 reviewed by John Smythe 12 Oct 2008 |
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Relevant commentary or escapist thrills? ... The whole play, however, may be seen as a metaphor for women’s liberation in that blind Susy (Ban Abdul) finally has to use her own intelligence and core confidence to outwit a clever trio of greed-motivated and morally moribund con-men, fixated on recovering a stash of heroin hidden in a doll. [more] |
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THE OUTING at The Front Room reviewed by John Smythe 17 Oct 2008 |
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Clunky collage of cliché ridden ineptitude Silly me. Having got wind of The Outing, billed as “an original musical tour-de-force” I investigated further and was assured it was a professional production and yes, they would like a review. Well ... this venture into live performance is decidedly tacky in both content and presentation. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 24 Oct 2008 |
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Rich harvest in dark comedy Unity Saskatchewan, a prairie town about midway between Banff and Saskatoon, could be any isolated farming town anywhere, and in 1918 the isolation and insularity is extreme. A railway line, a telephone/ telegraph line and rudimentary roads are all that connect the community to an outside world dominated by the war in Europe. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 29 Oct 2008 |
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Some inspired moments despite thin characters This very ingeniously conceived socio-political satire, inspired by the Uruwera 'terror raids' of just over a year ago, is a must-see theatrical experience, not least because you are very unlikely to get such an opportunity within standard theatre seasons (please prove me wrong, someone). [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 3 Nov 2008 |
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Juicy questions A pillow, associated with softness and sleep, can also be the repository of nightmares and may be used to asphyxiate, be the murder vengeful or merciful. Martin McDonagh’s play on words and the stories they are fashioned into, is riddled with such paradigm shifts, twisting the stories within stories into a cord that amounts to either a load of old rope, enough rope to hang us all, or a knotty metaphor for the binds we find ourselves in as we try to reconcile challenging art with confronting reality and ascribe responsibility for the outcomes. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 16 Nov 2008 |
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Panto-lite-and-brite There are two wolves and three generations of Hood women in Roger Hall’s panto version of the ancient ‘rite of passage’ folk tale. The big black furry Wolf (Paul Jenden) has escaped from the Wellington Zoo detention centre and is seeking asylum in the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, where his ‘non-native species’ status renders him alien, unwelcome and presumably dangerous ... [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 22 Nov 2008 |
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The comic diva, her silent accomplice and a willing chorus The Legend Returns, possibly for the last time in Wellington, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of this show, share the space with a revamped version of A Vote For Cynthia (campaigning already for 2011) and delight us all with her special brand of idiosyncratic humour. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 4 Jan 2009 |
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Others worthy of mention for their work in Wellington during 2008 In fully endorsing the Chapman Tripp nominees and winners for 2008, and those covered in Lynn Freeman’s wrap up, not to mention those rightfully celebrated in the Chapman Kip Awards, nominated via a Theatreview Forum, I now feel compelled to mention just a few others. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 11 Jan 2009 |
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Impressive debut pits the joys of seduction against self-loathing Once more BATS opens their year with the world premiere of a play set in the European Renaissance and written by young Kiwi player-playwrights. Last year it was Simon Vincent’s A Renaissance Man ... this year we are graced with Becoming the Courtesan – a remarkable seduction ... [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 22 Jan 2009 |
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Good committed work offers little of substance The poster, flyer and programme for The Altruists by USA playwright Nicky Silver feature a child-art line-up of people history may claim as altruists: Lenin, the Pope, Che Guevara, Mother Theresa and Ghandi, in bodies and costumes or with props that contradict their popular image. A play that shattered the myths surrounding them would at least have had the virtue of giving itself somewhere to go. [more] |
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