Scene by James
When the Show Doesn’t Go On
When people ask me what I’m into, I struggle to list anything beyond “theatre.” I’m a theatre obsessive. A tragic. I decided long ago to make it a core part of my identity, and I’ve [...]
In the Spotlight
REVIEW: Emilia (Pop-up Globe)
[“Do not take my anger from me!”] Emilia tells the story of Emilia Bassano, one of the first Englishwomen poets and the possible muse behind Shakespeare’s sonnets. However, this is not just a play about Shakespeare’s Emilia. This is a play about Emilia the discriminated poet, Emilia the feminist spirit; Emilia as Emilia. As soon as the performance begins, I am overwhelmed by the very tangible fact that this has been created by women. This is not a female performance refracted through the male gaze. This is a female story finally told through her words. And you can feel this [...]
When the Show Doesn’t Go On
When people ask me what I’m into, I struggle to list anything beyond “theatre.” I’m a theatre obsessive. A tragic. I decided long ago to make it a core part of my identity, and I’ve stubbornly stuck to that pact ever since. In those moments when I take a hard look at my relationship with theatre, wondering if it would […]
SCENE BY NATHAN: Auckland Pride and Fringe 2020
Community Makeovers LOUD AND PROUD 2020 marks my first Pride and Fringe in Tāmaki Makaurau not as a resident but as a mere visitor. Both events also took on new directors and new directions as they entered the new decade. While I still find myself deeply invested in the arts ecology of the city, and undoubtedly see my future here, […]
REVIEW: Black Lover (Auckland Theatre Company)
[A Kiwi Hero in Zimbabwe] When Sir Garfield Todd denounced racial injustice in 1950s Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), he was fiercely hated by supporters of white minority rule. Among the pejoratives they called him was “black lover”. Stanley Makuwe’s Black Lover is an illuminating glimpse into an overlooked chapter of history: a remarkable chapter which saw the Invercargill-born Todd become Prime Minister of […]
REVIEW: The Book of Mormon (The Civic)
Hasa Diga Eebowai The Book of Mormon is a deliciously devilish critique belief and human frailty in our world today. The story follows two Latter-day Saints missionaries as they attempt to convert the inhabitants of a remote Ugandan village to the “true faith”. The well-meaning, and somewhat earnest young men are challenged by a lack of interest from the locals, who are preoccupied by […]
REVIEW: Essays in Love (Basement Theatre)
[What the Heart Knows] I’ll admit it: I’m a hopeless romantic. It’s a quality I share with Otto (Leon Wadham), the protagonist of Essays in Love, though we differ in our preferred outlets for romantic escapism: me, a never-ending catalogue of romantic comedies; Otto, the writings of history’s most erudite philosophers. We first meet Otto before the house lights have […]
REVIEW: Limbo Unhinged (Auckland Arts Festival)
[Unhinged Limbs] Billed as circus-cabaret, Limbo Unhinged offers terrifying spectacles and exhilarating feats of strength and physical control. A mixture of dance, clowning, and acrobatics (including fire breathing and sword swallowing), combined with live music, the show has much to offer. The Auckland Art’s Festival Spiegeltent which pops up in Aotea Square provides the perfect venue for this display. Rich […]
REVIEW: Black Ties (Auckland Arts Festival)
[Tied by Bonds of Love] Co-created by ILBIJERRI Theatre Company and Te Rēhia Theatre Company, Black Ties is a heartfelt exploration of what happens when two First Nation cultures collide. Written by John Harvey and Tainui Tukiwaho (co-director and ‘Robert’), the narrative comedy drama is expertly brought to life by an experienced cast under the guidance of Rachael Maza, award-winning […]
REVIEW: Cold Blood (Auckland Arts Festival)
[Making the Strange Charming] In the Belgian production Cold Blood, a team of camera and lighting technicians – with the help of detailed miniature sets, table-top puppetry techniques, and analogue special effects – recreate a series of scenes about death in full view of the audience which are then projected onto a screen hanging above the playing area. This is a […]
REVIEW: Year of the Tiger 虎- Hǔ (Basement Theatre)
[The Tiniest Threads Can Connect Us] Year of the Tiger (虎- Hǔ) brings together six volunteer strangers and pushes them into the spotlight. These strangers are connected by a single thread: their zodiac animal. Coming from different backgrounds, cultures, countries, these people are bound by the simple fact that they are all tigers. Alice Canton explores the cultural ideas of […]
WELLINGTON REVIEW: Trois Grandes Fugues (NZ Festival)
[Beethoven Goes On] Lyon Opera Ballet’s Trois Grandes Fugues is curated not without an element of risk; a collection of three choreographies set to the same composition – Beethoven’s Die Grosse Fugue Op.133 – performed one after the other in a single programme. Written in 1824/5 by the almost-deaf Beethoven, Die Grosse Fugue Op.133 is described by critics as his […]