SCENE BY JAMES: 2016 – A Theatrical Year in Review

December 30, 2016

[Engaging with our Worlds] The meme that gained exponential currency as 2016 trudged along was that 2016 was a terrible year. Aleppo, terror, celebrity deaths, Brexit, Harambe, and the coming of Trump – what started as a joke seems to have become a genuine expression of the globe having entirely written off this fucked up year. Yes, this contemporary perception is all […]

REVIEW: Milk and Honey (Company of Giants)

December 10, 2016

[Far from Home] As 2016 draws to an end it seems that we can’t wait to escape the changes the past 12 months have brought. From Trump to Brexit, to the constant swelling threat of irreversible climate change, and of course the death of David Bowie, our little planet has taken some beatings. However, when that clock strikes midnight on […]

REVIEW: The Opening Night Before Christmas (The Basement)

December 9, 2016

[Levin la Vida Loca] Shadows of the North Pole is one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen. Written and directed by Rosa-Lynne Martin Shanks (Kura Forrester), it features a cast of amateurs less convincing than that time your little sister forced you and the rest of your family to watch her one-woman show about — oh, who cares, you […]

REVIEW: The Beautiful Ones (Tawata Productions)

November 23, 2016

[Slice of Nightlife] Born from writer and director Hone Kouka’s own experiences as part of the 90s dance party scene in Amsterdam, The Beautiful Ones is a multi-disciplinary love letter presented by Maori and Cook Islands theatre company Tawata Productions. By transplanting this nostalgia for a lost time to a present day Wellington setting, the homage becomes a platform to […]

REVIEW: Vernon God Little (The Actors’ Program)

November 21, 2016

[American Idiot] Vernon God Little is a controversial play for a controversial time. In the wake of Trump’s America raising its ugly head, now is almost too easy a time to dissect American culture for all its faults. Director Leon Wadham has taken that chance with the graduating class of The Actor’s Program who tell the tragically satirical story of […]

REVIEW: Perplex (Silo)

November 17, 2016

[This is a Review] Nic (Nic Sampson) and Natalie (Natalie Medlock) return from a holiday to find their home not quite in the same state they left it. Their friends, another couple, Sam (Sam Snedden) and Kura (Kura Forrester) have been housesitting. It begins by establishing a premise that echoes many others, but soon derails off course. While the domestic […]

REVIEW: I am Tasha Fierce (The Basement)

November 16, 2016

[Portrait of the Artist as a Young Fan] Fans of Beyonce will probably jump on board with I am Tasha Fierce without too much encouragement, but even those with only a passing familiarity shouldn’t be turned off.  Writer/performer Rose Kirkup enthusiastically educates us on everything we need to know, organically weaving factoids about the popstar with Tasha’s own personal history, […]

REVIEW: The President Tour (The Classic)

November 10, 2016

[The Future is Now] With hideously perfect timing Alexander Sparrow’s new show The President Tour arrives at the Classic to offer a terrifying view into the mind of US president-elect Donald Trump. The lead-up to this show was a series of ironies. Most of the audience did not turn up because they were following the results. As Trump (the real […]

REVIEW: A Ghost Tale (The Basement)

November 10, 2016

[A Bit Wispy] Theatre is not always good at creating a visceral experience — the medium is designed as a platform for exploring ideas, not action (let’s take musicals and pro-wrestling out of the equation). Anthologies are also difficult to pull off — not only do you have to provide a strong set of tight stories, you also have to […]

REVIEW: Schlunted (The Other People)

November 6, 2016

[Stunted] Writing, composing and directing a full-length musical in 100 days is no easy task. Schlunted follows a group of young twenty somethings driving off on a road trip after Fi (Sinead Fitzgerald) calls up her two high-school best friends, Hailee (Sally Brady) and Chris (Hadley R Taylor), who have both just completed their university degrees. However, this is no […]

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