REVIEW: Ernest Rutherford: Everyone can Science! (The Basement)

May 30, 2013

Side Splitty Stuff [by Sharu Delilkan] I worry about the title of Nic Sampson’s new show Ernest Rutherford: Everyone Can Science! mainly because people might get the wrong impression thinking that it is a boring show about splitting the atom. And although Sampson hails from Gen Y, I suspect a majority of his generation may not even equate Rutherford with […]

REVIEW: Gravity Hotel (The Basement)

May 30, 2013

Mass Appeal [by Matt Baker] The less said about Gravity Hotel, the better. I say this, not in regards to the incredibly high quality of the work, but of its journey, as it is one that simply must be experienced as opposed to explained. Very rarely does an audience remain seated post show in huddled discussion about the events they’ve just […]

REVIEW: The Illusionists (The Civic)

May 25, 2013

The Avengers of Magic [by James Wenley] Magic is back? Believe it. By mixing Vegas spectacle with the romanticism of the turn of the 20th Century magic show and packaging it with an ultra-modern sensibility and pizzazz, The Illusionists is a heart-thumping feast for the eyes and trip for the mind – of a type that many Aucklanders (myself included) have […]

REVIEW: The Glass Menagerie (Auckland Theatre Company)

May 20, 2013

A precious piece [by Matt Baker] The Glass Menagerie is a magical play. From the opening Brechtian monologue, to the blatant symbolism and dialogue surrounding the titular menagerie, playwright Tennessee Williams does not shy away from using a light theatrical shroud to expose truths. It would be easy to rely on these conventions and consequentially not find the true weight in […]

REVIEW: I Wish I Learned: A New Musical

May 20, 2013

Some things you can’t learn in school [by Matt Baker] Composer, lyricist, and musical director Vicki Millar has a Masters Degree in Musical Theatre (specialising in Writing), so I am surprised that I Wish I Learned came across as such a primary level production. The story is devoid of plot and is instead driven by the characters, who, by themselves, are […]

REVIEW: Jimeoin in What?! (Comedy Festival)

May 16, 2013

Passes the smell test [by James Wenley] When it comes to Jimeoin, what he says matters far less than what he does. The Aussie/Irish comic is a fairly regular face at our comedy festival, and a top draw act – filling Sky City Theatre. Jimeoin has long perfected a dry, laid back style of observational comedy that sifts through the ridiculous […]

REVIEW: James Roque is Chicken (Comedy Festival)

May 16, 2013

Clucking good fun [by Matt Baker] “What do I really wanna say that I’m afraid to say?” In his eulogy for George Carlin, Louis CK noted that what made the late comedian better every year was his constant digging deeper for new material; from jokes about airplanes and dogs, to feelings and who you are, to fears and nightmares. With […]

REVIEW: Hedluv + Passman (Comedy Review)

May 10, 2013

A slice of Cornish Pasty [by Sharu Delilkan] Two Cornish rappers and a Casiotone keyboard – that was pretty much all I knew when I got to the gig at Cassette Nine last night. Why not, I said to myself, particularly since we’ve recently seen big balls, classical music hooliganism and mesmerising mime mania, why not Hedluv + Passman? We […]

REVIEW: Vance Fontaine for Lovers (Comedy Festival)

May 9, 2013

Legend [by James Wenley] Vance Fontaine is one of the best kept secrets of the Comedy Festival in Auckland. But it is a secret that needs to be let out. From the improvisatory genius of Wellington’s Greg Ellis Vance Fontaine is the greatest New Zealand singer you have heard of. I went to his Auckland show Vance Fontaine in Command […]

REVIEW: Vela Manusaute in Big Balls (Comedy Festival)

May 8, 2013

A kick in the balls [by Sharu Delilkan] The show started off in the classic Kila Kokonut Krew slapstick style that we are all familiar with. But it was not long before it was obvious that Vela Manusaute was totally on the ball. His latest show at the NZ International Comedy Festival titled Big Balls was a great way to […]

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