| HEROIC FAUN NO. ONE - review |
| Written by Sian Rafferty |
| Thursday, 24 June 2010 10:01 |
 New Zealanders have always regarded ourselves as 'the little buggers with the big dreams'. We seem to all have had that 'can do' attitude drilled into us since Primary school, and local heroes - like Sir Edmund Hillary, Jean Batten, and more recently The All Whites - are all examples of the triumph of kiwi ingenuity. So when Gregory Cooper was given a part in the first film of 'The Chronicles Of Narnia', albeit one with no dialogue, what's a kiwi boy to do except turn his five seconds of (largely unrecognised) fame into a successful one man show... 'HEROIC FAUN NO. ONE'. Straight off the bat, Cooper is a funny man, more than capable of handling the audience's attention by himself for an hour. His greatest success would have to be the ability to transform himself into different characters, taking this from an anecdotal monologue to a six person theatre spectacular. From his leery and egomaniacal rendition of renownedly humble Hollywood star James McAvoy, to his outrageous German centaur impressions, Cooper has carefully assembled a parade of characters designed to titillate our natural desire for scandal. And as crazy as it all seems, his experience does have a ring of truth about it. Perhaps the coolest thing about Cooper's play is it presents a little snapshot of the industry which has blossomed around us, yet is still so closely guarded from the New Zealand public. Cooper's foray into the daily happenings on a film set is unique, and helps strip away the Hollywood glitz and glamour, making this a whole lot more relatable for the average New Zealander. So head on down to The Basement (from June 23rd-30th) to see a Kiwi doing what Kiwis do best: making the most of the tiniest amount of fame. I guarantee you will never look at the extras for future 'Narnia' films the same way again. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: You will be at least five metres away from a wig that James McAvoy has once worn. HEARTOMETER: 1 2 3 4 5 6 [ out of 10 ] IF YOU LIKE, YOU WILL LIKE: Homegrown comedy like 'Flight Of The Conchords' and independent theatre with a side of multi-million dollar Hollywood blockbuster. LOOK INTO: The legend of 'FIGWIT' for further proof of Kiwis making the most of their fifteen seconds. |
