ancestral and family connections. The costumes in primary colours are highlighted by bright light. A huge, illuminated figure watches over the production, as smokes billows below and cascades over the stage. The setting certainly infers that the ancestors are there in force.

Reckoning won four awards at the Melbourne Fringe. Its harsh message is clear – but it is told with optimism and the promise that change can come.

Carol Wimmer

Photographer: Jackson Grant