 reviewed by Samantha Chardin 24 May 2012 |
|
One ambitious but poorly staged and incomprehensible; the other good natured and enjoyable Opera Factory premieres a double bill of original works by young local artists of contrasting style and varying success. It is refreshing to see new work by emerging talent rather than the usual fall back to classic fare and this production is well within Opera Factory’s mission of developing artists to their potential. [more] |
 reviewed by Deirdre Tarrant (Capital Times) 24 May 2012 |
|
A journey of talent The concepts annotated in the choreographic notes were ambitious and rather serious, but the dance vocabulary was high paced, angular, aggressively in the moment, at times derivative, but also compelling as a statement in this fast paced, competitive environment. Perhaps some calm and a bit of time and space to indulge a thought would give a little more contrast. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 24 May 2012 |
|
It’s like a present I cannot open ‘Fourth wall’ theatre is alive and, well, present in a very literal sense, at Bats. Cling film shrouds all four walls of the stage but the one we face is mercifully clear. Within its confines 20 young people … exist. Hermetically sealed, as it were. [more] |
|
reviewed by Jennifer Shennan (The Dominion Post) 24 May 2012 |
|
Students own stamp allows season to shine I am delighted to report that this year’s season, by contrast, has much more of the students’ own stamp upon it, with cohering theme that allows each new work to grow out of the previous one. Dance uses highly stylized movement yet here that is anchored into the same set of domestic objects – television, bed, cupboard, piano - that feature in various ways. [more] |
 reviewed by James Wenley (Theatre Scenes - Auckland Theatre Blog) 23 May 2012 |
|
Shakespeare Nerd’s Dream Michael Hurst looks like he’s just stepped off a poor imitation of a Shakespearean stage: black doublet, tights, a particularly foppish wig, and…. a noticeable codpiece (how did the Elizabethans takes themselves seriously?). [more] |
|
reviewed by Janet McAllister (New Zealand Herald) 23 May 2012 |
|
Hilarious Hirst hits the Bard on the Head Were it to play at Elsinore, Polonius would probably announce Michael Hurst's first one-man show as "tragical-comical-historical-pastoral", for it is a giddy grab-bag of Shakespearean riffs. [more] |
 reviewed by Roxanne de Bruyn 23 May 2012 |
|
Art - not just movement For all four works, the stage is very stark and empty, so lighting and music provide the context. The lighting is striking and the music is pivotal to the understanding of the pieces. The dancing is good and solid, with lots of strength and physicality. There is a strong feeling of the inspiration behind the movement inherent in the dancers. There are similarities is the style throughout the pieces – many contortions, isolations, rhythmic repetition and the touching and entwining of the group. [more] |
 reviewed by Margi Vaz 23 May 2012 |
|
The original content minus the contagion The precision, grace, and athleticism of the dancers are phenomenal. Often nothing moves except their legs and feet and those appendages are a blur of precision! As singers they are equally polished and wonderful, and ethereal harmonies abound. The highly talented musicians would be hard to match any where in the world. What am I unsatisfied about I muse? [more] |
|
reviewed by Raewyn Whyte (NZ Herald) 23 May 2012 |
|
