[The Last Picture Show] The reputation of Annie Baker as a playwright of Chekhovian sensibilities can often overshadow the fact that she has her own distinct idiom and rhythm that taps into the banality of contemporary life. And, yes, her plays are slow but only in the sense that they are patient, unhurried miniatures. It’s this unassuming style, the very […]
Howl of the Kurī Little time, little knowledge. Are we making ourselves heard? Are we putting in effort to be heard? Are we listening? Just like demons, emotions can blind and turn our minds and our souls BLACK. We take our time to react and fully don’t set in motion until the deed is done and it is too late. […]
[Bend it like who?] There’s an ongoing frustration in theatre when it comes to female roles that has been addressed over and over again. Even in 2019 it’s uncommon to witness complex female characters on stage, let alone with an all female cast. This winter Silo Theatre leads the charge by delivering us Sarah DeLappe’s Pulitzer Prize nominated play The Wolves. […]
Best Served Cold There’s something timeless about the deceitful machinations that run through Les Liaisons Dangereuses. The French epistolary novel, originally published in 1782, and adapted by Christopher Hampton, has the Wildean wit of a sharp knife dipped in poison. The dastardly duo at the center of the play, the Marquise de Merteuil (Eilish Moran) and Vicomte de Valmont (Fergus […]
Horseplay at its Finest The National Theatre of Great Britain’s War Horse is probably one of the most spectacular productions to be staged at The Civic to date. War Horse is mesmerising – bringing out the child in everyone as we watch the horses trot, canter and gallop in unison, without missing a beat. The life-sized puppet horses are truly a design marvel […]
[A Fine Partnership] A Fine Balance is a wonderful collaboration between the Auckland Theatre Company and Prayas Theatre that successfully stages diverse stories and bodies that are not heard or seen often enough on Auckland’s mainstages. With Q Rangatira configured as theatre in the round, with seating banks on four sides, the performance begins with a woman bent low, sweeping […]
[The Equalizer] If you are going to Reuben Kaye’s self-titled show just to fill the main slot in your cosmopolitan night out, looking for comfortable entertainment, you may be in for a shock. While the elements may be familiar – Kaye as a magnificent Master of Ceremonies, a supporting band consisting of grand piano, drums, and a moment of double […]
[Dancing like she’s danced this dance before] Advertised as a ‘bangers-fuelled, hour long rave – making a song and dance about recovery,’ MANIAC On The Dancefloor is in fact a raw and impactful account of writer Natasha Lay’s lived experience of bipolar and emphasises the simple truth that one does not ‘recover’ from mental illness but forges an ongoing battle […]
[An Underwhelming Spectacle] The story of Meera may not be well-known to an Auckland-based audience – a young woman who is betrothed in childhood to the mischievous Krishna, the cowherd incarnation of Vishnu in classical Vaishnav tradition. Meera then faces endless struggles in reconciling herself to others’ expectations as she progresses through life. Wild Dreamer Productions promise ‘a celebration of tender […]
[Grand Rapids in NZ] Black Swan, White Swan was commissioned in 2012 by Artistic Director Patricia Barker for her previous company, Grand Rapids Ballet, Michigan. It is a modern, minimalist reimagining of the iconic classical ballet Swan Lake first performed by the Bolshoi Ballet, Russia in the 1870s. Slovakian choreographer Mário Radačovsky retains the characters, two act structure and score […]
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