REVIEW: Everest Untold (Auckland Live)

May 25, 2016

[Team Effort] An engrossing look at two of the men behind Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s successful ascent, Everest Untold is a multimedia production in which Sir John Hunt (Stephen Lovatt), the leader of the 1953 expedition, and George Lowe (Edwin Wright), the ‘other Kiwi’, tell the story of the team effort that went into the climb. Written by Gareth Davies and […]

REVIEW: Manifesto 2083 (The Rebel Alliance)

October 1, 2015

Resistance [by James Wenley] About half-way through Manifesto 2083, actor Edwin Wright, playing actor Olaf Højgaard, begins to chuckle. “Was this your goal?” he asks the image of Anders Behring Brevik, attached to a pinboard behind him. In creating Manifesto 2083, Danish theatre makers Christian Lolike, Tanja Diers and Højgaard were exposing Brevik’s manifesto, his ideology and his words, to a […]

REVIEW: Crunchy Silk (Junket Theatre)

March 27, 2014

Less silk, more crunch [by Matt Baker] Jess Sayer has inarguably established a firm and justified reputation for herself as one of the leading New Zealand playwrights of her generation, so, when a play like Crunchy Silk comes along, I am torn between what is ultimately a good play with potential, and the feeling that Sayer has not packed her usual […]

REVIEW: The Glass Menagerie (Auckland Theatre Company)

May 20, 2013

A precious piece [by Matt Baker] The Glass Menagerie is a magical play. From the opening Brechtian monologue, to the blatant symbolism and dialogue surrounding the titular menagerie, playwright Tennessee Williams does not shy away from using a light theatrical shroud to expose truths. It would be easy to rely on these conventions and consequentially not find the true weight in […]

REVIEW: Black Confetti (Auckland Theatre Company)

July 7, 2012

Shivering and Shaking; The Glittery Black [by Rosabel Tan] Siggy (Kip Chapman) is the quintessential drifter. He’s spent the past seven years “finding his niche” – that is, working his way through every stage one paper offered by the Faculty of Arts – and he’d happily continue this search, only The Dean (Adam Gardiner) is now threatening to kick him […]

PREVIEW: Black Confetti (Auckland Theatre Company)

June 26, 2012

Siggy Tardust! [by Sharu Delilkan] When Kip Chapman saw Black Confetti at Auckland Theatre Company’s The Next Stage programme last year, he knew instantly he had to be involved. “I approached Philippa [Campbell] as soon as the reading was over because I thought it was an amazing script that reminded me of Odysseus going into the underworld. I was even […]

REVIEW: Tartuffe (Silo Theatre)

November 7, 2011

Tartuffe for the 3D Generation [by James Wenley] If nothing else, Tartuffe is an experience. ‘This is not museum theatre’, warns/promises Silo Theatre in their bus shelter ads around town.  I’m curious about what their definition is, because I certainly don’t feel like Auckland is ‘afflicted’ by productions of this type. Professional Shakespeare’s in period dress for example are the rare […]