REVIEW: Course Related Costs (Outfit Theatre Company)

May 31, 2012

Drugs are bad, mmmkay? [by James Wenley] You just know that things are going to come crashing down in Course Related Costs, the only questions are how, and how badly. The set-up is this: After the mainstay of the student drinking budget, ‘course related costs’ has dried up, Pete, Monty and AJ have installed a P lab in their flat. […]

INTERVIEW: Jersey Boys star Michael Griffiths and his Madonna cabaret show

May 30, 2012

Madge is looking a little different… [by James Wenley] Michael Griffiths is a busy man. Not only is the Australian actor starring as Bob Crewe on a little show called Jersey Boys 8 times a week, but he’s also prepping for his one man cabaret show, to be performed on his one night off. And it’s not just any Cabaret […]

PREVIEW: Standstill (The Rebel Alliance)

May 29, 2012

3 actors, 3 treadmills, 60 minutes [by Sharu Delilkan] Working on a show that has had a previous incarnation can be daunting. But when it has been a huge success it is an even bigger ask. So it’s not surprising that actor Andi Crown was a little hesitant when director-writer Anders Falstie-Jensen asked her to act in Standstill. “I must […]

PREVIEW: The Lion in the Winter (The Pumphouse Theatre)

May 26, 2012

A timeless classic [by Sharu Delilkan] Although The Lion in the Winter has been around since the 1960s, it’s actor Brendan Lovell‘s first time acting in, let alone reading the play. The 27-year-old actor admits he had never heard of American playwright James Goldman’s play, that debuted on Broadway in 1966, until the audition. But he’s by no means new […]

NEWS: Waterfront Theatre here we go!

May 25, 2012

But will there be Mermaids? [by James Wenley] In brilliant theatre news, Auckland has taken a giant step forward in becoming the world class live-able city that we’ve been hearing so much about, with the Auckland Council reaffirming their support for Auckland Theatre Company’s new Waterfront theatre, despite a last dash sinking attempt by a minority of councillors. It’s been […]

REVIEW: Chess the Musical (Auckland Music Theatre)

May 24, 2012

Checkmate [by James Wenley] Before the total world domination of MAMMA MIA, there was Chess. Chess is a Musical that should not work on paper. A Musical surrounding the championship of a sport that doesn’t get all that many peole excited , against the backdrop of cold war politics… AND from the men of ABBA, trying to prove themselves as […]

REVIEW: Bard Day’s Night (The Basement)

May 23, 2012

Shakespeare Nerd’s Dream [by James Wenley] [EDITOR’S NOTE: Subsequent to this 2012 season, the Michael Hurst’s show has been renamed for a third time as No Holds Bard, see Sharu Delilkan’s review of its 2013 return Basement season.] Michael Hurst looks like he’s just stepped off a poor imitation of a Shakespearean stage: black doublet, tights, a particularly foppish wig, and…. […]

REVIEW: Dumped (Comedy Festival)

May 18, 2012

I don’t know how to say this, but… [by James Wenley] If it hasn’t happened to you you’re either extremely fortunate, like to get in first, or lying. Dumped is the title of the comedy play, and the firm subject. The characters – four bar staff and a particularly boozy customer each have their own take on the condition and […]

REVIEW: Richard Meros Salutes the Southern Man (Comedy Festival)

May 18, 2012

Politically Aware and Intelligent Humour, now with Bonus FlyBuy Points! [by Rosabel Tan] These are tough times. There’s the global financial crisis. Climate change.  John Key. And Richard Meros, once a leading academic specialising in Helen Clark’s specific niche – can no longer earn a living. And so he turns to the world for a solution, and finds it in […]

REVIEW: Bombs Away! – A Musical (Comedy Festival)

May 16, 2012

Bombs Away!: Who you [not] gonna call? [by Sharu Delilkan] There is no secret that ‘there will be bombs’ in the brand new comedy-musical Bombs Away!. The hilarious script written by Nic Sampson, Ryan Richards and Barnaby Fredric, complemented by a full-length musical score from Joseph Moore, can only be described as absurd, uplifting, full of life and the height […]

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