REVIEW: The Black (The Basement)

September 9, 2015

The National Bank horse is back. And she’s pissed. [by Tim George] A multimedia piece about a woman’s battle with depression, The Black comes with a terrific pedigree. Written by and starring Josephine Stewart-Tewhiu, and directed by the impressively prolific Tom Sainsbury, it is a well-produced piece with ambition to spare in its use of back-projected images and animations. There is a warm, […]

PREVIEW: Standstill (The Rebel Alliance)

May 29, 2012

3 actors, 3 treadmills, 60 minutes [by Sharu Delilkan] Working on a show that has had a previous incarnation can be daunting. But when it has been a huge success it is an even bigger ask. So it’s not surprising that actor Andi Crown was a little hesitant when director-writer Anders Falstie-Jensen asked her to act in Standstill. “I must […]

REVIEW: The Pitmen Painters – (potent pause) Productions

November 19, 2011

Billy Elliot meets RED [by James Wenley] With Billy Elliot, everyone remembers the feel good inspirational story of the boy who became a ballet star. In revisiting the film recently, I was struck by the gritty social background – of Thatcher’s England and the miners sacrificing everything with lengthy strike action. For Billy, dancing was a way of escaping a […]

PREVIEW: The Pitmen Painters – (potent pause) Productions

November 8, 2011

A Tale of Two Gittins [by Sharu Delilkan] Having worked on the international film circuit for the past few years, including The King’s Speech and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Calum Gittins jumped at the chance to work in theatre. And when his dad Paul told him he was directing The Pitmen Painters it was a no […]

REVIEWS: ‘Space Race’, ‘I am a Yeti’ and the funny play (Comedy Festival)

May 3, 2011

There’s something happening in Auckland right now, and it’s hilarious. [by James Wenley]  And I’m not talking about the Comedy Festival proper. We Aucklanders have known this is hilarious for a number of years now. Auckland’s stand-up comic fraternity (anyone who has ever appeared on 7 Days, ever) have been on a renaissance roll for a while.  No, I’m talking […]

REVIEW: Chalk (Auckland Fringe)

March 3, 2011

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 […]