Tim Finn
White Cloud
Glenroy Auditorium
Friday, October 17
Written by Finn with Ken Duncum and film-maker Sue Healey, this show entitled ''White Cloud'' looked back to the origins and early days of Finn's life, and that of his ancestors, his father, siblings and others, but particularly his mother.
Finn reminisced and traced his Pakeha upbringing and identity with detailed commentary both spoken and sung, as relaxed fingers caressed the keys, with meandering piano accompaniment astutely in tandem, or alternatively with his guitar enhancing the storytelling. Fans would be thrilled with the original new songs emerging along the way.
Overhead projection of personal photos and home-movie excerpts screened throughout. Thought-provoking scenes showed landscapes of this country, with intimate sequences depicting happy family environments. Picnics and special gatherings, kids kicking a football, childhood games, Hula-Hooping, an ancestral whare and the childhood home. Historic milestones and forgotten details like, go-kart racing on the grass and setting a wedding date before the 31st of March to receive a tax refund.
The words White Cloud, Black Shadow returned as lyrics, time and again, emphasising the meaning of life always under a cloud - either white or black.
The very frank and personal ''documentary'' inclined one to look back at pathways and memories in one's own life, and indeed the entire performance was a time of music and memoirs for the soul, especially the Kiwi soul.
- Reviewed by Elizabeth Bouman
