Review: THE SURPRISE PARTY at The PumpHouse Thatre Takapuna

BWW Review: THE SURPRISE PARTY at the PumpHouse Theatre

If you're looking for a night of laughter that leaves you buzzing all the way home, look no further. Tadpole Productions' staging of Dave Armstrong's The Surprise Party opened at the PumpHouse Theatre in Takapuna, and as we say here in Aotearoa: it's bloody brilliant, mate.

This play is extraordinarily delicious. There are times when the perfect people come together to do the perfect thing and this is one of those times.

The premise is simple and gloriously dangerous. It's election night, and a small political party gathers to watch the results, only to discover, to their horror, that they've won outright. 

Armstrong, whose plays include Niu Sila, The Tutor, The Motor Camp and Kings of the Gym, first staged it at Circa in 2020. As he notes in the programme, MMP has handed small parties enormous power, and that is exactly why this play feels so relevant today.

This is political satire at its best. The parallels with real life, and with what politics actually is behind the slogans, are so close that the laughter often came with a knowing groan of recognition. Part of the fun is watching principles prove a little more flexible than advertised, as idealism gives way to a decent dollop of "what's in it for me".

Bravo to Tadpole Productions for choosing it. Programming a sharp New Zealand comedy in the middle of an election campaign is a smart and generous choice, and the audience rewarded it.

Director Colin McColl ONZM, Artistic Director of Auckland Theatre Company from 2003 to 2021 and the man behind many of Armstrong's best-loved comedies, knows this writer's voice inside out. The energy was high from the first moment, never dipped, and permeated the entire theatre.

Every member of this cast was outstanding. They took Armstrong's words off the page and lived every one of them, with comedic timing that was spot on from start to finish.

Stephen Papps as Doug Morris is a joy to watch. After decades of campaigning simply to be noticed, Doug suddenly finds himself Prime Minister, and Papps plays the shock beautifully, showing us a man overwhelmed from the moment he's appointed. Doug longs for a coalition so he'd have someone to blame, but with a 63-seat majority it's all on him. His increasingly desperate attempt to engineer a sex scandal and get himself fired fails spectacularly, and it's one of the funniest sequences of the night.

Alison Quigan as Tracey Turner is the steady heart of a cabinet otherwise running wildly out of control. As Minister of Food Safety, Tracey is determined to punish herself for those "shitty school lunches", yet she stands loyally beside Doug as a fellow member of the left of the left. Quigan, with nearly 50 years on New Zealand stages behind her, makes every moment count, pulling each character back into place with her cleverly delivered understated quips. She is the anchor.

Ben Porter as Leon Brookman is a Minister of Finance who doesn't know his numbers, which is as hilarious as it is uncomfortably on point. Leon is convinced the place is riddled with bugging devices, yet somehow manages to lose the tax policy all on his own. Porter's twitchy paranoia is a constant source of laughter.

Brayden Cresswell as Sam Sasina is the party's resident heart-throb, though the love affair is mostly with himself. Sam adores his muscles, and his appointment as Minister of Corrections owes everything to a creative spelling of "barista" on his CV. Cresswell plays the vanity with gloriously straight-faced commitment, and his chemistry with Zoe is a delight.

Chloe Thomsen as Zoe Maitland, Sam's love interest, is wide-eyed and as naive as she is pretty. She sees herself as New Zealand's answer to Khloé Kardashian, doesn't know what a stamp is, and has her own bold approach to road safety: a 30 km/h speed limit, with every car occupant in a crash helmet. Neither she nor Sam has heard of Rogernomics or much else in New Zealand's political history, but they look fabulous in New Zealand fashion. Thomsen nails the breezy self-belief without ever tipping into caricature.

Shauntelle Jones as Alison Pasi has the X factor in overflowing measure. She has an uncanny talent for making every word count, and her charisma and tell-it-like-it-is delivery are irresistibly engaging, and hilarious. Having followed her career, I can say she is one to watch.

The relationships feel lived-in and real, so the laughs come from somewhere true, and the audience absolutely loved it. The applause at the curtain call said it all.

As usual for Tadpole, the technical team is top-notch, and special mention must go to Robyn Fleming, whose costumes perfectly support each role and transition beautifully as the plot unfolds. The New Zealand fashion outfits on show were a highlight in their own right.

With New Zealand heading to the polls in just a few weeks, The Surprise Party could not be more timely. See it for the laughs, for a superb cast at the top of their game, for a sharp local script, and for the rare chance to laugh together at the whole circus before we cast our votes. I'm hoping beyond hope that Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown finds time in his diary to catch this satirical political romp, and leaves wondering whether he's just spent another day at the office, theatre style. As for the rest of you, in the immortal words of Alison Pasi (Shauntelle Jones), ‘get off your arse’ and go and see this play. You will not regret it.

The Surprise Party runs at the PumpHouse Theatre, Takapuna, until 18 October, including five matinees.

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