Māori entertainer Billy T. James inspired extraordinarily talented performer Rutene Spooner to embark on a career in show business.
Spooner was an early achiever, scoring his first gig at 7, playing the three chords he knew on a guitar (badly) to an audience of 3-year olds.
It didn’t go well, so there was plenty of room for improvement. He honed his craft playing at school, in garages, at parties and events and then with show bands.
Now he has weaved his experiences into an all-action, high-energy cabaret show tracing the history of Māori entertainers and questioning how things have changed.
Spooner’s perfected Billy T. persona was popular, but he was starting to feel uncomfortable. He realised that, while Māori players were enjoyed by both brown and white audiences at home and overseas, many Pākehā were patronising and there was little respect for their skills.
Stereotypical expectations made Spooner feel like a performing animal. Something had to change. Billy T. had been a catalyst for Māori entertainment but the world had moved on and his style had run its course.
Spooner and his polished show band, the Tekira Mutton Birds, guided their appreciative audience through an hour of music and comedy with great timing and superb portrayals of pioneers of modern Māori entertainment.
Character changes were as quick as the flick of a towel and impersonations slick and accurate. Songs were big and as good and probably better than some of the originals.
There’s huge respect for the giants of the past and their memories are treated fondly in a highly enjoyable show by an amazingly versatile performer and a great band.
But the question in the act’s title lingers. Spooner once wanted to be like Billy. But times and te ao Maori have changed.
Be like Billy? Not any more.
Review by Nigel Zega