Farewell, Riverdance In these recessionary times we have a slimmed down cast, with just 27 highly accomplished dancers who also sing beautifully, and a fabulous four-piece Irish band (Bodrahn and percussion, Uillean pipes and whistles, fiddle, saxophone) supplemented by backing tracks. [more] |
|
reviewed by Lexie Matheson 22 May 2012 |
|
Venom, passion, anger, lust and love There’s a point to it all, so it’s not just fun and games, though there are plenty of those. Deeply embedded in the comedy and pathos of Shakespeare’s magnificence, and animated by Hurst’s substantial genius, there lies an ominous exploration of mortality; the mortality of the characters Hurst invents of course, but the gloomy transience of the actor, alone and stripped of his guise, is in there as well. [more] |
| << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 120 | 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 130 | 131 | 132 | 133 | 134 | 135 | 136 | 137 | 138 | 139 | 140 | 141 | 142 | 143 | 144 | 145 | 146 | 147 | 148 | 149 | 150 | 151 | 152 | 153 | 154 | 155 | 156 | 157 | 158 | 159 | 160 | 161 | 162 | 163 | 164 | 165 | 166 | 167 | 168 | 169 | 170 | 171 | 172 | 173 | 174 | 175 | 176 | 177 | 178 | 179 | 180 | 181 | 182 | 183 | 184 | 185 | 186 | 187 | 188 | 189 | 190 | 191 | 192 | 193 | 194 | 195 | 196 | 197 | 198 | 199 | 200 | 201 | 202 | 203 | 204 | 205 | 206 | 207 | 208 | 209 | 210 | 211 | 212 | 213 | 214 | 215 | 216 | 217 | 218 | 219 | 220 | 221 | 222 | 223 | 224 | 225 | 226 | 227 | 228 | 229 | 230 | 231 | 232 | 233 | 234 | 235 | 236 | 237 | 238 | 239 | 240 | 241 | 242 | 243 | 244 | 245 | 246 | 247 | 248 | 249 | 250 | 251 | 252 | 253 | 254 | 255 | 256 | 257 | 258 | 259 | 260 | 261 | 262 | 263 | 264 | 265 | 266 | 267 | 268 | 269 | 270 | 271 | 272 | 273 | 274 | 275 | 276 | 277 | 278 | 279 | 280 | 281 | 282 | 283 | 284 | 285 | 286 | 287 | 288 | 289 | 290 | 291 | 292 | 293 | 294 | 295 | 296 | 297 | 298 | 299 | 300 | 301 | 302 | 303 | 304 | 305 | 306 | 307 | 308 | 309 | 310 | 311 | 312 | 313 | 314 | 315 | 316 | 317 | 318 | 319 | 320 | 321 | 322 | 323 | 324 | 325 | 326 | 327 | 328 | 329 | 330 | 331 | 332 | 333 | 334 | 335 | 336 | 337 | 338 | 339 | 340 | 341 | 342 | 343 | 344 | 345 | 346 | 347 | 348 | 349 | 350 | 351 | 352 | 353 | 354 | 355 | 356 | 357 | 358 | 359 | 360 | 361 | 362 | 363 | 364 | 365 | 366 | 367 | 368 | 369 | 370 | 371 | 372 | 373 | 374 | 375 | 376 | 377 | 378 | 379 | 380 | 381 | 382 | 383 | 384 | 385 | 386 | 387 | 388 | 389 | 390 | 391 | 392 | 393 | 394 | 395 | 396 | 397 | 398 | 399 | 400 | 401 | 402 | 403 | 404 | 405 | 406 | 407 | 408 | 409 | 410 | 411 | 412 | 413 | 414 | 415 | 416 | 417 | 418 | 419 | 420 | 421 | 422 | 423 | 424 | 425 | 426 | 427 | 428 | 429 | 430 | 431 | 432 | 433 | 434 | 435 | 436 | 437 | 438 | 439 | 440 | 441 | 442 | 443 | 444 | 445 | 446 | 447 | 448 | 449 | 450 | 451 | 452 | 453 | 454 | 455 | 456 | 457 | 458 | 459 | 460 | 461 | 462 | 463 | 464 | 465 | 466 | 467 | 468 | 469 | 470 | 471 | 472 | 473 | 474 | 475 | 476 | 477 | 478 | 479 | 480 | 481 | 482 | 483 | 484 | 485 | 486 | 487 | 488 | 489 | 490 | 491 | 492 | 493 | 494 | 495 | 496 | 497 | 498 | 499 | 500 | 501 | 502 | 503 | 504 | 505 | 506 | 507 | 508 | 509 | 510 | 511 | 512 | 513 | 514 | 515 | 516 | 517 | 518 | 519 | 520 | 521 | 522 | 523 | 524 | 525 | 526 | 527 | 528 | 529 | 530 | 531 | 532 | 533 | 534 | 535 | 536 | 537 | 538 | 539 | 540 | 541 | 542 | 543 | 544 | 545 | 546 | 547 | 548 | 549 | 550 | 551 | 552 | 553 | 554 | 555 | 556 | 557 | 558 | 559 | 560 | 561 | 562 | 563 | 564 | 565 | 566 | 567 | 568 | 569 | 570 | 571 | 572 | 573 | 574 | 575 | 576 | 577 | 578 | 579 | 580 | 581 | 582 | 583 | 584 | 585 | 586 | 587 | 588 | 589 | 590 | | Next >> |