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: The Last Five Years (Last Tapes)

March 4, 2012

A show to fall in, and out of love.. [by James Wenley] In the middle of Musical The Last Five Years, Jamie and Cathy pledge their loves and their lives in the song The Next Ten Minutes, which  features both a tender proposal (“Will you share your life with me / For the next ten minutes? / …. And if […]

Looking Back: 2011 – A Theatrical year in Review

December 29, 2011

Q opens in triumph, Fringe overshadows Festival, Outfit Rise, Rugby, Rugby, Rugby, and the Death of the Theatre. [by James Wenley] Attending the recent Hackman Theatre awards, Auckland Theatre circa 2011 would appear to be in rude health. Rude being the word, hosts Nic Sampson and Joseph Moore proudly observing it was a record year of nudity on stage, from […]

EXTRA: Auckland Daze

November 21, 2011

Auckland Scene gets funny + Deleted Scene! [by James Wenley] If you already haven’t already, fans of Auckland theatre should definitely check out TVNZ’s new online comedy Auckland Daze, about four wannabes “chasing fame in Auckland’s ridiculously small entertainment industry”. The brainchild of actor/director Kiel McNaughton, local theatre actors amongst its cast include Natalie Medlock, Jacqui Nauman (of Outfit Theatre Company), and Faye Smythe. Our […]

INTERVIEW: Jennifer Ward-Lealand and the challenges of Rita Angus

November 15, 2011

Rita and Douglas and Jennifer [by James Wenley] Jennifer Ward-Lealand says playing Rita Angus is one of the most challenging roles she has ever performed in her career. “I’ve never done anything like this before”. It’s a surprising statement from Jennifer, whom over her long career in the performing arts has played roles as diverse as Boadicea in Xena: Warrior […]

REVIEW: Poor Boy (Auckland Theatre Company)

March 29, 2011

Oo hoo hoo hoo… [by James Wenley] Poor Boy is a song written by kiwi music royalty Tim Finn and released in 1980 on Split Enz’s True Colours album. The lyrics ‘My love is alien, I picked her up by chance / She speaks to me in ultra-high frequency’ are apparently about a ‘poor boy’ who falls in love with […]

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