REVIEW: Mancub (re:Generate Theatre)

November 14, 2012

Lacks Bite [by James Wenley] Mancub tells the familiar story of teenager’s rite of passage from adolescence to manhood. Paul (Ryan Dulieu) traverses the terrain of teachers, parents, his first girlfriend, and school sport. There is one major complication: Paul begins to take on the characteristics of different animals, and eventually believes he can turn into animals at will. Scottish […]

REVIEW: 13 (The Actors’ Program)

November 9, 2012

Challenge Accepted [by James Wenley] I got a sneak preview of 13 when I went to the shows at the upstairs Basement Studio the night before. A cacophony of shouts and screams impossible to ignore rose from the floorboards below. Whatever was happening downstairs, it sounded explosive. 13 is an audacious choice of play for The Actors’ Program graduation showcase: […]

REVIEW: Nuclear Family (Q)

November 8, 2012

No dud [by Matt Baker] Young writers are frequently reminded to write what they know, and Nuclear Family is a great example of why that is. There is no indication as to which degree this show, written by Venezuelan born veteran writer Desiree Gezentsvey, is autobiographical, which in turn raises the question of how much art should imitate life and […]

REVIEW: Like Smoke in Here and Norma Strong (The Basement)

November 7, 2012

Absurd Choices [by James Wenley] The Basement’s upstairs Studio space has really proven itself this year as an accessible venue where curious audiences can seek out work from left field. This week two new works Like Smoke in Here by Ben Anderson, and Norma Strong by Elyse Brock, are featured together as an ‘absurdist double bill’. Absurdism was one of […]

REVIEW: Little Shop of Horrors (ATC)

November 5, 2012

Triffically Entertaining [by Matt Baker] Anyone who has an appreciation of ‘60s doo-wop or classic musical theatre will be entertained by ATC’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, because it is the musical talent that not only carries this show, but gives it some emotional depth and journey. While the entire creative team jointly recognises and illustrates their influences and […]

REVIEW: Manawa (The Basement)

October 29, 2012

Do the Time [by James Wenley] “New Zealand tales great care of birds and trees and it is almost a capital offence to cut a branch off a tree, particularly a Pohutakwa. Sadly, the justice system doesn’t take care of vulnerable babies and young women. Haven’t we got something wrong here?” – Letter to the Editor, NZ Herald. 23.10.2012 Everyone has an […]

REVIEW: Mary Poppins (The Civic)

October 22, 2012

A liberal dose of Sugar helps the spectacle go down [by James Wenley] Mary Poppins got the Disneyified film to stage treatment in 2004, joining such properties as Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. It’s a big, big business – 6.5 million people have seen Poppins on  stage, and it’s made over $470 million. Four productions play around […]

REVIEW: The Likes of a Loveless Dogwasher (The Basement)

October 18, 2012

Give this Dogwasher some love [by James Wenley] In the same week that the Mary Poppins juggernaught opens at The Civic, there’s another Musical up the road playing at The Basement. The work of Toi Whakaari acting graduates Adrian Hooke and Hayley Brown, The Likes of a Loveless Dogwasher is a charmingly lo-fi and accessible Musical comedy. What they lack […]

REVIEW: Third Person,Tense! (The Basement)

October 17, 2012

First person pro [by Matt Baker] It’s been eight years since Stephen Papps wrote and starred in his own solo show, and I can honestly say is it’s a pity that it’s taken this long for him to do so again. In saying that, Third Person, Tense! is not technically a solo show. It’s billed as ‘a solo show with […]

REVIEW: Death of a Salesman (Peach Theatre Company)

October 15, 2012

I’m sold [by Matt Baker] In his opening night speech, director Jesse Peach obscurely alluded to the possibility of Death of a Salesman being his last production*. While I actively concede that this may have been a misinterpretation of inarticulate speech, I would like to think that going out on a high note is the correct course of action in […]

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