The King Of Taking

We’re back into the swing of things at Circa, with more and more shows that we want to see after the summer hiatus (pantomimes and kids’ stuff, chiefly). Also, Nicola has more shifts as an usher coming up so there’ll be plenty more opportunities to see things.

The King Of Taking stars Thom Monckton, who we previously saw as The Artist. It’s physical comedy, mime, and acrobatics all rolled into one. The King requests that his subjects (the audience) bring a present for him, and various audience members did so – these are revealed as a pile on a table later in the show. Bringing a gift also entitles you to a discount on the ticket price.

The King appears on stage. His first task is to sit on his throne, which takes him quite a while. He eventually achieves this in unorthodox fashion. Next, he needs to get to the presents. For some reason, his feet mustn’t touch the floor, so a series of rolled-up red carpets is used to eventually effect his access to the table where the presents are displayed. Along the way, he summons various assistants – in fact, his insistent called of ”Jonathan!”, followed by several others (none of whom actually appear) is the only real monologue throughout. The King is clearly displeased with their lack of ability, and instructs Katherine (also invisible) to execute them all by bow and arrow, then dispose of the bodies in the crocodile-infested castle moat.

Once the king finally arrives at the gift-laden table, he is able to open all the presents. I suspect that the first one is a deliberate plant, but after that they seem to be genuinely random gifts, and he has to improvise his surprise, delight, or disappointment to each one. It’s all good fun, and he is the master of expressiveness – just one look or expression can speak volumes. He’s only on for a week so the show’s been and gone already, but hopefully he’ll be back with more at a later date.

As it was an early show, we booked dinner afterwards, at Highwater. This is a restaurant at the lower end of Cuba Street, in what used to be a scuzzy, low-rent desert. The area has undergone a bit of a face-lift, and Highwater is part of what attracts people there. Last time I tried they were full, so this time I booked well in advance. The food is the shared plates model, but the plates were pretty good. I started with some oysters (unfortunately not Bluff but Waiheke Pacific, but pretty good all the same); then we shared dishes of salumi, spinach & dill pancakes, albacore crudo, endive salad and grilled wagyu flank. All done to a very high standard – I think this will become a regular, also given its location near Michael Fowler Centre and Circa.