Review: HOW TO RULE THE WORLD Is A Political Pygmalion For A Modern Australia

Thursday 21 February 2019, 8 pm, Drama Theatre Sydney Opera House

Acclaimed Australian playwright Nakkiah Lui's latest work, HOW TO RULE THE WORLD casts a satirical eye over Australian politics from the viewpoint of minority group millennials. Directed by Paige Rattray for Sydney Theatre Company, this new comedy carries more important undertones as Lui uses her art to give voice to a topic close to her heart, the sovereignty of Australia being legally recognized as belonging to the first nations Aboriginal people.

The premise of HOW TO RULE THE WORLD is that three friends, Vic (Nakkiah Lui) a journalist of Aboriginal origin, Chris (Anthony Taufa), a Personal Assistant of Tongan descent and Zaza, a pro-bono lawyer with Korean heritage have hatched a plan to have their views heard in parliament following a night of heavy drinking and drug use. Acknowledging that Australia is run by middle age straight white men they believe that the only way to get a voice in government is to mold a puppet in the image of the rest of the establishment. Taking benign out of work actor Lewis Lewis (Hamish Michael), the three set out to create their image of what the average white male with political aspirations looks, sounds and acts like in a modern My Fair Lady. The problem is they are dealing with an arrogant arse of a melomaniac prime minister and a short deadline.

Rattray centers the work in the halls of Parliament House in Canberra which designer Marg Horwell has recreated with suitable recognizability. Romaldo Giurgola's curves and lines of the iconic topper to Capitol Hill lends itself well to the broad Drama Theatre stage. An arc of windows is counterbalanced by the straight walls and doors to minister's offices and the ever-present Parliamentary clocks remind of the constant importance of time. Time that runs out for ministers to be present for votes and time that is running out for Vic, Chris and Zaza's plan to work. The story crosses a number of settings but given the work is predominantly a retelling of 'memories', they are all reenacted in the corridor with the addition of the occasional prop and Emma Valente's lighting design.

In principle, the work has the opportunity to make a loud statement as to the need for Treaty but unfortunately, the work still feels like it is in the development stage. There are some astute observations on politics and society, particularly about racism from the white majority and also between the minority groups but the comedy remains restrained in and unfinished in its delivery. It's a work that wants to sit in the same sphere as the wit of THE WHARF REVUE but the delivery is neither fluid enough to be natural or exaggerated enough to be a parody and even allowing for premise being flashback memories muddled by the copious amounts of cocaine that the characters partake in, it plays more like a Nickelodeon After School Special or stilted sit-com. The fact that Lui was still writing the play when it went into rehearsal has potentially led to the lack of clarity she has previously presented in her works (BLACK IS THE NEW WHITE and BLACKIE BLACKIE BROWN: THE TRADITIONAL OWNER OF DEATH). The point of Treaty isn't really explained and there are odd moments where it feels like Lui drops her character and talks directly to the audience, not through Vic but it isn't quite clear if this is supposed to be the case as it is only employed late in the second act.

Whilst the references to the Australian political landscape are appropriate, the deviations into other 'pop culture' and absurd news item references feel unnecessary, adding little if anything to the story. For those with a better understanding of the Australian political process, this work may also rankle as the strategies proposed don't seem that plausible in the real word which contradicts the rest of the work that is presented as a real possibility not just pure fantasy. It is also odd that for a piece about giving minority groups a voice, Lui has opted to present her three leads as stereotypes with shallow character development. Sure it plays up the racism that people of color of all varieties feel from both the white community but also from other people of color but it feels too simplified particularly when viewed from the position of being a woman of Asian origin as is the case for the BWW Reviewer.

The saving graces of the work are Anthony Taufa, Rhys Muldoon, Hamish Michae, and Vanessa Downing. Taufa, as always, infuses his performances with an honesty where he refrains from turning his expression of an Islander into a caricature but rather gives a naturalistic expression drawn from his lived experience. Michael is suitably comical in his expression of Lewis being the stupid sap being manipulated by his puppeteers and then shifting gear when he finally gains some confidence. Muldoon captures the Prime Minister's gravity and arrogance that draws on so many of the middle-aged white male leaders of both our own country and other western nations. Downing carries off the variety of minor characters with the same wonderful comic timing we saw in BLACK IS THE NEW WHITE as she yet again shifts between seemingly stuffy and staid characters to the absurd and the earthy.

HOW TO RULE THE WORLD has the bones of a powerful political satire but still needs some final finessing before it can be elevated to the same levels of success as Nakkiah Lui's previous plays.

https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/productions/2019/how-to-rule-the-world

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