Restricted Time Solely is an entertaining and heartfelt exploration of affection, loss, and what’s essential in life.
The play follows three siblings who meet up on the one-year anniversary of their mum passing. Opening a mysterious envelope thrusts the siblings right into a reluctant journey by means of the close by wilderness, with the promise of treasure. The story is humorous and emotionally honest, rousing the viewers to laughter and (not less than one reviewer) to tears. The author/director, Hone Ngāwaka Taukiri, expertly lays down plot factors and motifs, and revisits them in shifting methods all through the piece.
The play appears like a 90s street journey film. Three siblings grudgingly band collectively for a typical objective. They should work collectively however nonetheless preserve secrets and techniques from each other. After emotional confrontations, they study that they every have helpful expertise and that they’ll study to beat their flaws by being a bit just like the others. The play even has Colgate-Characteristic-esque commercial breaks. Removed from being detracting, this adhesion to the tropes creates a recognisable framework to inform a pleasant and real story, and creates an immediate sentimental hit.
The commercial breaks, and the extradiegetic music breaks, are each inventive and really effectively executed. These absurdist parts work effectively as a technique to transition between scenes, and to indicate among the inside machinations of the characters. It’s much more rewarding that these commercial breaks develop into related to the story, on the finish. One among these commercial breaks entails viewers interplay, and the performer of this, Mateusz Budzyna-Dawidowski, skilfully works with the viewers, particularly the kids in attendance.
The performers all impressively realise the characters, and every provides a uniquely commanding efficiency. Of explicit notice are the musical items. Hone Ngāwaka Taukiri, must also be recommended for locating so some ways to utilise all three singing voices. Nikeidrian Lologa Peters’s performances on the guitar and keyboard are extraordinary and add lots to the play as a complete. Makanihi Tohu finds a plethora of small moments to attract consideration to, and extract the poignance out of.
The set and props throughout the play are sparse, however used to nice impact. Chairs stood in for boats, mountains, butterfly wings, and skydiving harnesses – simply to call just a few. It’s all the time entertaining to expertise a manufacturing which solely makes use of a singular useful resource, on this case chairs, however utilises it in thrilling and complete methods. This results in very creative and compelling theatre.
The programme describes this play as a ‘human story’, and that is an apt distillation. Hone Ngāwaka Taukiri does an unbelievable job of making a bit of theatre that portrays the oft intangible impact of ‘journey’ on people. The characters are usually not materially modified by the occasions of the play, however the journey has left an indelible mark, and the characters are given a brand new perspective. That is completed effectively, and makes for a satisfying and enchanting play.
Restricted Time Solely is an earnest, humorous and heartfelt piece. The performers masterfully carry the characters to life and combine the absurdist parts with ease. The creatives have all completed effectively to assemble such an attention-grabbing and cohesive piece of theatre.
Restricted Time Solely performs on the Te Pou Theatre as a part of the 2023 Rangatahi Season, from the twenty first to the twenty fifth of November, 2023.
