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L’ORFEO at Mayfair Theatre
reviewed by Helen Watson White 13 Oct 2010
The more powerful for being unforced
Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi’s 1607 opera of the classical myth of Orpheus and Eurydice was a notable first, in a climate of innovation crystallised in the term ‘New Music’. In an exciting new development, chord progressions were replacing the contrapuntal weaving of musical lines familiar in the great church masses of composers like Palestrina. [more]

BLITHE SPIRIT at Globe Theatre
reviewed by Helen Watson White 10 Dec 2011
Disciplined ensemble excellence aloows lightness and merriment to thrive
"You'd be surprised how gullible people are," says Noel Coward's "blithe spirit", "We often laugh about it on the other side." It's good they can laugh, actually, because -- as his Madama Arcati remarks -- "We have no reliable guarantee that the afterlife will be any less exasperating than this one." [more]

THE ARSEHOLE at The ex Pool Hall, 75 Customs St East
reviewed by Kathryn van Beek 16 Nov 2006
Thought-provoking and poignant
The ironic drawl of Jonathon Richmond of 'The Modern Lovers' reverberates from the speakers: "Pablo Picasso got called an asshole …" Moments later the actors hijack the stage with the grace of a contemporary dance troupe, bringing the set with them. Blue furniture, mats and building blocks are slowly unwrapped from brown paper – the first of many subtle visual metaphors that infuse the production. [more]

IS at Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, The Edge
reviewed by Kathryn van Beek 23 Nov 2006
groundbreaking and genre-defying
In every aspect of the production of iS, there is something beautiful and something unsettling. Depending on your viewpoint this is either a distraction, or proof that iS truly is a work of art. [more]

DYING CITY at Silo Theatre
reviewed by Kathryn van Beek 12 Feb 2007
Post 9/11 theatre of cruelty
Inside the airless Silo Theatre audience members fold their programmes into fans to fend off the heat, and a quiet drama unfolds. [more]

UNITEC GRADUATION PLAYS 2011: QUAD BILL at Unitec Dance Studios, Entry One, Carrington Rd
reviewed by Kathryn van Beek 12 Nov 2011
Double Feature A
‘Graduation Plays: plays from around the world’ showcases the talents of this year’s graduating students from Unitec’s School of Performing and Screen Arts in two double-features performed on alternating nights. [more]

INVITING CAROLINE at The Basement, Lower Greys Ave
reviewed by Kathryn van Beek 25 Jul 2012
Deftly written bad idea engagingly performed
Inviting Caroline begins with the ending (and ends with a new beginning, but we’ll get on to that later). Lights come up on a scene of chaos: three couples clinched together in furious rather than amorous embraces. [more]

AN AWKWARD FAMILY CHRISTMAS at Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, The Edge
reviewed by Kathryn van Beek 22 Nov 2012
Jolly good Christmas romp could be more
If you’ve been dreading Christmas with your family this show will reassure you that at least your holiday season is unlikely to be marred by aliens, murder, sexual pottery and hankies in the food. [more]

HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK at Brooklyn Community Centre
reviewed by Mary Anne Bourke 3 Dec 2006
Entertainment value off the charts
Call me a raver, but I do not expect to see a more enjoyable production of Hamlet as long as I live. Okay, Simon Vincent plays Hamlet, and it’s hard to think of a more perfect casting, but this Hamlet exceeds expectations. With a performance of extraordinary verve and intelligence, Vincent turns Hamlet inside out and shows us what he, both prince and player, can be. [more]

TURBINE at BATS
reviewed by Mary Anne Bourke 3 Dec 2006
Never a dull moment
This is a comedy about wind-farming. No, it’s nothing do with the Fart Tax. But it’s all eco-politics, isn’t it? [more]
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