Brie Keatley
Trick of the Light are truly one of the most magical theatre companies to ever come out of Aotearoa. Every time I witness one of their productions live I am reminded of how limitless theatre as an art form is.
The Suitcase Show is a simple tale about a traveller going through baggage check - or is it? This traveller has many of his own tales to tell, each contained within his many suitcases. Each of these stories have some sort of grisly ending. The mysterious traveller-cum-storyteller is played enigmatically by Ralph McCubbin Howell, who also wrote the play and lyrics. I am in equal parts wowed and enamoured at McCubbin Howell’s effortless ability to appear present on stage as a performer and disappear entirely into the background when he is a vessel for the story. These parts are particularly my favourite and I audibly gasped at multiple points of the show, especially when the action was on incredibly tiny sets. I am hesitant to describe some of these scenes as I don’t want to ruin the utter wonder of seeing it unfold before your own eyes. It was also so encouraging to see an audience of all ages at The Suitcase Show. As a strong advocate of taking your children to see theatre, I was thrilled to see some younger audience members and I think they enjoyed it almost as much as I did (Almost.)
Hannah Smith, who also directed, joins McCubbin Howell onstage as a fed-up baggage security person and let’s just say she doesn’t like surprises. Smith’s subdued and bored performance helps create a strong through line and a nice break between the suitcase vignettes. On that note, I could go on forever about how gorgeous the set pieces in the suitcase stories are. (Production and Technical Design by Brad Gledhill & Rachel Marlow (Filament Eleven 11) Props by Hannah Smith, Ralph McCubbin-Howell, Rebekah de Roo, Romina Meneses, Emory Otto.) The way The Suitcase Show effortlessly crafts expansive worlds in such a small space is genuinely enchanting and I mean that. I have never seen something so engaging put on a stage as the sort of craftsmanship shown in this show. A special shoutout must be given to Jon Coddington’s expertly crafted figures, I managed to get an up close look at them after the show and I couldn’t believe the amount of delicate detail. The best way to express my thoughts are to say: they are just so Trick of the Light.
The set and props and even lights of The Suitcase Show can all be neatly contained within, ironically, multiple suitcases. Alongside Trick of the Light’s green touring model this makes The Suitcase Show one of the most tourable shows I have ever seen. It is no surprise to me then, that Trick of the Light will begin their South Island leg of their tour next week. It is a difficult landscape for professional theatre makers in New Zealand so it makes me genuinely hopeful for the future of the arts that a show like this is able to sustainably tour.
This magically dark show is not to be missed. You can catch The Suitcase Show in Wanaka from the 31st of March to the 1st of April and Dunedin from the 4th to the 5th of April.