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  • Theatre Reviews

    REVIEW: Meera (Wild Dreamer Productions)

    [An Underwhelming Spectacle] The story of Meera may not be well-known to an Auckland-based audience – a young woman who is betrothed in childhood to the mischievous Krishna, the cowherd incarnation of Vishnu in classical Vaishnav [...]
  • Dance Reviews

    REVIEW: Black Swan, White Swan (RNZB)

    [Grand Rapids in NZ] Black Swan, White Swan was commissioned in 2012 by Artistic Director Patricia Barker for her previous company, Grand Rapids Ballet, Michigan. It is a modern, minimalist reimagining of the iconic classical [...]
  • Theatre Reviews

    REVIEW: Yes Yes Yes (Zanetti Productions)

    [Consent Culture] Yes Yes Yes is an inclusive, socially conscious one-act play eighteen months in the making. Commissioned by Auckland Live, it is based on the creative team of Eleanor Bishop and Karin McCracken’s previous [...]
In the Spotlight

SCENE BY JAMES: Resonance and the New Zealand Fringe, Wellington 2019

by James Wenley in Scene by James

[On the Fringe: Shifting and Singing] Content Notification: Discussion of the Christchurch terror attack, sexual violence, and suicide. But also hope, and joy, and singing, and the rejuvenating potential of performance. Can you take the pulse of a city through the shows performed on its Fringe? Can you judge the heart of a Festival by the visitors who have come to play? Can you take stock of the world via the canary call of the artists who have something to say? Pōneke. This is my new home. Wellington’s New Zealand Fringe Arts Festival – that’s my Fringe now. People tell [...]

REVIEW: Reuben Kaye (Auckland Live Cabaret Season)

June 16, 2019
[The Equalizer] If you are going to Reuben Kaye’s self-titled show just to fill the main slot in your cosmopolitan night out, looking for comfortable entertainment, you may be in for a shock. While the elements may be familiar – Kaye as a magnificent Master of Ceremonies, a supporting band consisting of grand piano, drums, and a moment of double […]

REVIEW: MANIAC on the Dancefloor (Basement Theatre)

June 15, 2019
[Dancing like she’s danced this dance before] Advertised as a ‘bangers-fuelled, hour long rave – making a song and dance about recovery,’ MANIAC On The Dancefloor is in fact a raw and impactful account of writer Natasha Lay’s lived experience of bipolar and emphasises the simple truth that one does not ‘recover’ from mental illness but forges an ongoing battle […]

REVIEW: Meera (Wild Dreamer Productions)

June 2, 2019
[An Underwhelming Spectacle] The story of Meera may not be well-known to an Auckland-based audience – a young woman who is betrothed in childhood to the mischievous Krishna, the cowherd incarnation of Vishnu in classical Vaishnav tradition. Meera then faces endless struggles in reconciling herself to others’ expectations as she progresses through life. Wild Dreamer Productions promise ‘a celebration of tender […]

REVIEW: Black Swan, White Swan (RNZB)

June 2, 2019
[Grand Rapids in NZ] Black Swan, White Swan was commissioned in 2012 by Artistic Director Patricia Barker for her previous company, Grand Rapids Ballet, Michigan. It is a modern, minimalist reimagining of the iconic classical ballet Swan Lake first performed by the Bolshoi Ballet, Russia in the 1870s. Slovakian choreographer Mário Radačovsky retains the characters, two act structure and score […]

REVIEW: Yes Yes Yes (Zanetti Productions)

June 1, 2019
[Consent Culture] Yes Yes Yes is an inclusive, socially conscious one-act play eighteen months in the making. Commissioned by Auckland Live, it is based on the creative team of Eleanor Bishop and Karin McCracken’s previous production Jane Doe, which examined rape culture and consent on university campuses. Yes Yes Yes is designed specifically for Year 12 and 13 students in […]

REVIEW: An Illiad (Auckland Live)

May 30, 2019
[I have Wept with Hecuba and Raged with Achilles] Standing on the ramparts of Troy we look out to sea, across the furrowed stretch of land between city and sand littered with bodies – the bodies of men and boys, mostly boys that we once knew – to the angry cluster of Greek ships; above us, the gods bicker. In […]

CHRISTCHURCH REVIEW: Juliet & Romeo (D4)

May 24, 2019
[Shakespearean Speed Run] I don’t really have much time for new productions of Shakespeare these days, especially when it comes to productions that are done in a so-called traditional manner. We live in an age where pretty high quality interpretations of these classics exist, yet are still performed ad nauseam in our cultural landscape. Romeo & Juliet is a particularly […]

PREVIEW: NZ International Comedy Festival: Week Three

May 23, 2019
Matt Baker gives his picks for the final week It’s the third and final week of the 2019 NZ International Comedy Festival and there is still an abundance of shows to see. Week two saw Jamaine Ross, James Roque, and Eli Matthewson putting their best feet forward with award-worthy shows, while Hamish Parkinson introduced use to his mum Lynette in […]

REVIEW: The Audience (Auckland Theatre Company)

May 21, 2019
[God Save the Queen] Speaking to our fascination with what happens behind closed doors with one of the world’s most public figures, The Audience imagines and recreates Queen Elizabeth II’s weekly twenty-minute meetings with her Prime Ministers.  Written by Peter Morgan and directed by Colin McColl, The Audience spans a timeframe of over six decades, beginning with the Queen’s meetings […]

REVIEW: The Mournmoor Murders (NZ International Comedy Festvial)

May 17, 2019
[Missing Bodies] Created by Alice May Connolly and Maria Williams, The Mournmoor Murders is an ensemble murder mystery set in a small town in which everyone is a suspect. The hook is that this show is a two-hander in which Connolly and Williams play every role – from the cops investigating the case, through the mayor who becomes the chief suspect, to […]

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