REVIEW: 2 Dimensional Life of Her (New Performance Festival)

February 19, 2012

New Performance, New Dimensions [by James Wenley] Well the New Performance Festival has sprung up within the little-seen bowels of the Aotea Centre. A pop-up (and very cool) festival club is the gateway to a host of shows that, at the very least, will leave you plenty to talk about after. And it was 2 Dimensional Life of Her that […]

REVIEW: Bathing with Elephants and other Exotic Reveries

January 27, 2012

An astounding Journey into the unknown [by James Wenley] The Civic Main stage is dark, waiting for its first performance of the year. But the building is alive. The show is Bathing with Elephants and other exotic reveries, with much for the inteprid audience member to encounter. Bathing with Elephants is a collaboration between Vitamin S, Co-Lab and STAMP at […]

Looking Forward: What’s on my theatrical radar for 2012?

January 16, 2012

What will the 2012 Auckland Theatre Scene bring? [by James Wenley] The Auckland Theatre Scene goes deadly quiet in January. In my last post, as I looked back on 2011, I was grateful the curtain had dropped on a particularly busy year for theatre. Now, however, I’m firmly suffering theatre withdrawal. Luckily, the hopeful promise of 2012 productions keeps me […]

Theatre XMAS Madness!! A Criminal Christmas & A Krazy Kristmas

December 9, 2011

These shows won’t last, buy your ticket today! [by James Wenley] Turns out Xmas is a lot like the Rugby World Cup, whether you’re into it or not, you simply can’t avoid it – its everywhere. Xmas trees and tinsels have sprouted up everywhere. All I want for Christmas is you is on repeat. A GIANT Xmas Tree bauble has […]

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: The Wizard of Oz (Peach Theatre Company)

September 12, 2011

A Yellow Brick Road worth following [by James Wenley] We’re off to the see the Wizard. I’ll get you my pretties. Dorothy. Scarecrow. Lion. Tin Man. Toto. The songs, images, lines and characters from The Wizard of Oz are burned in technicolour into the memories of generations of people for over 70 years. While deviating wildly from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 original […]

REVIEW: Soap the Show

August 24, 2011

Wet but definitely not Wild [by Sharu Delilkan] Anticipation is the only way to describe the atmosphere on opening night – anticipation for whether cabaret could translate to a big venue like The Civic, without losing the naughtiness and immediacy that’s the essence of cabaret. The crowd was willing and excited about the sexy and sensual show that the programme […]

REVIEW: Faux Real (Comedy Festival)

May 4, 2011

Are you faux real? [by Sharu Delilkan] When I arrived at the Herald Theatre I was a little disappointed with the small number of people in the foyer. “I’m early I told myself”.  But unfortunately that didn’t change as we filed into the venue to take our seats. I actually counted 35 people in total, including me and my husband, […]

REVIEW: Mike & Virginia (Comedy Festival)

May 4, 2011

When Mike met Virginia [by Sharu Delilkan] Everyone knows When Harry Met Sally so when the show opens using the movie as an example of a romantic comedy (or a romcom) it sets the stage perfectly for what’s to come. Mike & Virginia is written by veteran screenwriters Kathryn Burnett & Nick Ward, who are making their debut into the […]

PREVIEW: Mike & Virginia (Comedy Festival)

April 29, 2011

Back on the radar [by Sharu Delilkan] Most people know Te Radar as an award winning satirist, documentary maker, writer, failed gardener, and amateur historian. And more recently he’s been in our living rooms starring in TVNZ’s Radar’s Patch, Off the Radar, and Homegrown. But you’d be forgiven if you didn’t think of him as a stage director, especially since […]

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