REVIEW: Stutterpop (Auckland Fringe)

February 14, 2015

Time for a Bang [by Matt Baker] Sam Brooks is a playwright with a stutter, but his most autobiographical play is not about stuttering, it’s about love for others and one’s self. Stuttering is instead a subplot in this unique fringe performance by one of Auckland’s top young playwrights. Sharing the space with a multitude of shows (The Basement’s Sophie Henderson’s […]

Looking Back: 2014 – A Theatrical Year in Review

December 27, 2014

My Favourite Moments of the Year [by James Wenley] With stages empty and the theatrical year in blackout, I’ve planted myself in front of my computer to reflect on the performances that have provoked, challenged, and bought a smile to my face this past year. I’ve already written about happenings this year extensively, in Playmarket’s 2014 Annual (read online) and Metro’s […]

REVIEW: Wine Lips (Smoke Labours Productions)

August 27, 2014

Eight out of tannin  [by Matt Baker] If you’ve ever wondered what The Basement greenroom looks like, or the stories its walls could tell, Wine Lips is the answer. From the authentic show posters featured on Bex Isemonger’s set and Amber Molloy’s inventive lighting design, both of which thankfully make full use of the greenroom mirror, to the stalwart ease […]

REVIEW: Queen (Smoke Labours Productions)

February 14, 2014

Gay outing [by Sharu Delilkan] Queen is a scream, a sass, a laugh, a cry, a voice. The publicity material’s description of Queen is spot on. Although a re-staging of the show, Sam Brooks’ Queen is still unique in nature because unlike most coming out gay stories the focus is the emotional roller coaster of under 18-year olds. Despite its […]

REVIEW: Riding in Cars with (Mostly Straight) Boys (Smoke Labours Productions)

February 3, 2014

The journey, not the destination [by James Wenley] It struck me while watching Sam Brooks’ Riding in Cars with (Mostly Straight) Boys how many moments of great (and small) personal drama burns out while stuck in an automobile. While Film loves to show wheels in motion, cars can be problematic to represent and rather static in action in a stage drama. […]

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 […]

REVIEW: Another Dead Fag (Smoke Labours Productions)

October 30, 2013

Suicide isn’t painless [by Sharu Delilkan] Another Dead Fag epitomises the essence of The Basement’s ethos. In this case it was not only about appreciating young playwright Sam Brooks’ uncanny ability to write insightful modern day dialogue, but it was about seeing some of the actors who also work at The Basement performing superbly on stage. Dan Veint (Seb) shines […]

INTERVIEW: Sam Brooks, Playwright

October 17, 2013

Another Sam Brooks [by James Wenley] Another Dead Fag happens to be Sam Brooks’ third production at The Basement theatre this year. A playwright who creates juicily complex characters, his words seem to spring from both a personal and societal consciousness. His is a young voice working in the theatre worth listening to – helped by consistently booking slots at […]

REVIEW: Queen (Smoke Labours Productions)

April 18, 2013

Gay-up Storytelling [by James Wenley] The passing of this bill will validate my place in society. It does nothing for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples that have gone before me and had to hide their relationships. It does wonders for those of us that will be able to enjoy it at this time of great change. Most of […]

REVIEW: And I Was Like (The Basement)

March 15, 2013

And I Was Like: Whatever [by Matt Baker] In his programme notes, writer and director Sam Brooks puts forth the question, ‘What happens  when you take one of the fundamental pillars of relationships, the words, out of the equation?’ He  summarises by saying that ‘when it gets from the stage to your faces, maybe you’ll get your  answer.’ If there is […]

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