REVIEW: Cellfish (Silo Theatre)

June 19, 2018

[Big Fish] If truth is often stranger than fiction, why is plausibility so necessary in theatrical plot? While Shakespeare was never opposed to using coincidence or serendipity in order to drive the action of his plays, when such treatments are applied to contemporary modes of theatrical style, the resulting juxtaposition between anachronistic action and modern spectacle risks becoming jarring to […]

REVIEW: Putorino Hill (Taki Rua)

July 16, 2014

Hill of Memory   [by James Wenley] “More of a murky puddle than a fresh water spring” is how Whiti (Rob Mokaraka) describes trying to look back into his past. Taki Rua’s new work, Pūtōrino Hill by Chris Molloy by is a captivating memory play where the past’s reflection is a murky place indeed, revealing curses, hushed up scandals, patupaiarehe (fairies) demons. […]

REVIEW: Awatea (Auckland Theatre Company)

July 22, 2012

Awatea Shines Brightly [by Sharu Delilkan] You knew the writing was on the wall the minute you walked into the theatre. I’m of course referring to the beautifully chalked letters that ‘panoramically’ filled the backdrop of the entire stage. So dramatic, intriguing and utterly effective was this device that you could not help reading some of the letters while the […]

REVIEW: The Bone Feeder

November 14, 2011

Feeding the Past [by James Wenley] I first encountered playwright Renee Liang’s The Bone Feeder in 2009, presented as part of her postgraduate diploma of Arts at the University of Auckland, which I reviewed for Craccum Magazine. Since then, Renee (known also for plays Lantern & The First Asian AB) has continued to develop and work on the play. More productions […]