REVIEW: The Dummy (Auckland Fringe)

February 22, 2015

Negative Comment [by Guest Reviewer Tim George] The line between provocation and exploitation is blurred in this multi-media examination of young woman’s spiral from depression to suicide. The Dummy combines live actors and back-projections of Facebook profiles and news footage and crams a lot of big ideas into its short running time. So many in fact that it never takes the […]

REVIEW: The Memory Shelf (Auckland Fringe)

February 21, 2015

Tearoom Reflections [by Guest Reviewer Amanda Leo] Sitting at just 45 minutes, The Memory Shelf has all the potential for a great, short fringe piece whose message goes a little deeper than for just pure entertainment. Written and performed by duo Amelia Reynolds and Saraid Cameron with direction by Renee Lyons, it focuses on the happenings in a tearoom in small-town […]

REVIEW: Take Back the Hood (Auckland Fringe)

February 21, 2015

Back to the Hood [by Guest Reviewer Tim George] At its core, a good story, whatever the medium, gives its audience a question that it will hopefully provide an answer for by the resolution. Take The Godfather. Can a man separate himself from his past and his family, or is he destined to fail? The journey from question to answer is what […]

REVIEW: Keep out of my Box (and other useful advice) (Auckland Fringe)

February 20, 2015

Here’s some free advice for you [by Matt Baker] Spend enough time at The Basement and you’ll get to know the staff there. Spend even more time and you’ll find that some of them have talents beyond your expectations. Such is the case with box office manager and actress Torum Heng. I’ve seen Heng on stage before, but it wasn’t until […]

REVIEW: Caterpillars (Auckland Fringe)

February 20, 2015

Comedy Metamorphosis [by Guest Reviewer Tim George] Caterpillars is a story with two tales. On one level, it is meant to be an imaginative, artistic, and yes, somewhat pretentious art piece evoking the life cycle of a butterfly through a combination of puppetry and music. On another level it is the story of how two hapless puppeteers can completely screw it […]

REVIEW: Night of the Queer (TAPAC)

February 19, 2015

Queer As! [by Sharu Delilkan] Night of the Queer has all the elements of a typical Cabaret – music, song, dance, recitation and drama. However there is nothing typical about it. Everyone from the emcees Lola la Bomb and Kita Mean to the acts in between make you realise that queer is the new norm and anything else is just […]

REVIEW: Grounded (Auckland Fringe)

February 19, 2015

Target Locked [by Guest Reviewer Rose Archer] George Brant’s script of Grounded is so extraordinary that if nothing else it is absolutely worth going to see such a wonderful piece of writing come to life. Grounded is a complex and moving portrayal of one female pilots struggle with motherhood, marriage, and being ‘grounded’ as a drone-pilot. Essentially an hour-long monologue, the […]

REVIEW: Puzzle (Auckland Fringe)

February 19, 2015

For Ages 8 to 80 [by Guest Reviewer Andrew Parker] Everyone wants to belong. But, of course, “belonging” often means that you have to belong to something or someone, which doesn’t sound so desirable. This unfortunate paradox is the central thread of Ben Anderson’s Puzzle (directed by him and Seamus Ford), a play which looks at the question of whether it […]

REVIEW: Away from Home (Auckland Fringe and Auckland Pride Festival)

February 18, 2015

Fever Pitch [by Tim Booth and Sharu Delilkan] Kyle: Who’re ya? Who’re ya? Who’re ya? So goes the football terrace chant setting Away from Home‘s pace and rhythms – a crisp production featuring Rob Ward‘s striking performance; fast-paced writing – tackling acceptance, isolation, love, rejection and poignantly unexpected acceptance. Delivered by Ward with co-writer/ designer/director Martin Jameson. The initial similarity […]

REVIEW: Thriller Live (Lunchbox Theatrical Productions)

February 17, 2015

Dazzling, dramatic [by Sharu Delilkan] Putting on a production that truly pays homage to Michael Jackson a.k.a. the King of Pop is a daunting task, to say the least. Bearing that in mind I decided to go to the show with low expectations, to ensure that I wasn’t disappointed. However I was pleasantly surprised by the entire production, including the […]

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