Inky, Pinky, Go! [by James Wenley] The girl on the program cover is all wrong. With her exuberant expression and red sparkly jelly party hat, it suggests kids playing dress ups. Next Big Thing is anything but. Maybe it works as an image for their adult subscribers: come and see what those kooky kids are up to. But as an image […]
Needed Mour [by Matt Baker] New Zealand’s first full-length Sri Lankan play. A sell-out season before opening night. It’s an exciting premise to the beginning of a new branch of New Zealand-Asian theatre. Upon entering The Basement, the audience is greeted with Karnan Saba’s soundscape, both captivating and subtle, with all the originality and instant identity of a John Williams’ score, […]
Not yet a Great Ape [by Matt Baker] In a black box conversion of The Basement studio, creator and performer Alice Canton sits and waits on a pile of dirt and bark. The elevated and shallow seating block doesn’t seem to manage The Basement studio 65-seat capacity, leaving audience members sitting on the floor, which I imagine results in false sightlines […]
Rupert Bare [by Sharu Delilkan and Tim Booth] It’s rare that a show about someone’s life is introduced by the main character as “a show about my life” but Rupert, a biography of media moghul Rupert Murdoch breaks many of the norms of theatre as he does the fourth wall. David Williamson‘s Rupert encapsulates a multitude of genres – it’s […]
Mana Wahine [by Sharu Delilkan and Tim Booth] In many ways it’s hard to believe that Ngā Pou Wahine premiered two decades ago. Yes Māori theatre has moved on, gaining more and more prominence within the New Zealand theatre tapestry, however many of the themes that the play touches upon are still relevant today. Although this show is an historic […]
Download Incomplete – Error Occurred [by Matt Baker] There is a fine line between playwrights providing what is necessary outside of dialogue for practitioners to convey the meaning of their story, and prescribing the text because they cannot see it any other way. On one hand, theatrical theories, conventions, and practices can shift dramatically over the years, leading to limited explorative opportunities […]
Nothing new under The Basement Lights [by Matt Baker] 29 performers, numerous acts, and one creative mind behind it all. It’s a recipe for a potentially excessive and hubristic night at the theatre, but creator Jessie McCall has pulled together a diverse assortment of dancers, actors, and musicians under the unifying theme of artistic copyright to produce a truly entertaining evening. […]
Enjoyably engaging [by Sharu Delilkan] If you go to Ballet Revolución with your dance snob’s hat on I’d advise you not to bother. But if you’re interested in having an entertaining night out with the family Ballet Revolución is definitely the one for you. Yes I agree that their attempt to incorporate classical ballet, contemporary dance and modern hip hop […]
Young in Trouble [by Matt Baker] B4 25 Playmarket Award nominee Ben Wilson has been inspired by seeing “young people’s stories told honestly,” and while I don’t buy the authenticity of the issues addressed in his play, “I’ll Be Fine”, the pre quarter-life crisis generation is a terrifying truth to which I’ve been exposed. The film obsessed potential scriptwriter role in […]
A Satisfying Squeeze [by Andrew Parker] It seems sort of appropriate that Kate Watson’s The Cave, a show so concerned with size, plays out in Garnet Station’s Tiny Theatre – where space isn’t wildly abundant for either the players or the audience. What better setting for a drama of sexual function and dysfunction performed by actors often wielding impressively proportioned dildos? […]
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