Which genius lit the world? [by Sharu Delilkan] As the audience pile into the ‘small space’ I couldn’t help thinking ‘How many more can you fit in?’. But the constant stream keeps flowing and eventually the show’s co-writer and director Pip Smith bellows ‘I’ve added a chair at the end of that isle across the stage but can I make […]
Hauntingly Effective [by James Wenley] With so much of the Fringe being comedy orientated, it was very refreshing to take a walk on the Gothic side late on Monday night. Benjamin Henson intelligently adapts and directs this unsettling stage version of Henry James’ 1897 novella The Turn of the Screw. A white gowned governess (Philippa Johnson) is charged with looking […]
Veronica lives on! [by Sharu Delilkan] Alex Ellis has got the whole package – the petite frame, platinum blonde hair and Veronica Lake’s signature peek-a-boo bangs, which became a phenomenon in the 1940s. She may be a lot taller than Lake was in real life (5 ft 11 in instead of 5 ft 2 in) but that doesn’t detract from […]
Real Lives, Real Theatre. Theatre, in many ways, is all about being what you are not. Actors research and rehearse hard in order to embody characters that are nothing like them, playwrights write ‘fictional’ stories… all in the hope of being able to portray some sort of ‘truth’ onstage. It was revelatory and refreshing last night to see Homeless Economics, […]
Anywhere but Shady Meadows! There is something very disconcerting watching Isla Adamson and Josephine Stewart -Tewhiu play elderly characters in their devised Fringe play Chalk. These gorgeous young performers transform and contract their bodies in such a believable way that the characters have a sense of the uncanny. Welcome to Shady Meadows Retirement home. A commercial voice over tells us […]
Toga Party. Constantinople is a famous city founded by the Emperor Constantine in 330BC, but had its name changed to Istanbul in 1930. Actor Barnie Duncan (Outrageous Fortune) liked its name better the first time. He uses the city as a name for his ‘soloish’ play and a very lose framework to experiment with some absurd gags, and to play some […]
Rocky Horror Opera Show [by Sharu Delilkan] The poster of Opéra Risqué, definitely promised naughtily attired girls singing opera in Moulin Rouge style lingerie. And the diverse crowd waiting outside at 5.30 pm were obviously anticipating a mischievous evening. The trepidation was heightened by the sight of scantily clad women appearing and disappearing at the box office like fleeting flights […]
Sex. Yeah. As we take our seats for The Sex Show at Galatos, a couple lies ‘behaving’ on a black box representing a bed. He is restless. She reads a book. Is this the state of New Zealand bedrooms across the country? The Sex Show is a devised Fringe show by ensemble group Outfit Theatre Company under the direction of […]
There’s something in the water… They say there hasn’t been a Water Ballet performed in Auckland for 50 years. That is, until last week. The Wet Hot Beauties took over the Parnell Baths, delivering an awe-inspiring visual extravaganza in the water. As I sit down to write this, I am still buzzing, images and bodies swimming through my mind, forming […]
You can’t stop the camp! Forbidden Broadway is essential must-see viewing for any self-respecting Musical Theatre geek. Forbidden Broadway began its life in 1982 as a revue show created, written and directed by Gerard Alessandrini, spoofing the Broadway scene and musicals. It has run ever since, with Alessandrini constantly updated the show to keep up with the latest shows and […]
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