REVIEW: a mixtape for maladies (Auckland Arts Festival)

April 11, 2023

 a mixtape for maladies is a poignant yet entertaining new work by Ahi Karunaharan depicting a family’s experience of unrest in Sri Lanka.  Presented as a ‘performed reading’ in the Auckland Arts Festival, the event begins with each of the performers introducing themselves and giving a brief description of their background. It is highlighted that in a perfect world, a […]

REVIEW: SandSong: Stories from the Great Sandy Desert (Auckland Arts Festival)

March 21, 2023

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this review contains the name of someone who has passed away. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers of the work are also warned that SandSong contains images and voices of deceased persons. A shimmering, molten backdrop – gold and red like the surface of the sun or a crucible of red […]

REVIEW: The Picture of Dorian Gray (Auckland Arts Festival)

March 21, 2023

[Big Canvas] Performed by actress Eryn Jean Norvill and constructed by a hardworking crew of camera-people (Babi Bertoldi, Zoltan Jonas, Sam Steinle, Josh Vellis, Sean Waite and Simon Croker) and technicians, The Picture of Dorian Gray is an epic, ambitious multimedia adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s novel. Adapted and directed by Kip Williams, Dorian Gray is a maximalist experience – offering […]

REVIEW: The Savage Coloniser Show (Auckland Arts Festival)

March 20, 2023

Poetry and theatre lovers alike have been eagerly awaiting Tusiata Avia’s The Savage Coloniser Show to grace the stage. The Savage Coloniser Book is the second book of poetry by Avia to be transformed into an ensemble stage play since the award winning Wild Dogs Under My Skirt. Both shows have been produced by Victor Rodger (F.C.C) and directed by […]

REVIEW: Revisor (Auckland Arts Festival)

March 13, 2023

An Inspector Calls?  A farce about the paranoia of totalitarianism, Revisor is a darkly comic choreographic blend of bodies, setting, light and sound.  Created by Canadians Jonathon Young (writer) and Crystal Pite (choreography and direction), Revisor follows the titular character (performed by Gregory Lau, and voiced by Young), a minor civil servant tasked with updating a piece of legislation by […]

REVIEW: Tropical Love Birds (Auckland Arts Festival)

March 22, 2021

[Birds of a Feather don’t always flock together] Tropical Love Birds, a new offering by theatre-maker Vela Manusaute, promises to “venture into the often-muted world of domestic violence, using the gravitas of humour, sound and threatre-loving-goodness to uplift courage…” As I enter the Māngere Arts Centre, I’m prepared for lots of laughter despite the hard-hitting theme.   As house lights dim, three […]

REVIEW: Strasbourg 1518 (Auckland Arts Festival)

March 21, 2021

[Dance to Live] Combining dance, theatre and storytelling, Strasbourg 1518 is an exhilarating contemporary performance that explores ideas of revolution and the arts within both a historical and contemporary framework. Directed and choreographed by Lucy Marinkovich, with Lucien Johnson as writer and composer, Strasbourg 1518 is based around the dancing plague of 1518 – begun by a lone woman, up […]

REVIEW: Sing to Me (Auckland Arts Festival)

March 17, 2021

[Beyond the Pairs of Opposites] “Our mind is capable of passing beyond the dividing line we have drawn for it. Beyond the pairs of opposites of which the world consists, other, new insights begin.” ― Hermann Hesse Taki Rua’s Sing to Me opened at Rangatira Q Theatre as part of the Auckland Arts Festival on 11 March to limited capacity […]

REVIEW: Limbo Unhinged (Auckland Arts Festival)

March 14, 2020

[Unhinged Limbs] Billed as circus-cabaret, Limbo Unhinged offers terrifying spectacles and exhilarating feats of strength and physical control. A mixture of dance, clowning, and acrobatics (including fire breathing and sword swallowing), combined with live music, the show has much to offer. The Auckland Art’s Festival Spiegeltent which pops up in Aotea Square provides the perfect venue for this display. Rich […]

REVIEW: Black Ties (Auckland Arts Festival)

March 13, 2020

[Tied by Bonds of Love] Co-created by ILBIJERRI Theatre Company and Te Rēhia Theatre Company, Black Ties is a heartfelt exploration of what happens when two First Nation cultures collide.   Written by John Harvey and Tainui Tukiwaho (co-director and ‘Robert’), the narrative comedy drama is expertly brought to life by an experienced cast under the guidance of Rachael Maza, award-winning […]

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