Substantive [by Tim George] A couple sit on a couch, enjoying the evening. A plain of glass shatters. And then, so does everything else. Written by Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons) and directed by Alistair Browning, Treats is a bruising comedy about three people who want (and need) different things from each other. Dave, a journalist, has just come back from assignment in Iraq, […]
The Anti-Arrival [by James Wenley] Going in, the talking point is how Red Leap have downsized from their large ensemble company, the world-building of The Arrival, and the giant creatures of Sea. Dust Pilgrim is a nimble show for a smaller venue and three performers (plus crew member), designed artistically and economically for ease of touring. Going out, the big news […]
Maybe another day [by Matt Baker] The combination of Auckland Playwright Collective’s Read Raw in 2008 and The Court Theatre’s Fresh Ink new play development programme in 2010 has certainly given substance to Laurence Dolan’s play, Days Like Today, but substance is not enough for a play to make the transition from page to stage. It requires a ruthless director and […]
Natural Born Killas [by Sharu Delilkan and Tim Booth] Often not knowing what to expect when you go to a show is key. In this case my total ignorance about Victor Rodger’s Club Paradiso worked a treat. Shock, horror and amazement was what ensued from the minute I sat in my seat, having managed to refrain from reading the programme. […]
La cenerentola captivates [by Sharu Delilkan] If you go to see Gioachino Rosinni‘s version of Cinderella aka La cenerentola with an open mind I can guarantee that you are in for a veritable feast that will satisfy all your senses. But if you’re expecting pumpkins, carriages, rodents, wands, glass slippers and fairy godmothers you are bound to be disappointed. So […]
Too light [by Matt Baker] It is the most difficult process any parent could endure, not the loss, but the unknown fate of a child. The stakes are high in Shelagh Stephenson’s script, and while Auckland Theatre Company’s production of Enlightenment has an intellectual grasp on the chaos of the play, it remains less resonant than the text allows it to […]
Stakes too Low [by Matt Baker] Ariel Dorfman is an intellectual. An academic, essayist, novelist, and playwright, his literary prolificacy is comparable only by the activism for human rights which fuels it. Newmarket Stage Company Artistic Director, John Callen, clearly recognises both these aspects, and presenting this production with not only the Newmarket Business Association, but, more importantly, Amnesty International, is […]
For Realness [by James Wenley] I don’t think I’ve ever been to any album release parties before, but if I do in the future, I don’t see how they could top The Best Possible Album Party Anybody Has Ever Been To. Donna Rose (Frith Horan) and Carla (Kate McGill) have risen from the slums of Columbia to international pop super-stardom. There […]
Deserves a more thorough investigation [by Matt Baker] On the international stage New Zealand is a young country with a comparatively less violent history than the birth lands of its colonial forefathers, but violence is violence, and even the smallest act can reverberate across the globe. The death of Fernando Pereira, son, husband, father, may not have directly affected the lives […]
Faulty [by Matt Baker] As theatre practitioners, we often find ourselves telling the stories of those who can’t, but story-telling is a false notion. Scriptwriters are told to show, not tell, and it is what they choose to show, or not show, to the audience, which interests the latter. Out of Order tells a lot of stories. From a toaster and […]
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