REVIEW: Death and the Maiden (Newmarket Stage Company)

May 31, 2015

Stakes too Low [by Matt Baker] Ariel Dorfman is an intellectual. An academic, essayist, novelist, and playwright, his literary prolificacy is comparable only by the activism for human rights which fuels it. Newmarket Stage Company Artistic Director, John Callen, clearly recognises both these aspects, and presenting this production with not only the Newmarket Business Association, but, more importantly, Amnesty International, is […]

REVIEW: The Best Possible Album Party Anybody Has Ever Been To (The Basement)

May 27, 2015

For Realness [by James Wenley] I don’t think I’ve ever been to any album release parties before, but if I do in the future, I don’t see how they could top The Best Possible Album Party Anybody Has Ever Been To. Donna Rose (Frith Horan) and Carla (Kate McGill) have risen from the slums of Columbia to international pop super-stardom. There […]

REVIEW: Fallout: The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior (The Large Group and Last Tapes Theatre Company)

May 24, 2015

Deserves a more thorough investigation [by Matt Baker] On the international stage New Zealand is a young country with a comparatively less violent history than the birth lands of its colonial forefathers, but violence is violence, and even the smallest act can reverberate across the globe. The death of Fernando Pereira, son, husband, father, may not have directly affected the lives […]

REVIEW: Out of Order (The Basement)

May 22, 2015

Faulty [by Matt Baker] As theatre practitioners, we often find ourselves telling the stories of those who can’t, but story-telling is a false notion. Scriptwriters are told to show, not tell, and it is what they choose to show, or not show, to the audience, which interests the latter. Out of Order tells a lot of stories. From a toaster and […]

REVIEW: Live Live Cinema: Little Shop of Horrors (Auckland Live)

May 18, 2015

Weird and Unusual Plants do the Best Business [by James Wenley] In the previous seasons of Live Live Cinema, the soundtracks to cult B Movies Dementia 13 and Carnival of Souls were recreated live by a handful of actors, musicians lead by the masterful Leon Radojkovic and a dedicated foley artist. It would be relatively easy enough to replicate the formula for […]

REVIEW: Spyfinger! (NZ International Comedy Festival 2015)

May 14, 2015

Beware of this heart of (comedy) gold [by Matt Baker] Following the success of A Play About Space and A Show About Superheroes, Wellington-based award-winning theatre collective My Accomplice brings their latest show (about spies), Spyfinger!, to Auckland, following their Wellington season for the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. With incredibly (and necessary) detailed direction by collaborator Uther Dean; Alex Greig, […]

REVIEW: Faith (Eli Matthewson) (NZ International Comedy Festival 2015)

May 14, 2015

No Doubt [by Matt Baker] Religion is a goldmine for comedians. It’s also an easy target, which some exploit to disseminate their philosophical views, and while that’s perfectly valid in the comedy medium, it’s not the aim for Eli Matthewson. Instead, the concept of faith, or, more specifically, losing it, is a chance for Matthewson to simply expose not only some […]

REVIEW: National Treasure (Nic Sampson) (NZ International Comedy Festival 2015)

May 13, 2015

Working his way up [by Matt Baker] What does it mean to be a National Treasure? What is the criterion for nomination let alone winning? And who is so humbly honouring themselves? Comedian, actor, and head-writer for Jono and Ben, Nic Sampson, addresses all this and more in his New Zealand Comedy Festival show, National Treasure. With the help of Sam […]

REVIEW: Fly or Die (Hamish Parkinson) (NZ International Comedy Festival 2015)

May 13, 2015

Surreal Grandeur [by Matt Baker] There are a variety of ways in which artists create work, and while there are theoretical practices that can be employed in an attempt to ensure some form of artistic merit, such an outcome is never guaranteed. There will always be those who follow the rules, guidelines, and templates to great success, and then there are […]

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