275 Times May 2017

REVIEW
MIRROR
MIRROR
Māngere Arts Centre’s Mirror
Mirror is South Auckland
at its finest. The classic
tale of Snow White retold
through a Pasifika lens,
the show combines heart,
soul and more laughter
than I could handle.
by Gabriel Faatau’uu
Set in Auckland, the story follows
Snowy (played by high school
student Irene Folau), as she
attempts to fulfil her father’s will
after his death by searching for
the legendary seven dwarves.
Snowy and her best friend Pati
(Luse Sua-Tuipulotu), travel around
Auckland seeking the dwarves while
facing difficulties created by Queen
B (Brady Peeti) and the trolls.
By the end of the journey, Snowy
learns that her mother was the
seventh dwarf. After her mother’s
death, the gift was passed on to her
first born – which we learn is Pati, the
best friend who was always her sister.
The show is beautifully written
and ticked all the boxes for
me. I thoroughly enjoyed the
South Auckland’s Snow White: Snowy (Irene Folau) and Queen B (Brady Peeti)
rock the stage at Māngere Arts Centre. (Photo: Tanya Muagututi’a)
storyline and the spin-off created
by the cast and directors Alison
Quigan and Troy Tu’ua.
Although at times I struggled to
hear certain solos, the music,
led by musical director Siosaia
Folau, and accompanied by
Elvis Lopeti’s contemporary
choreography, was astonishing.
I watched the show with my fouryear-old
nephew AJ, who has seen
many shows at the Centre. The
experience took me down memory
lane. I wondered how AJ would
understand the references to Arthur,
Captain Planet and Pokemon –
but he laughed just the same and
more. He now sings and dances to
all the songs at home every day.
Unlike AJ, I was not born nor
raised in Auckland, so I particularly
enjoyed Snowy’s journey as she
travels across the harbour bridge,
visits the night markets and finally
ends up in Māngere – it reminded
me a little of my own my life.
Although I was not part of this show,
I have been in of a couple of shows at
the Māngere Arts Centre where AJ has
seen me perform. I hope that one day;
he too will perform at Māngere Arts
Centre, and I can watch him
and be proud – like I am
of Mirror Mirror.
In the meantime, we’re both
looking forward to the Centre’s
next round of kids shows.
MARAMATAKA:
May 2017
by Ayla Hoeta
May is the last month
of the year according
to our maramataka
or lunar calendar.
If you follow the
maramataka you’ll notice
that we’ve just come out of
a late harvest season that
started on 3 March, when
Whānui (Vega) the harvest
star rose in the morning
sky at 35° north east.
This star is an ancient
time-marker telling us to
preserve and store our
food so we have plenty of
kai when the cold winter
months come around.
The end of the year
is also a time
to prepare for
the rising of
Puanga (Rigel
in Orion), the
star that marks
the New Year
for West Coast
communities.
This year Puanga will
be visible just before
sunrise on 10 June at 5°
above the horizon (siting
is at 100° south east).
The best place to view
Puanga will be the
Maraetai Wharf (close to
Umupuia Marae). Plan to
arrive about 6am, and
take a compass with you.
Mark a spot on the horizon
along the 100° line. The
bright star you’ll see is
Puanga
rising to signal the
start of the new year.
Start preparing your
fishing, planting, exercise
and social calendar for
the year. Then wait for the
kohurangi to flower. This
is the time to get going
and put all your welllaid
plans into action.
Te rākaunui, the
highest energy day,
is 9 May. The
days before
and after te
rākaunui
are always
quite highenergy
as well.
Tangaroa a mua,
Tangaroa a roto,
and Tangaroa kiokio
(16 – 18 May) are good
planting and fishing days.
Check out the 275 Times
Facebook page if you
need a maramataka dial.
Enjoy whānau.
Kohurangi blossom: a sign
that it’s time to put your plans
into action.
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