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3-10 Feb 1996, University Theatre, The Arts Centre, Festival of Romance
Power! is a play about electricity.
In its earliest incarnations, electricity was a kind of magical force, something to be exhibited at the sideshow to curious awestruck onlookers. But it quickly became an essential part of daily life, something now taken for granted by almost everyone in the industrialized world. At its most fundamental level, what it does is give us light and heat when it is dark and cold. That is, electricity liberates humanity from the constraints of nature and contravenes the ordering of day and night. The power that travels through poles and wires is an invisible yet vital force that connects us each to the other. Power! is about the way in which electricity is generated and distributed. The way decisions about the generation and distribution of electricity are made affects us all. Power! is a play about power. |
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ReviewsCast member Peter Currie said the play took an extra dimension when Southpower announced an April price rise of 4.9 per cent just as the play season got underway. Since then, in the resulting public controversy and the ensuing debate about how Southpower should be owned, the play has had almost daily additions to the plot. 
...were it not for the magic hand of Sharon Mazer, transforming this curiosity into a piece of vibrant, intelligent theatre, with plenty to say and a brilliant way of saying it.... You won't often see theatre more entertaining and more vital than this. 
I was sceptical that a play about electricity could spark my interest but it did - thanks to some imaginative direction. 
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PublicityFree Theatre develops powerful messages
The Press, Wednesday January 31, 1996 Two-way power Christchurch Star, Wednesday January 31, 1996 The Free Theatre: A fortunate Experiment Robyn Mitchell, publication unknown, Vol Feb. 1996 Power and People Theatre News, February, 1996 *cover image Power! play Chronicle, Vol 31, No. 1, 1 February, 1996 Free Theatre produces "Power" The Christchurch Mail, Thursday February 1, 1996 Festival of Romance Listing 
While preachy in content, the style of presentation is energetic and cuts across the words with clever movement and dance. The accomplished cast is nicely headed by Robin and Greta Bond. 
Brilliant choreography and athleticism compliment strong performances by the majority of the cast, while Sharon Mazer's seamless direction contributes to an enjoyable, amusing and professional performances. 
This was undemanding and pretty ephemeral satire-from-a-position-of-comfort, hardly worth the energy and invention that went into staging it. My appetite for a genuinely contemporary and provocative treatment of "power" in our society is whetted. ...Southpower's policies were hitting the headlines in Christchurch during the season and the script was rewritten daily to update developments. On the night I attended the general manager of Southpower was in the audiences to check out the play. |
