Te Radar – Eating the dog – 29 June, Downstage

Te Radar put it to us in no uncertain terms – “This is not a cooking show.”  And he was true to his word – no animals were harmed in the making of Eating the dog, Radar’s standout tribute to Kiwi culture, in all its glorious initiative and folly.

Okay, one dog was (ahem) consumed. ..  But it did happen over 100 years ago, resulting in the show’s slightly worrisome name.

Eating the dog is all about our countries past, but not the great triumphs that grace the cover of our history books.  Nope, it’s about our grand tradition of giving things a go, then making a right cock-up of it all, in new and amazingly spectacular ways.

The stories are never ending – from highwaymen without a highway to tanks that can’t hit a barn door, “In a barn made almost entirely of doors.”  There is no let-up as Te Radar assaults us with our own stupidity.

The strangest thing is… it’s about the most satisfying portrayal of the New Zealand soul that you may ever come across.  And it really does make you feel proud to be from this tiny nation at the bottom of the Pacific.  It’s similar to local movie Boy in that respect, where it finds our quirks and flaws, lays them bare for all to see,  yet somehow finds affection for the heart that motivates our peculiar actions.

There are a few dips here and there, as Te Radar tends to wander in his exploration of our weird and wa cky history.  But the highlights are many and the payoffs are huge, especially when it comes to iconic figures stuffing things up.

It’s quite stunning how often they do that.  It really is. 

-Darren