Review: The Monster in the Maze – a stylish contemporary opera that pairs community with pros

Erin Harrington reviews The Monster in the Maze, music by Jonathan Dove, libretto by Alasdair Middleton, directed by Anapela Polata’ivao ONZM, conducted by Brad Cohen, presented by NZ Opera, at the Isaac Theatre Royal, Friday 5 September 2025.

It’s an impressive feat to make the wide, deep stage at the Issac Theatre Royal feel claustrophobic. As Theseus leads a large cohort of Athenian youth deep into the labyrinth of King Minos, large vertical and horizontal screens fly in, moving and contracting around the group. Dark animated projections of tangled words and the maze’s contours pulse around them, as if they are trapped in a giant black throat that’s swallowing them whole. It’s visceral – a great expression of both the horrifying nature of the space, and wider themes of fear and loss.

This is one of many stylish and impactful moments in NZ Opera’s Australasian premiere production of the community opera The Monster in the Maze, a 50-minute work that tells the story from Greek mythology of Theseus battling the Minotaur. The production, directed by arts legend Anapela Polata’ivao, features three large choruses – adult, youth, and child – made up almost entirely of non-professional performers, supported by a handful of singers from the Freemasons Foundation NZ Opera Chorus. Christchurch Symphony Orchestra members are paired with community players, all under the baton of Brad Cohen. It’s an enormous group of performers altogether – more than 160, if my programme maths is correct – and during the very, very long applause at the show’s conclusion the stage is heaving. Kudos to community liaison Eleanor Sim and stage managers Helen Beswick and Catriona Angus for what must have been some extraordinarily challenging people wrangling.

The work, by British composer Jonathan Dove (who is present in the audience), distils the story to the simplest of beats. King Minos of Crete (Maaka Pohatu, amazing in full Dragonball Z villain mode) has crushed the Athenians in battle. To rub salt into the wound, he demands that each year they send their youth – their future – to be sacrificed to the half-man, half-bull Minotaur at the centre of his labyrinth. Hearing the lamentation of the Athenians, warrior Theseus (tenor Ipu Laga’aia, extremely charismatic) offers to accompany the next sacrificial batch and slay the creature. His mother (mezzo-soprano Sarah Castle, both vulnerable and staunch), despairs his decision to endanger himself. After being guided through the dark by maze designer Daedalus (bass-baritone Joel Amosa, offering unexpected warmth), Theseus finds and battles the creature, then returns the youth to their parents, having torched the Cretan navy on the way home.

Those with a knowledge of Greek mythology will know there’s a lot of detail missing, but that’s not the point. Alasdair Middleton’s libretto employs simple, concrete language, giving the work the feel of a pop-up storybook. Each clear beat of the story – the woe, the quest, the collective triumph, the return, the joy – has a sense of intensity. Layered vocals, repetition, and call and response sections build a deepening sense of texture, just as extended periods of stillness or bold movement get the most out of the combined choruses.

There are some great moments of irreverence, too. As we descend into the maze, the adult chorus, in blacks, perform a free-wheeling, syncopated chant with monstrous Gaga-like hand gestures. The fight with the Minotaur takes on a comic book feel, with the youth chorus singing ‘stab!’, ‘bang!’, and ‘thwack!’ as Theseus swipes his sword. And the child chorus is just delightful, each singer selling their story and character with utmost conviction.

Dove’s orchestration is dark and heavy, cutting out lighter strings in favour of percussion, reeds, double bass, a few bright brass instruments and a dozen cellists. The banda – horn, trombone, tuba – sits up in gallery, booming out the arrival of the Minotaur. As an audience member, it’s a full body experience.

The production design is inspired, frequently drawing on Pasifika textures and iconography. There’s a great balance between simplicity and impact, as in the choir’s coloured shirts, which recall rich earth tones and oceanic blues and greens. The extensive use of projected animations and flown screens is dynamic and really impressive technically. This adds depth and texture to the mise en scene, offering interesting framing and layers, and creating set pieces through which the choruses cluster and creep.

This show is touring, with different community choirs performing in each centre, and this offers challenges in designing for multiple sites. Unfortunately, some of the sightlines don’t work in the Isaac Theatre Royal’s downstairs stall seating, which sits a little beneath the line of the stage and has a very low rake. I’ve found this in other touring shows too. The lighting on the stage floor and some of the more complex projections (like the terrific, monstrous arrival of the Minotaur) aren’t always visible or entirely legible – although I can imagine what’s intended and I’m sure they look great from the gallery, and in other settings.

This production makes use of the best of NZ Opera’s significant artistic capabilities and resources, while also honouring the work of the many non-professional performers. It’s generous, feeding expertise and joy back into local communities. It’s technologically demanding, and a credit to the large artistic and production team: designers, choreographers, creative producers, wardrober, technicians, crew. It’s big and bold, often surprising, occasionally a bit random, and at times rough around the edges. And it’s highly recommended. Here’s to community opera.

The Monster in the Maze was staged in Ōtautahi Christchurch Friday 5 and Saturday 6 September, and then moves on to Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland later in September.