New Zealand theatre reviews, performace reviews and performing arts directory



Latest Reviews
Region   Subscribe via RSS Theatreview RSS
Festival
Reviewer
Order by date / production / venue / festival

LE SUD at Downstage Theatre
reviewed by Lynn Freeman (Capital Times) 13 Aug 2009
Fast, furious, funny
As a Mainlander, the idea of the South Island having the upper hand over our northern cousins holds immense appeal. Dave Armstrong has taken this concept way beyond the old rallying call of ‘cut the cable’ to a Zealand where the South prospers under French rule, while the north is in a permanent recession largely due to having to pay ridiculously high power prices. [more]

SALON at Fallen From Grace Hair Salon, 64 Ghuznee St
reviewed by Lynn Freeman (Capital Times) 24 Feb 2010
Drama engages too late
The Fallen from Grace hair salon is the venue for a new work from the multi-award winning team behind Hotel, which was performed in a hotel room. This is a commissioned play so there is a decent budget for high end publicity and a stellar cast; high expectations too of course. [more]

TEA FOR TOOT at BATS
reviewed by Lynn Freeman (Capital Times) 26 May 2010
Whimsy and menace
This is like a modern riff on Arsenic and Old Lace, though not in any way derivative. Actors Alex Lodge and Cherie Jacobson and director Edward Watson have devised something altogether more whimsical even than those two old dears who poisoned the elderly and infirm. [more]

END GAME at Downstage Theatre
reviewed by Lynn Freeman (Capital Times) 11 Aug 2010
Tech addicts
What’s refreshing about this story for young people that’s full of Facebook and on-line gaming and pop culture references, is that the storytelling techniques are beautifully low-tech. A swamp is created by two people manipulating a large sheet and Nathan McKendry’s clever lighting ... [more]

SHIPWRECKED! AN ENTERTAINMENT: at Circa Two
reviewed by Lynn Freeman (Capital Times) 1 Sep 2010
Poor theatre at its best
Wouldn’t the world be a boring place if the truth was always clear cut? We need people like Louis de Rougemont – a real life 19th century adventurer/self promoter who was very so very much larger than life. We also need writers like Pulitzer prize winning dramatist Donald Margulies ... [more]

DISTRACTION CAMP at BATS
reviewed by Lynn Freeman (Capital Times) 8 Sep 2010
Driven to Distraction
On the day of the Christchurch earthquake, this visiting Christchurch Free Theatre company were the epitome of the saying ‘the show must go on’. They were all affected to some degree by what had happened, and added a brief but valid reference to the earthquake. The cast were highly charged rather than distracted ... [more]

DOORS. WALLS. AND ALSO SILENCE. at BATS
reviewed by Lynn Freeman (Capital Times) 8 Sep 2010
Effective alienation
“You’re always outnumbered, always just one person. That’s how life is.” This devised work is all about the sense of alienation many, if not most, feel at some stage. It also reminds those of us well out of our teens and 20s, of the dual pressure on young people – to conform to social ‘norms’ while figuring out who the hell we are as individuals. [more]

FATHER FAMILIAR at BATS
reviewed by Lynn Freeman (Capital Times) 22 Sep 2010
Moved by Father
John Bach and Mel Dodge, breathing life into the words of Branwen Millar’s script, remind us of the heartbreak that comes for children as their parents age and ail. Also of the grief suffered by people who never realise their potential, for whatever reason or combination of obstacles, yet long for what might have been. [more]

THE GURU OF CHAI at Downstage Theatre
reviewed by Lynn Freeman (Capital Times) 22 Sep 2010
Persuasive and powerful play of life
The Guru of Indian Ink’s play is the kind of incorrigible salesman that you would expect to come across in an Indian railway station. In fact he would probably end up selling, as well as a cup of sweet chai, a car and insurance policies, such is the power of his persuasion. [more]

EVERYTHING IS OK at 70 Cable St (opp. Te Papa)
reviewed by Lynn Freeman (Capital Times) 17 Nov 2010
Mirror to society
The opening sequences in this second Bats commissioned STAB show are nothing short of astonishing. In this post-apocalyptic world our greed and desire for consumer items has led to destruction and isolation. [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 >>