REVIEW: Tiresias (Auckland Fringe)

February 28, 2019

[See the Fates in Action] Simon Rodda and local fiddler Shimna Higgins star in an hour of masterfully woven oral storytelling and live music. Directed by Rebecca Rogers, Tiresias’ 2019 Auckland Fringe season represents the international debut of British Theatre company Heady Conduct. Deep in Q Theatre’s Vault the audience clusters around tables in cabaret seating. There is a murmur of […]

REVIEW: Rosemary (Auckland Fringe)

February 28, 2019

[Mary Maintains her Iconic Status] Created by Rosie Tapsell and Jazmine Rose Phillips, the multi-disciplinary dance work Rosemary presents a multifaceted attempt to demystify the Mother Mary icon. Before the audience has even climbed the stairs to the Basement’s Studio space we are engaged in an exploration of Mary. Besides the box office is a TV screen playing a loop […]

REVIEW: The Space Between (Auckland Fringe)

February 27, 2019

[Getting Closer] What is connection? It’s one of the many questions stuck to the black curtains of the central playing space of the Town Hall Supper Room, and a provocation in the devising process of The Space Between, a multi-space, multi-disciplinary theatrical installation presented by Cherie Moore and Sheena Irving in the 2019 Auckland Fringe Festival. Connection is one of […]

REVIEW: Māui (Auckland Fringe)

February 26, 2019

[Democratising Space by Dancing the Old and the New] On a raised stage elevated two or three meters above the floor of the concert chamber of Auckland’s Town Hall a narrator’s voice introduces the dance theatre production Māui –  the latest offering from Fresh Movement, a dance company that brings together hip hop, contemporary dance, and Māori and Pacific movement […]

REVIEW: Pussy Riot: Riot Days (Auckland Fringe)

February 25, 2019

[The Revolution will be Theatricalised] I was standing in the Auckland Town Hall’s Great Hall on a Friday night waiting for Riot Days to start, a performance by the Russian protest and art collective Pussy Riot. As I wait, I get chatting to Rita, an 86-year-young from Tauranga who has travelled up to Auckland for the event. Rita had read […]

REVIEW: Movement of the Human (Auckland Fringe)

February 22, 2019

[Perspective changes MOTH into a Butterfly] Movement of the Human [MOTH] presents the body in glorious movement in an enthralling and deeply atmospheric work directed by Malia Johnston in collaboration with Eden Mulholland’s composition and sound design, and Rowan Pierce’s set and AV design. MOTH’s season at Auckland Fringe Town showcases dance/movement, song, live music, and projection, and is brought […]

REVIEW: Tide Waits for No Man (Auckland Fringe)

February 22, 2019

[Treading the Imprints of Cultural Traditions] As the light slowly fades up to the sound of ocean waves breaking, a line of Chinese calligraphy is revealed stretching across the scrim that forms the backdrop to the stage. The bleeding line of ink might represent a jagged mountain range, but perhaps also a fracture or rip in the identity of the […]

REVIEW: Lovepuke (Auckland Fringe)

February 21, 2019

[Falling in and out of love (& puke)] Written by New Zealand playwright and screenwriter Duncan Sarkies (Scarfies, Two Little Boys) Lovepuke unashamedly focuses on love, sex and relationships. Premiering at BATS Theatre in 1994, this cleverly written piece of observational theatre continues to resonate as part of the 2019 Auckland Fringe. We have seen a multitude of performances where love is […]

REVIEW: I am Rachel Chu (Auckland Fringe)

February 21, 2019

[Will the real Rachel Chu please stand up?] Co-created and performed by Nathan Joe, Amanda Grace Leo, Ravi Lloyd Gurunathan and Angela Zhang, I am Rachel Chu is a parody, critical response, and humorous ‘rewrite’ of the story of Rachel Chu — the heroine from the Hollywood blockbuster and bestselling novel Crazy Rich Asians. Described as an attempt ‘to liberate […]

REVIEW: The Salem Bitch Trials (Auckland Fringe)

February 20, 2019

[Eat Your Heart Out Daniel Day-Lewis] An improvised riff on The Crucible that makes about as much sense as the historical event it is inspired by, The Salem Bitch Trials is based on the same formula as Mackenzie’s Daughters, with most of the same cast (featuring a rotating cast of 18, the opening night performance featured Alice Canton, Lana Walters, Brynley Stent, Karin McCrackin, Johanna […]

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