REVIEW: We May Have to Choose (Auckland Fringe)

March 4, 2017

[Choose to Listen] It is difficult to write about We May Have to Choose since there is no way you can possibly describe the effortlessly fluid experience of sitting in front of Emma Hall for just under and hour not even noticing the minutes tick by. Lack of conventional structure helps to create this feeling. But more than that, we […]

REVIEW: The Last Man on Earth is Trapped in a Supermarket (Auckland Fringe)

February 28, 2017

[Countdown to the Apocalypse] Sitting in the audience for the return season of The Last Man on Earth is Trapped in a Supermarket is a real joy. Ben Anderson has created an engaging and aesthetically stunning piece of theatre. Once again Auckland is introduced to Tom, played by Ryan Dulieu, an unfortunate protagonist who finds himself locked in the local […]

REVIEW: Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again (Silo)

February 22, 2017

[Revolutionize the Discourse (Don’t Review)] Virginia Frankovich’s directorial debut for Silo Theatre explodes across the Basement Theatre stage with an astute understanding of the complexity of Alice Birch’s text. Last year Silo proved that they are not a company to pander to the mainstream sensibilities and once again they present us with a piece of self-dubbed feminist theatre that attempts […]

REVIEW: Milk and Honey (Company of Giants)

December 10, 2016

[Far from Home] As 2016 draws to an end it seems that we can’t wait to escape the changes the past 12 months have brought. From Trump to Brexit, to the constant swelling threat of irreversible climate change, and of course the death of David Bowie, our little planet has taken some beatings. However, when that clock strikes midnight on […]

REVIEW: Vernon God Little (The Actors’ Program)

November 21, 2016

[American Idiot] Vernon God Little is a controversial play for a controversial time. In the wake of Trump’s America raising its ugly head, now is almost too easy a time to dissect American culture for all its faults. Director Leon Wadham has taken that chance with the graduating class of The Actor’s Program who tell the tragically satirical story of […]

REVIEW: Schlunted (The Other People)

November 6, 2016

[Stunted] Writing, composing and directing a full-length musical in 100 days is no easy task. Schlunted follows a group of young twenty somethings driving off on a road trip after Fi (Sinead Fitzgerald) calls up her two high-school best friends, Hailee (Sally Brady) and Chris (Hadley R Taylor), who have both just completed their university degrees. However, this is no […]

REVIEW: Lucrece (Auckland Shakespeare Company)

October 28, 2016

[Rings True] The reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic poem, The Rape of Lucrece by William Shakespeare, marks the first professional production by the Auckland Shakespeare Company. By bringing dramatic visibility to the poem they demonstrate just how long rape culture has festered throughout history, another story from the extensive canon of abuse fueled by male entitlement. Shakespeare’s text is 422 years […]

REVIEW: Valerie (Auckland Live International Cabaret Festival)

October 2, 2016

[Emotional Resonance] The Auckland Live International Cabaret Season kicked off this past week with Valerie, an unconventional cabaret written and performed by Last Tapes Theatre Company. The piece first appeared at Hotspot Cabaret and has developed into an entirely different creature since then. The Basement Theatre space has been transformed into a loungey cabaret den, lit by candles and kept […]

REVIEW: Banging Cymbal, Glanging Gong (The Basement)

September 23, 2016

[Off Beat] Banging Cymbal, Clanging Gong is once again brought to life fifteen years after its debut by writer Jo Randerson. The show promises to be a raucous event pioneered by a tartan wearing, foul mouthed punk figure who navigates her ancestry and personal philosophy throughout the show. Taking inspiration from her Danish heritage, Randerson weaves into the fabric of […]

REVIEW: The Better Best Possible Album Party Anybody Has Ever Been Two (The Basement)

September 18, 2016

[Return of the Divas] Back from their self-imposed hiatus Deni$ and Tyla grace New Zealand’s stage once again dropping bangers and truths for audiences at the Basement Theatre. Frith Horan and Kate McGill are stepping back into the shoes of this problematic pop-duo to rekindle their relationship with their fans after an ego-fueled mistake at Coachella destroyed their careers nine […]

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