Looking Back: 2013 – A Theatrical Year in Review

December 28, 2013

Auckland Participates [by James Wenley] This past year I have partied with underage drinkers, appeared on the 6pm news, ran for my life from snarling zombies, and, for an all too brief moment, locked eyes with a sensuous Lucy Lawless. If there’s one big trend that has come out of Auckland’s 2013 theatrical year, it’s got to be the year of […]

This Week in the Theatre Scene: Young & Hamlet (7-13 October)

October 7, 2013

Auckland Theatre gets Game of Thrones mad [by James Wenley] PICK ONE: Young & Hungry Who’s putting it on? Wellington has been doing Young & Hungry – a festival of new theatre with cast and crew aged 15-25 working with industry mentors – for yonks. Auckland only recently got a taste, with three years of Y&H under the wings of Auckland […]

REVIEW: Hamlet (Galatea Theatre)

October 5, 2013

The Red Tragedy [by Matt Baker] The problem with Hamlet as a play is that it treats character over plot. The success of Galatea Theatre’s production, therefore, is the casting of Calum Gittins as the titular Dane. Asides from his remarkable technique, Gittins’ performance is packed with pathos, giving full colour to the extreme range of Hamlet’s capricious nature. This […]

WEST END BOY: Theatre Scenes goes to London, Part Two

August 21, 2013

The Play’s the thing [by James Wenley] During my recent excursion to London Theatre (last week I gave my Musical fanboy report), the city experienced an unprecedented heatwave. Ed Miliband in typical British fashion suggested that if temperatures got too high workers should be sent home for a cup of tea and lie down. As I had just returned from […]

REVIEW: No Holds Bard (Royale Productions)

June 5, 2013

Hurst’s a Bardarse [by Sharu Delilkan] Aptly described as an outrageous and often profound look into one actor’s attempt at self-destruction, No Holds Bard definitely promises what it delivers…and more. This original compilation of numerous Shakespearean excerpts woven together from the likes of Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth and Othello is a great way to showcase Michael Hurst’s mastery of the […]