REVIEW: Gwen in Purgatory (Twist Productions)

September 13, 2013

Family dynamics deftly depicted [by Sharu Delilkan] Rachael Walker’s seemingly simple set for Gwen in Purgatory belies the emerging complexity of interaction between a rich tapestry of family members doing their best [or worst] for their elderly mother or grandparent. The show shines the spotlight on the tough and awkward issues that many of of us go through life avoiding. […]

REVIEW: Death of a Salesman (Peach Theatre Company)

October 15, 2012

I’m sold [by Matt Baker] In his opening night speech, director Jesse Peach obscurely alluded to the possibility of Death of a Salesman being his last production*. While I actively concede that this may have been a misinterpretation of inarticulate speech, I would like to think that going out on a high note is the correct course of action in […]

PREVIEW: Death of a Salesman (Peach Theatre Company)

October 7, 2012

Miller’s Memorable Masterpiece [by Sharu Delilkan] The minute Richard Knowles heard that Peach Theatre Company was staging Death of a Salesman he lost no time contacting producer/director Jesse Peach. “I studied Death of a Salesman at school and I even used one of the monologues for my audition at Toi Whakaari. So I wanted to be involved in any way […]

REVIEW: Copenhagen (TAPAC)

June 3, 2012

Physics, History, and the Atomic Bomb [by Rosabel Tan] Sometimes a play will continue to work on you long after you’ve left the theatre. I don’t mean that the memory lingers, though this happens too, but that the experience continues to grow and transform, the seed of what was planted onstage blossoming over time. A digression: Adaptation is one of […]

REVIEW: A Thousand Hills (STAMP at THE EDGE)

October 23, 2011

1,000 Reasons to see 1,000 Hills [by Sharu Delilkan] It is always a privilege and an honour to witness the premier of an original piece of theatre. But to be among the first to experience the personal sharing of a true story is even more significant. Naturally the foyer of the Herald Theatre was buzzing with eager anticipation when I […]

REVIEW: The Family Wilder

July 8, 2011

Dark and Twisted [by James Wenley] After a string of collaborations and monologue directing, Thomas Sainsbury returns to The Basement with The Family Wilder, setting his style to the dark camp of the thriller genre’s twist and turns. Harry McNaughton plays the softly-spoken writer Clive, who is tasked with writing the biography of Wilder Family patriarch and ruthless businessman Bill. […]