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LITTLE HISTORIES OF THE LIFE ORDINARY at The Basement, Lower Greys Ave
reviewed by Rosabel Tan (Theatre Scenes - Auckland Theatre Blog) 22 Mar 2012
Getting Lost in Space
Little Histories of the Life Ordinary follows a girl named Frankie whose deepest desire is to travel to space. You’ll never be lonely up there, you see, and the moon is made of cabbage, so you’ll never go hungry either. Also, the Milky Way is made of milk. Problems – all of them: solved. [more]

MRS VAN GOGH at Musgrove Studio, Maidment Theatre
reviewed by Rosabel Tan (Theatre Scenes - Auckland Theatre Blog) 22 Apr 2012
Wikipedia for the stage
At the beginning of Mrs Van Gogh, Johanna Gesina Bonger (Gina Timberlake) introduces herself to the audience. I see my name does not strike a chord, she says. Perhaps you will know me better as Johanna Van Gogh – wife of Theo (Brendan Lovell), sister-in-law to Vincent (John Goudge), and one of the only reasons the latter’s work has survived. [more]

COPENHAGEN at TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs
reviewed by Rosabel Tan (Theatre Scenes - Auckland Theatre Blog) 3 Jun 2012
Physics, History, and the Atomic Bomb
Sometimes a play will continue to work on you long after you’ve left the theatre. I don’t mean that the memory lingers, though this happens too, but that the experience continues to grow and transform, the seed of what was planted onstage blossoming over time. [more]

HIS MOTHER’S SON at Mangere Arts Centre
reviewed by Grant Hall 1 Mar 2012
Moves and surprises with quiet beauty
His Mother’s Son, a powerful and intelligent play written by Leilani Unasa, is a story made up of mysterious parts and focuses on a fractured Samoan / Palagi family, spanning three generations. The narrative is refreshingly non-linear and takes the audience to some unlikely places and scenarios, all with a healthy dose of comedy, drama and poignancy. [more]

BIRDS at Mangere Arts Centre
reviewed by Grant Hall 17 Mar 2012
Dynamic physical theatre
The primary power of this play is with the acting. It transports the story as it dances, prances, jumps and shouts. The performers thrust the narrative in your face, like graffiti, like the wail of a siren, like a good hiding and even like a rock-filled poi! [more]

RICHARD MEROS SALUTES THE SOUTHERN MAN at BATS
reviewed by Ryan Brown-Haysom (Salient) 12 Mar 2012
Sight gags, flair for words and genuine human warmth
But how to describe him? Gonzo pundit? Cod philosopher? Idiot-savant? Perhaps it’s sufficient to say that Richard Meros is one of the most intelligent and entertaining figures in the often-underwhelming world of home-grown New Zealand satire. [more]

Photo: Matt Grace
THE MĀORI TROILUS AND CRESSIDA - TOROIHI RĀUA KO KĀHIRA at Globe Theatre
reviewed by Dominic Cavendish (The Telegraph) 25 Apr 2012
Language no barrier to universality and tragicomic richness
Some of the finest tattooed buttocks on the planet were bared on the opening night of Globe to Globe, ushering in an unprecedented, six-week, non-stop, multilingual celebration of Shakespeare in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games. Ngakau Toa from Auckland, New Zealand, came, saw and conquered with their Maori Troilus and Cressida, thanks in part to an unforgettable curtain-call haka ... [more]

Photo: Matt Grace
THE MĀORI TROILUS AND CRESSIDA - TOROIHI RĀUA KO KĀHIRA at Globe Theatre
reviewed by Andrew Dickson (The Guardian) 25 Apr 2012
Remarkable, aggressive, thoughtful
Troilus and Cressida – a knotty, bittersweet love story set across the battlelines of the Trojan War, like a rerun of Romeo and Juliet without the consolation of death – is a hard sell at the best of times, never mind when it's in a language from the other side of the world. In the event, though, the Auckland-based Ngakau Toa company, performing in classical Maori, offer a potent, swaggering production that looks entirely at home on this stage. [more]

Angelina Mousling
ANGELINA BALLERINA'S BIG AUDITION at St James Theatre
reviewed by Jennifer Shiya-Shennan & Olive Rodriguez-Thomas (The Dominion Post) 30 Apr 2012
Two views of a ballet for children
Hello, I’m Olive. My Shiya took me to see Angelina Ballerina and it was fun. You can tell Angelina straight away because her pink tutu is the same as on the poster. My friend Sophie is going to see it on Saturday so I will tell her that. [more]

DOG & BONE at Whitireia Performance Centre, 25-27 Vivian Street
reviewed by Maraea Rakuraku 22 Aug 2012
Respect for honesty and power
Dog and Bone is a sensory pleasure on all counts. I was half-expecting to smell the sea in one scene. Entering to dogs barking was frankly confronting and a little uncomfortable but absolutely necessary and engaging. It became apparent to me just how well connected that was to the story, once it settled, because Helen Pearse-Otene’s writing has switched up since The Ragged. [more]
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