REVIEW: The Brave (Massive Company)

April 20, 2012

Bravery the Massive Way [by James Wenley] I see a lot of theatre, and I enjoy a lot of theatre, but it’s a rare show that’s able to cut through and grab you on a deeply personal level. That show is Massive Company’s The Brave. Eight men, embodying bravery in body and souls, share their personal stories and experiences of […]

REVIEW: Everything She Ever Said to Me (Scratch New Writing)

April 19, 2012

The pain of everyday [by James Wenley] Jo’s everyday interactions are characterised by a sort of agony. As played by Kayleigh Haworth, she’s an intriguing study of indecision, awkwardness, tension and a constant internal torment about what to reveal, keep to herself, and behave.    Keziah Warner’s new play Everything She Ever Said to Me, speaks to the painfulness of conversation […]

REVIEW: Sinarella (Mangere Arts Centre)

April 18, 2012

Perfectly Pitched Pacific Panto [by Sharu Delilkan] The theatre was electrically charged as we scrambled to find our seats. In fact my mate Liz and I ended up sitting separately because it was so full. Not to mention the fact that they added almost 6 new chairs stage left to accommodate the stragglers. Seeing the theatre packed to the gunnels […]

REVIEW: Jersey Boys (Civic Theatre)

April 16, 2012

The good kind of Jersey [by James Wenley] As I take my seat in the Civic, the Jersey Boy stage looks surprisingly non-descript. It’s a grey and drab industrial looking set, complete with walkways and chain mesh. A pretty ordinary set for an international musical, but then, the origins of the real Jersey blue collar Four Season members were rather […]

PREVIEW: Everything Benjamin Henson said about ‘Everything She Ever Said to Me’

April 13, 2012

No rape, pillage or murder here: Just some good old-fashioned human drama. And some nudity. [by Rosabel Tan] It’s a stifling afternoon and the palms in St Kevin’s Arcade hang limply in the thick air, but Benjamin Henson appears unaffected by the heat. Hunched over a table scattered with notebooks and scripts and an empty cup of coffee, he doesn’t […]

NOT A REVIEW: Hanussen – The Palace of Burlesque (Q)

April 12, 2012

Burle…. [by Sharu Delilkan] “Willkommen, Willkommen, have we got a show for you.” So started the Hanussen – The Palace of Burlesque show. The audience laughed and clapped. “Why?” you might ask. And the reason was they didn’t have a show for us. For once in a burlesque blue moon the show was not going to go on. What? How? […]

REVIEW: This Kitchen is Not Imaginary [The Basement]

April 11, 2012

This Kitchen IS Not Imaginary [by Sharu Delilkan] The action starts straight away with the main character ‘Man’ (Alex Walker) making a paper plane that he throws over the screen on the back of the stage. The fact that is got stuck in the ceiling, whether intentional or not, certainly loosened up the crowd from the get-go. Man very soon […]

PREVIEW: The Brave (Massive Company)

April 10, 2012

Play favours The Brave [by Sharu Delilkan] Massive Company’s latest production The Brave marks a number of firsts for the cast’s oldest actor, Jonny Moffatt. The show is a milestone in the 30-year-old’s acting career as he will not only be debuting with Massive Company but also at Q and the Mangere Arts Centre. Moffatt says “Although I have never worked […]

PREVIEW: Troilus and Cressida (Auckland Town Hall to The Globe Theatre)

April 6, 2012

Te be, or not te be? [by Sharu Delilkan] It has been a journey of a lifetime for Rachel House to direct the first Te Reo Maori version of William Shakespeare‘s historical masterpiece, Troilus and Cressida. Despite being one of the country’s foremost theatre practitioners and visionaries, House admits she was terrified, when she was first approached. “I knew this […]

REVIEW: Punk Rock (Outfit Theatre Company)

March 29, 2012

Teen angst on overdrive [by James Wenley] Pity the British teenager. There’s something about the British school system that has seen it spawn more than its fair share of films, television and plays eviscerating the subject. Alan Bennett’s thoughtful The History Boys, which Punk Rock has been compared to, took a fairly noble approach to student’s studying their final exam. […]

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