REVIEW: Fix (The Basement)

August 13, 2014

Fix transfixes [by Sharu Delilkan] Knowing that playwright Jess Sayer wrote this play when she was 21 is both amazing and somewhat disturbing. Her carnal knowledge of what it is like when someone experiences a personal crisis is phenomenal for someone of such a tender age. However I quickly forget that this is the case as Fix basically sucks us […]

REVIEW: Other Desert Cities (Auckland Theatre Company)

May 12, 2014

Other American Plays [by James Wenley] The desert looking back at us is not quite the one from the popular imagination: wind turbines populate the otherwise arid landscape. Is this a symbol of progressivism and human achievement, or a blot on the natural expanse? This dessert is Palm Springs, and the centrepiece of Rachael Walker’s eye-catching stage design is a massive […]

REVIEW: The Glass Menagerie (Auckland Theatre Company)

May 20, 2013

A precious piece [by Matt Baker] The Glass Menagerie is a magical play. From the opening Brechtian monologue, to the blatant symbolism and dialogue surrounding the titular menagerie, playwright Tennessee Williams does not shy away from using a light theatrical shroud to expose truths. It would be easy to rely on these conventions and consequentially not find the true weight in […]

REVIEW: Where Are You My Only One? (The Basement)

November 29, 2012

Wears its heart on its sleeve [by Matt Baker] The decision to revisit a piece of work is an intriguing endeavour. For David Aston it was based on his belief that Where Are You My Only One? – a piece that he first performed in 2003 as part of Silo Theatre’s To Russia With Love mentoring project for young directors […]

REVIEW: The Pitmen Painters – (potent pause) Productions

November 19, 2011

Billy Elliot meets RED [by James Wenley] With Billy Elliot, everyone remembers the feel good inspirational story of the boy who became a ballet star. In revisiting the film recently, I was struck by the gritty social background – of Thatcher’s England and the miners sacrificing everything with lengthy strike action. For Billy, dancing was a way of escaping a […]

PREVIEW: The Pitmen Painters – (potent pause) Productions

November 8, 2011

A Tale of Two Gittins [by Sharu Delilkan] Having worked on the international film circuit for the past few years, including The King’s Speech and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Calum Gittins jumped at the chance to work in theatre. And when his dad Paul told him he was directing The Pitmen Painters it was a no […]

REVIEW: Mary Stuart (Auckland Theatre Company)

May 9, 2011

Two Queens, two kingdoms [by Sharu Delilkan] With the recent revelry to mark the British Royals tying their nuptials I wasn’t surprised that The Maidment Theatre’s foyer was packed to the gunnels when we arrived. But I soon realised it was because there were two sets of audiences in the house – those gearing up for the NZ International Comedy […]