REVIEW: Te Tangi a Te Tūi (Te Pou)

March 14, 2024

Te Tangi a Te Tūī is a ground-breaking collaboration between Te Rēhia Theatre, The Dust Palace and The Cultch, which weaves together elements of Māori pūrakau, circus theatre, spectacular visuals, and stunning choreography to tell the story of the Tūī’s song which becomes an allegory for the beauty and persistence of te reo Māori. The Tūī’s birdsong is complex and […]

REVIEW: The WonderWombs (The Dust Palace)

December 20, 2019

Wonder No More Created by Auckland-based cirque-theatre company the Dust Palace, The Wonderwombs is a tantalising performance of aerial acrobatics, challenging our perceptions of womanhood.   Curiosity begins as soon as we take out seats. Hanging from the ceiling of Q theatre are various innocuous pastel pink objects – a rubber glove, a child’s fortune-teller game – and items move towards […]

REVIEW: The Goblin Market (The Dust Palace)

March 31, 2019

[The Market Will Decide] Created by The Dust Palace in 2016 and directed by Mike Edward, The Goblin Market is a narrative circus theatre production incorporating music, film, spoken word and acrobatics. Exploring the Victorian Christina Rosetti narrative poem Goblin Market, the performance aims to develop the original characters and storyline within a contemporary setting. Upon entering the theatre, audience members are […]

REVIEW: Midnight (APO and The Dust Palace)

December 12, 2017

[Ballet in the Sky] It seemed an unlikely combination when this show was first announced. Dust Palace and the APO? What sort of arranged marriage was this?  Had both companies’ marketing departments recently been on a misguided training course on audience diversification? It initially seemed my fears were confirmed at curtain up. A warm but minimal exchange between conductor and […]

REVIEW: Ithaca (The Dust Palace)

December 2, 2015

Against the Aristotelian odds [by Matt Baker] Less of a re-imagining or reinterpretation of Homer’s The Odyssey, and more of a performance piece inspired by the source material, Ithaca by Thomas Sainsbury and The Dust Palace is a true spectacle in the dramatic sense of the word. With a monopoly on home-grown cirque theatre, it would be easy for the company to […]

REVIEW: Knock Knock (The Dust Palace)

December 14, 2013

Whose there? [by Sharu Delilkan] The foyer of The Herald Theatre was buzzing with excitement as people read the decree on the scrolls adorning the walls. The Dust Palace had thrown down the gauntlet to us as audience members, and everyone headed towards their seats wondering what they were in for – especially since the dreaded “audience participation” card had […]

REVIEW: With a Stranger (The Dust Palace)

June 9, 2013

An Aerial Extravaganza [by Sharu Delilkan] Arriving at TAPAC, which was dimly lit like a darkened bordello really helped set the tone for the evening from the get-go. This equally mysterious ambience was mirrored when you entered the theatre, adding to the excitement of what would ensue. We have seen a number of circus cabaret shows in the last couple […]

REVIEW: Love and Money (The Dust Palace)

November 16, 2012

Money CAN buy love [by Sharu Delilkan] Be warned that the cast of Love and Money don’t only bear all physically, they bear their souls through this intimate emotional journey. This clever piece of theatre is slickly peppered with cirque-theatre that’s the hallmark of The Dust Palace. Having seen Venus Is at Q Loft over a year ago, I was […]

REVIEW: Venus Is… (The Dust Palace)

September 11, 2011

Q’s Loft loses its virginity [by Sharu Delilkan] Everyone is familiar with the Roman goddess Venus, that’s often associated with love, beauty and fertility.  So naturally I was bracing myself for an evening brimming with decadence, desire and debauchery. And coupled with the excitement of Q’s new studio space The Loft’s first show Venus Is…, the evening promised a spicy […]