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THE GLASS MENAGERIE at Selwyn Theatre, Kohimarama
reviewed by Gilbert Wong (Metro Arts) 20 May 2013
Potency and beauty
If theatre is an illusion of reality then that truism is embedded in the DNA of this respectful production. It’s the 1930s. Depression and imminent war mean America will become a much darker place. A foghorn sounds as the conflicted Tom Wingfield (Edwin Wright) sits in the shadows. “I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion.” [more]

PATUA at TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs
reviewed by Frances Morton (Metro Arts) 20 May 2013
Strikes a moving blow
During a week in which a couple were convicted of neglect for raising their four kids in a home with no bedding and booze instead of food in the cupboards, the topic of child abuse is front page news. Actually, it probably wouldn’t matter which week the play opened, child abuse is all too often front page news, which is why a confronting work by a young Maori playwright on the subject is an intriguing prospect. Patua translates as strike or beat. [more]

THE GLASS MENAGERIE at Selwyn Theatre, Kohimarama
reviewed by Matt Baker 20 May 2013
A precious piece
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 his writing, but Auckland Theatre Company’s production of The Glass Menagerie is a beautiful blend. [more]

I WISH I LEARNED at Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, The Edge
reviewed by Matt Baker (TheatreScenes - the Auckland Theatre Blog) 20 May 2013
Some things you can’t learn in school
Until a specific series of consequential events are kneaded into the script as opposed to characters switching their thought track to fulfil the sound track, and until the dialogue is (heavily) edited, the story, and consequentially the show itself, remains incomplete. [more]

NZ International Comedy Festival
JIMEOIN IN WHAT?! at Opera House
reviewed by Maraea Rakuraku 20 May 2013
Non-threatening, appealing but doesn’t quite spark
As for Jimeoin himself, sure he’s funny; good at telling stories, carrying the anecdote and joke through several scenarios, and the faces he pulls are great … But when he pulls out a book and starts testing potential gags (though this may be part of his routine), it feels like he’s stalling or tired or bored or all of it. [more]

NZ International Comedy Festival
PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS - “LIVE” at Opera House
reviewed by Lucy O'Connor 20 May 2013
Limber, skilled, unbeatable stage presence
Staring in the mirror, splashing water on my face wondering what abuse of the retina is about to occur, I cannot help but think whether my mother thinks she has failed me. I go into this with the honest thought that it will shock me into some sort of nun state whereby I could never take a man A) seriously and B) literally again. Mum probably hopes the same thing. A life of asceticism. [more]

NZ International Comedy Festival
LAST LAUGHS 2013 at SKYCITY Theatre
reviewed by Jan Maree 20 May 2013
Packed with quality: Awards announced
Sky City has been the home of Last Laughs for many years now and what used to be very much an inner industry event has become a public showcase, and big. 750 seats of fans and practitioners alike have gathered tonight to find out who will take the New Zealand Comedy Industry's highest accolades; The Fred Award and Billy T Award. [more]

THE GLASS MENAGERIE at Selwyn Theatre, Kohimarama
reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton 20 May 2013
Brilliant interpretation of an American masterpiece
The journey to an unfamiliar venue is abundantly rewarded in ATC's brilliant interpretation of one of the masterworks of American literature. [more]

AMADEUS at Court Theatre, Bernard Street, Addington
reviewed by Alan Scott (The Press) 20 May 2013
Amadeus feeds mind and spirit
Amadeus is a remarkable play, a play both for the soul and the mind. There are moments in this production when music and drama are integrated with such extraordinary force that you are overcome with the sheer power of human endeavour and the ennobling grace of the spirit. [more]

THE GLASS MENAGERIE at Selwyn Theatre, Kohimarama
reviewed by Kate Ward-Smythe 19 May 2013
Excellence with some anomalous elements
Jef Hall-Flavin directs his talented cast with detailed elegance and great care, as an assured team of creatives make positive use of the wider stage and setting of The Glass Menagerie’s unanticipated venue, The Selwyn Theatre. [more]
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