Naked Samoans, a Pasifika comedy troupe founded in 1998 (Auckland), was similar to the Brownies in its form, a syncretism of theatre, and use of comedy and traditional fale’aitu. The founding members included former Pacific Underground members Oscar Kightley and David Fane, as well as Mario Gaoa, Shimpal Lelisi, Oscar Kightley, Robbie Magasiva, and Jerome Leota. Their first show’s title The Naked Samoans talk about their knives (1998) is a parody of the New Zealand movie,
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Angels was performed in Aranui High School as well as in the Court’s studio theatre, the Forge.
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White Sundays are the Samoan equivalent of Children’s Day, held on the second Sundays of October. Churches host special programmes, where children perform. Children also receive presents and other privileges (being served first for example).
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Topless women talk about their lives (Sinclair, 1997). The emerging Pasifika comedy troupes in the late 1990s tapped into the same audience. The move away from theatrical realism to comedy and incorporation of Samoan culture and heritage may be a post-colonial development of Pasifika theatre. A similarly important influence is pop culture, especially American/global pop culture. The shows are characterised by post-modern, absurd, and dark humour, lack of political correctness, and emphasis on racism and discrimination, yet they do not shy away from occasional ‘potty humour’. Through this unique combination of humour Pasifika comedy gained a commercial and political edge.
Naked Samoans characters, boys from a neighbourhood with distinct personalities, are more
prominent in the television series (Bro’Town) inspired by the performances. The ‘Samoan humour’ is present in culturally specific jokes, for example when Shimpal Lelisi’s character announces ‘I've just come from the opening of the new traffic lights in town’28 (Kata, 2006). The show is a break from Oscar Kightley’s and David Fane’s previous work with Pacific Underground because it borrows from fale’aitu, contemporary comedy and pop-culture, whilst moving away from theatrical realism. At this time, they had been making theatre for a decade and many of their plays, for instance Dawn Raids, raised political and social issues. Kightley explained that the company wanted to try a new style of performance: ’so me and my mates, who also worked in PU, we would do a play and enter it in a comedy festival. Because it was a change from the quasi-serious plays we were doing’ (KIG). The issues explored are intrinsic to Pasifika people’s lives, ‘the strange thing was that we dealt with the same issues, just told it in a different way’ (KIG).
The combination of pop-culture influences, Western and traditional performance styles, and cultural references specific to Pasifika people in New Zealand created a unique style of comedy, and the audience ‘loved it’ (KIG). The Naked Samoans and other comedy troupes quickly became successful with their new style of comedy, based on Western comedy, popular culture, and traditional fale’aitu.
Other media
The Naked Samoans’ success inspired several television and movie productions. Bro’Town is based on Naked Samoans skits, characters, and the same style of humour, and established itself as a successful primetime comedy show. The episodes follow one Maori and four Pasifika boys’
adventures in a suburb somewhere in New Zealand. The show deals with ethnic conflict and identity, and everyday issues including school, bullying, and absence of parent-children relationships. While the show plays on stereotypes, it also highlights the divide between reality and the conservative,
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assimilationist, and bicultural political correctness present in ethnic discourse (Bannister, 2008). The show received criticism from the Pasifika academic community, specifically Melanie Anae, who emphasises that the show promoted stereotypes which ‘[Pasifika people] fought against in the ‘70s. [ …] We've moved beyond the stereotype of just being entertainers’ (Rees, 2006). Earl describes the series as commodification of Polynesian youth culture, combined with a clever marketing strategy, and identifies the phenomenon as a sign of an ideological shift toward multiculturalism in New Zealand (2006). At the same time, Earl points out, the show conformed to the white middle class masculinity and capitalist ideology (Earl, 2006). Theatre maker Justine Simei Barton, in contrast, stressed that the show brought Pasifika work into the mainstream, which was a significant
development in Pasifika theatre’s and television’s history. She also emphasised that it is humorous, ‘what Oscar’s managed to do is put Pasifika work on mainstream and that’s something we all strive towards. Whether or not you like his work, you have to give him credit for that’ (Wichte, 2006). Simei Barton also pointed out that, although the show uses stereotypes, it has a strong social message and political foundation, and Bro’Town is radical in the way it presented racial discourse and ethnic tension: ‘these guys are quite radical. But they’re working from a strong foundation, a political foundation they understand and have been trained in’ (Wichte, 2006).
Bro’Town was followed by Sione’s wedding, a movie which features characters similar to Bro’Town and the Naked Samoans but presents them as adults, or rather as men who never grew up (C. Graham & Fraser, 2006). The events unfold around a Samoan wedding, which highlights the characters’ struggle with growing up and the resulting change in their status in their community. There is also a perceived conflict between their urban lives in New Zealand and Samoan traditions. The movie is a less political comedy than Bro’ Town.
After these successes, members of the Naked Samoans became popular in both theatre and television. Many of the company’s members are most active in other projects (Radiradira for
example), but Kightley emphasised that the company still exists. Their latest theatre productions saw a reunited troupe perform the Naked Samoans go home and the Naked Samoans go home (again). The Naked Samoans contributed to the appearance of Pasifika arts in the mainstream media. They brought socio-political issues to theatre and television in a way that was accessible and entertaining for a wide range of audience members. At the same time, they negotiated postcolonial
representations of Pasifika people and engaged with the shift between the political and social discourses of biculturalism and multiculturalism, which is visible through politically incorrect humour on ethnicity-based stereotypes.