This Week in the Theatre Scene: Make The Basement your new home (18-23 Feb)

February 18, 2013

This Week’s Picks: Black Faggot, Elevator, A Night to Dismember and Dolly Mixture [by James Wenley] Auckland Fringe is out in full force from this week, and audiences are  spoilt for choice, you lucky things you. All of our picks are at The Basement this week, giving you the perfect opportunity to check out their classy new bar area. PICK […]

REVIEW: Black Faggot (Auckland Fringe)

February 18, 2013

It’s all in the title [by Matt Baker] With such a provocative title (faggot sits at number 9 on the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s list of 31 words ‘Not To Swear’), one would be forgiven if they were to presume that Victor Rodger’s Black Faggot was going to be an excessive bombardment of racial and homophobic rants from both sides of […]

REVIEW: A Night to Dismember (Auckland Fringe)

February 17, 2013

Dexterous “Big Fish” Yarn [by James Wenley] A Night to Dismember by Australian creator and performer Wil Greenway is a late Fringe entry that handily plugged a gap in The Basement’s schedule after previously advertised Truth was cancelled. Hopping across the ditch after seasons in Adelaide and Melbourne, Dismember has a true Aussie larrikin spirit and an off-beat sensibility that […]

REVIEW: Vivacious Vaudeville (Auckland Fringe)

February 16, 2013

Frivolity and a few Cheeks [by James Wenley] Lily Loca has created a streamlined version of her Vaudeville Cabaret experience especially for the Auckland Fringe. Vivacious Vaudeville is my first time I’ve seen one of her shows (there have been five previous) so going in I was officially, as Loca put it, one of the ‘virgins’. As a Vaudeville there is no […]

Theatre Scenes does Fringe: Our Reviewers

February 15, 2013

Matt and James will exist on a diet of ink and sleep deprivation for the next month [by James Wenley] The dynamic duo of Matt Baker and James Wenley will be the Theatre Scenes reviewers of as much theatre during Auckland Fringe (and then Auckland Arts Festival) as they can get their critical little hands on. They will write regular […]

REVIEW: Swan Song (Auckland Fringe)

February 14, 2013

Swan Swimming Pool [by James Wenley] The Wet Hot Beauties run a water-tight operation. In groups of 15 the audience is ushered to take their seats pool side to watch (as well as receive the odd splash of water) the company’s latest unique contemporary spin on the Water Ballet genre for Auckland Fringe: Swan Song. While we wait, the Parnell […]

REVIEW: Kings of the Gym (ATC)

February 10, 2013

Theatre in Education [by James Wenley] New Zealand’s Education sector contains potentially ripe pickings for a dramatist. It is a perennial battleground of ideologies, agendas, values, and teaching methods and assessments. In recent times the sector itself has resembled a Dave Armstrong style farce:  non-standard National Standards, No-go pay and Hekia “Karma” Parata. Armstrong’s newest play Kings of the Gym […]

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