I Want To Be Happy is a deeply human and often surreal exploration of love, loss, and the individuality of happiness. The play follows Binka, a guinea pig in a testing facility, who is wonderfully realised and commandingly portrayed by Jennifer Ludlam. Paul is the laboratory technician assigned to look after Binka, whose portrayal is a masterclass in subtlety by […]
[The Injustice of It All ] Holding court for 100-minutes is a feat in itself for a full cast. However doing so as a solo performer is downright laudable and absolutely deserving of the standing ovation that Acushla-Tara Kupe received on opening night. Writer Suzie Miller is a former lawyer, and it’s heartening to read that despite Prima Facie being initially […]
[This is a Review] Nic (Nic Sampson) and Natalie (Natalie Medlock) return from a holiday to find their home not quite in the same state they left it. Their friends, another couple, Sam (Sam Snedden) and Kura (Kura Forrester) have been housesitting. It begins by establishing a premise that echoes many others, but soon derails off course. While the domestic […]
[Theatrically Stimulating] It turned Nina Arianda into an overnight success, her performance earning her the 2012 Tony Award for Best Actress. In 2013 it became the most produced play that year with 22 productions. And its origin is found in a 19th century German S&M novella. At least that’s how Vanda Jordan, a brazen and uncouth, yet inarguably fascinating, actress refers […]
Mana Wahine [by Sharu Delilkan and Tim Booth] In many ways it’s hard to believe that Ngā Pou Wahine premiered two decades ago. Yes Māori theatre has moved on, gaining more and more prominence within the New Zealand theatre tapestry, however many of the themes that the play touches upon are still relevant today. Although this show is an historic […]
Fever Pitch [by Tim Booth and Sharu Delilkan] Kyle: Who’re ya? Who’re ya? Who’re ya? So goes the football terrace chant setting Away from Home‘s pace and rhythms – a crisp production featuring Rob Ward‘s striking performance; fast-paced writing – tackling acceptance, isolation, love, rejection and poignantly unexpected acceptance. Delivered by Ward with co-writer/ designer/director Martin Jameson. The initial similarity […]
‘Circustastic’! [by Sharu Delilkan] Carousel & Clothesline is a great lesson in life not to take ourselves too seriously. Yes the strong ensemble demonstrates their precise acrobatics reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Éloize but it’s their emphasis on exploring the sense of play that sets this show apart from other live performances in this genre. And it is […]
Shared Tears [by James Wenley] Tragedy hovers over low-caste Sanichari. She has lost her husband, and as her play begins, her son lies painfully weak and in an agony of coughing. She will lose much more as the play continues: the characters that surround her – her blind mother, he daughter-in-law, and her young grandson – will too depart for […]
Bringing Classic Cinema to Life [by James Wenley] Dementia 13 is a 1963 thriller and old-school slasher flick where an axe-wielding madman stalks the grounds of a Scottish castle. Though a clear Psycho-lite, in this early Francis Ford Coppola picture it is possible to discern his latent potential, in amongst the hokey psychological posturing and a reveal telegraphed from miles […]
Same, but Different [by James Wenley] The harder you try to categorise Speaking in Tongues, the further the play slips away. Case in point: the content of the opening scene is the stuff of conventional dramas – in separate hotel rooms, two couplings of strangers contemplate engaging in infidelity. The tension: who will go through with it, who will back […]
Copyright © 2024 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes