Friendly poke at Pacific love-match

In a Cannons Creek housie hall, a pair of star-crossed lovers lock eyes for the first time.

So begins Romeo and Tusi, a Pacific take on Shakespeare’s tale of star-crossed lovers being staged in Porirua next week.

The play follows Maori boy Anaru and Samoan girl Tusi as they fall in love at a church fundraiser, and end up playing the lead roles in their high school’s production of Romeo and Juliet. Their families do not approve of the cross-cultural match.

This is no Porirua tragedy, however. Wellington audiences were rolling in the aisles during the play’s Positively Pasifika Festival season in January, says director Sasha Gibb.

‘‘It’s definitely a comedy, it’s absolutely hilarious.

‘‘The Samoan mother hits really hard. It may not be happening now but for us on stage, when we were the characters’ age, this is what was happening,’’ she says.

‘‘I’m going to leave it in there because it’s the truth. But we’re at a place where we can sit around and laugh about it. Throw the PC stuff out the window.’’

Ms Gibb grew up in Porirua, as did many of the actors, and the whole cast and crew graduated from Whitireia’s performing arts programme.

Porirua is the play’s first stop on a six-month tour of the North Island, and Ms Gibb is particularly keen to get a strong Pacific Island audience along.

There is not enough Pasifika theatre in Wellington, considering the size of the Pacific population here, she says. She has formed a production company, Jandals Inc, to get more Pacific stories on stage.

‘‘There’s plenty happening in Auckland, but not a lot down here. There’s obviously the need for it, because of the amount of support we’ve received,’’ she says.

Romeo and Tusi was written in the 1990s by Samoan comedian Oscar Kightley and playwright Erolia Ifopo, but has not been staged professionally for years, Ms Gibb says.

She has removed outdated references and music, and replaced some songs with contemporary dance and movement pieces.

Romeo and Tusi, 7pm, Tuesday, April 9 to Saturday, April 13 at Aotea College. Tickets $18 waged/ $ 15 unwaged or groups, from www.eventfinder.co.nz.

Forbidden love: Actors Shaun Martin and Seruia Pou play Maori and Samoan versions of Romeo and Juliet in the play Romeo and Tusi. The lovers are kept apart by their mothers: Sina Leasuasu, left, and Judy Iva, right.