Helen Clark in Six Outfits is a play written by Fiona Samuel that covers almost 50 years of the life of the former New Zealand Prime Minister.
The story unfolds as a conversation between two version of the woman, Older Helen (Jennifer Ward-Lealand) and Younger Helen (Lauren Gibson) as they reflect back and project forward from their particular places in time.
Younger Helen is quite the firebrand eager to tackle the poignant issues of the day – abortion, nuclear testing, poverty, and the Vietnam War. She is ready to challenge the patriarchy and is adamant she won’t be forced into marriage and domesticity.
Older Helen has, of course, travelled a road much more pragmatic than her younger self imagined and emerged wiser yet bruised. Her musings and reflections temper the expectations of her younger self, but not entirely.
The story fairly rushes through Clark’s life with some of the pivotal moments such as her university days, political initiation, her tenure as PM and then her campaign to be Secretary General of the United Nations. On the way we witness the change in her from idealistic warrior to consummate politician who isn’t afraid to do what is necessary to stay in power.
There are many funny lines and some cleverly pointed potshots at a slew of politicians, all of them men, who tried to stymie her.
Gibson and Ward-Lealand are both very fine performers and the rapport between them is strong and dynamic. Gibson delivers a youthful and sometimes uncouth side of Clark which is wonderful, as well as a sense of zeal in terms of her obvious desire for equality and fairness.
Ward-Lealand is the measured Clark who has weathered many storms. She delivers a character with a similar voice and presence as the real Helen as well as an unexpected mischievousness. Both actors bring a comedic touch to their roles but never delve into parody. Their combined Helen is a humanised and empathetic figure.
The portrait we are presented with is of a woman who had to go that extra mile and compromise an awful lot. That is not unusual in politics, but as a woman, she faced the kind of scrutiny that most of her male colleagues and opponents didn’t have to. The play, and our own collective memories tell us that when it comes to misogyny in politics, not much has changed.
While this is a well-crafted tale, the fast pace of it meant much of Clark’s tenure as Prime Minister was rushed through. There was a list of very important achievements from civil unions, paid parental leave, economic upturn, etc that are ‘ticked off’ as achieved but no real analysis either positive or negative of those times. There is one moment when Older Helen mentions the passage of the Foreshore and Seabed Act in 2004, while she shows regret, there is no time for forensics around what happened.
It is this lack of deep reflection that is missing from the play as we don’t see any of the reasoning, the compromise, nor the disappointments that Clark personally experienced. I wanted to know what she really felt and how she justified or came to terms with those moments particularly the ones that ended in defeat or an abandonment of her most treasured beliefs.
Ward-Lealand with her extensive experience and gravitas as an actor could have ably handled a deeper more introspective version of Helen particularly when it came to the travesty of the Foreshore law.
Helen Clark in Six Outfits is an excellent play with great staging and flawless acting but the real Helen Clark is still an enigmatic figure who had a profound impact on New Zealand and this play left me wanting to know more about what really went on inside her head.
Photo credit – Andi Crown
HELEN CLARK IN SIX OUTFITS
7-26 April 2026
ASB Waterfront Theatre – Auckland
