REVIEW: An Illiad (Auckland Live)

May 30, 2019

[I have Wept with Hecuba and Raged with Achilles] Standing on the ramparts of Troy we look out to sea, across the furrowed stretch of land between city and sand littered with bodies – the bodies of men and boys, mostly boys that we once knew – to the angry cluster of Greek ships; above us, the gods bicker. In […]

CHRISTCHURCH REVIEW: Juliet & Romeo (D4)

May 24, 2019

[Shakespearean Speed Run] I don’t really have much time for new productions of Shakespeare these days, especially when it comes to productions that are done in a so-called traditional manner. We live in an age where pretty high quality interpretations of these classics exist, yet are still performed ad nauseam in our cultural landscape. Romeo & Juliet is a particularly […]

PREVIEW: NZ International Comedy Festival: Week Three

May 23, 2019

Matt Baker gives his picks for the final week It’s the third and final week of the 2019 NZ International Comedy Festival and there is still an abundance of shows to see. Week two saw Jamaine Ross, James Roque, and Eli Matthewson putting their best feet forward with award-worthy shows, while Hamish Parkinson introduced use to his mum Lynette in […]

REVIEW: The Audience (Auckland Theatre Company)

May 21, 2019

[God Save the Queen] Speaking to our fascination with what happens behind closed doors with one of the world’s most public figures, The Audience imagines and recreates Queen Elizabeth II’s weekly twenty-minute meetings with her Prime Ministers.  Written by Peter Morgan and directed by Colin McColl, The Audience spans a timeframe of over six decades, beginning with the Queen’s meetings […]

REVIEW: The Mournmoor Murders (NZ International Comedy Festvial)

May 17, 2019

[Missing Bodies] Created by Alice May Connolly and Maria Williams, The Mournmoor Murders is an ensemble murder mystery set in a small town in which everyone is a suspect. The hook is that this show is a two-hander in which Connolly and Williams play every role – from the cops investigating the case, through the mayor who becomes the chief suspect, to […]

CHRISTCHURCH REVIEW: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (The Court Theatre)

May 16, 2019

[The New Every(wo)man] The legacy of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch is one of modest beginnings, with Mitchell playing the title character Off-Broadway back in 1998. That it went on to become a cult film and subsequently a Broadway and international success is a testament to the quality and originality of its material. Even […]

PREVIEW: NZ International Comedy Festival: Week Two

May 14, 2019

Matt Baker’s back with highlights from week one of the Comedy Festival and his picks for week two Week one of the 2019 NZ International Comedy Fest saw winner of the 2018 Auckland Theatre Excellence Award-winner Leon Wadham follow up his debut hit Giddy, with Funk, an absurd literal and metaphorical journey of self-discovery, which once again blew audiences away. […]

REVIEW: Bach to Bowie 2019 (Complexions Contemporary Ballet)

May 11, 2019

[Let’s Dance] Created by Artistic Directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, New York-based Complexions Contemporary Ballet celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2019. The company is clear about its vision for dance-making; “…reinventing dance through a ground-breaking mix of methods, styles and cultures…” and challenging traditions and conventions while maintaining technical excellence. Their first visit to New Zealand since 2010, CCB […]

REVIEW: NZ International Comedy Festival Preview Week

May 7, 2019

Matt Baker reports on the early highlights from this year’s Comedy Festival If the Best Foods Comedy Gala is any indication of what the year has to offer, 2019 looks to be a great year for the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. Winner of the 2018 Best International Guest, Rhys Nicholson is the perfect host for the two-and-half hour plus […]