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 […]

Rugby vs Theatre: The First Asian AB

September 12, 2011

Interview with Benjamin Teh and Paul Fagamalo about acting, culture and RUGBY! + TICKET GIVEAWAY!! [by James Wenley] After 200,000 fans shut-down down-town for the Rugby World Cup Opening Night celebrations there is no denying it anymore. The Rugby is here, and Auckland has gone mad for it. And if you can’t beat em, join em. Or so it seems […]

REVIEW: Raising the Titanics at Q Theatre

September 8, 2011

Raising the Titanics, Raising a Theatre  [by James Wenley] The Maori Volcanics show band in their 60s heyday were arguably our most famous exports. With members included bonafide legends Prince Tui Teka and Billy T James, they took their unique mix of song, comedy, and Maori culture around the world to the USA, Vietnam, Israel, Europe, playing to royalty and appearing […]

REVIEW: The End of the Golden Weather (Auckland Theatre Company)

September 8, 2011

Milk and Honey Dreams [by James Wenley] The End of the Golden Weather has got to be one of the great New Zealand stories. As a play, it’s endured far beyond its intended lifespan. Playwright Bruce Mason wrote it partly as a platform for himself, performing the work solo across NZ in the decades for a staggering 986 performances, until […]

REVIEW: The Only Child (Silo Theatre)

September 2, 2011

Not your classic ‘bathroom’ drama [by James Wenley] In The Only Child, actor Stephen Lovatt spends most of his time in the bath. If this sounds like taking it easy as an actor, it is anything but. From the bathtub Lovatt, naked – physically and emotionally, delivers an intense performance as a father dealing with profound loss, grief and, most […]

REVIEW: The Terrific Tale of Tabatha Talmus & These are the Skeletons of Us

August 11, 2011

Labyrinth and 500 Days of Summer? Skip the films, see the plays… [by James Wenley] When I interviewed Chris Neels on Theatre Scenes for Skin Tight in June he mentioned that he was working on two shows for a double bill at the Basement theatre in August. “Last year the Basement put out a call for proposals and I thought… […]

Musing about ‘I love you bro’ (Silo Theatre)

August 9, 2011

A/S/L? [by James Wenley] One of the oldest forms of human communication meets one of its newest in I love you bro. And they aren’t much different at all. Silo Theatre’s current offering launches its ‘Second Cousin’ brand where they can “muck around with conventions to create work which is decidedly new and unlike anything you’ll see in our mainbill […]

REVIEW: Young and Hungry Festival Auckland 2011

August 4, 2011

Cow, Tigerplay and Disorder. What a threesome! [by James Wenley] If you haven’t already, rush to see the Young & Hungry Festival, there’s not much time left… there’s a Zombie apocalypse on don’t you know? Under Auckland Theatre Company’s guidance, the third year of Young & Hungry in Auckland is arguably the strongest yet, containing two Young and Hungry classics – […]

NEWS: Len Brown announces ‘Jersey Boys’ coming to The Civic

July 27, 2011

Oh what a night… Tommy, Bobby, Nick and Frankie on their way [by James Wenley] Len Brown announced at a press conference this morning at the Civic Theatre’s Wintergarden that the smash hit international musical Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, will be coming to Auckland in April 2012. Jersey Boys is a key part of […]

REVIEW: Othello (Peach Theatre Company)

July 25, 2011

Honestly, Iago… [by James Wenley] It might be called Othello, but this one is very much Iago’s show. Iago, the villain in Shakespeare’s Othello, has long threatened to outshine the titular tragic hero. Shakespeare for one gave him substantially more lines and a relentless destructive driving force, plotting to destroy the Moor that he says he hates. Why Iago does […]

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