 reviewed by Melody Nixon (The Lumiere Reader) 26 Jul 2007 |
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Valuable questions amid black humour Dumb Show, now in its final Circa Two week, has moments of hearty black humour – if such humour can be hearty – and witty, shrewd observation. Its representations of wry and hopelessly selfish modern ‘man’ encourage us to readily self-identify. [more] |
 reviewed by Melody Nixon (The Lumiere Reader) 19 Jul 2007 |
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Initial premise is not realistic or believable Falling Petals, now in its final week at BATS, has an aspect of Heiner Müller about it. Relentless brutalism is overlaid with a kind of narcissistic sadism, shocking for being dirty, and dirty for being shocking, but with an impenetrable veneer of hysteria that is impenetrable for a good reason ... [more] |
 reviewed by Melody Nixon (The Lumiere Reader) 29 Jul 2007 |
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Many jewels in the royal repartee Monarchy the Musical puns heavily on the idea of musical chairs. The music pauses, and the kings and queens of British monarchic history dash for the throne in a fervour of greed and excitement. Those left standing are either executed, or made use of to breed sons ... [more] |
 reviewed by Melody Nixon (The Lumiere Reader) 2 Aug 2007 |
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Beauty meets average and arrogant but no statement intended Part of Me, written by IIML (script) graduate Kelly Kilgour and directed by Danny Mulheron, is an interesting show to review. Unusual casting choices, the portrayal of disempowered women, and the unnatural life choices of unnatural characters, make Kilgour’s claim that he’s “not making any statements. It’s impossible to,” a little difficult to swallow ... [more] |
 reviewed by Melody Nixon (The Lumiere Reader) 22 Aug 2007 |
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Unchallenging fun night out Those who’ve been through the wonderful nightmare of raising a child, and subscribe to the refrain that theirs is ‘The Best Baby in the Whole World,’ may find Who Needs Sleep Anyway? a humorous means of getting in touch with some aspects of New Zealand baby culture. While dealing predominately with white middle-class families ... [more] |
 reviewed by Melody Nixon (The Lumiere Reader) 24 Aug 2007 |
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May become more satisfying and engaging The Venetian Bride opens beautifully; atmospheric live piano combines with excellently paced entrances. In the interactions of Richard (Robert Tripe) and Alice (Helen Moulder) there is a theatrical sensitivity which suggests deep understanding of space and tone. Unfortunately, this sensitivity does not always last ... [more] |
 reviewed by Melody Nixon (The Lumiere Reader) 23 Aug 2007 |
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Captivating contemplation on culture, life and friendship I never thought I’d be of the age to see a production of a particular era and it would lead me to reminisce about childhood. But here I am, a nineties teenager, and here is a show that finally caters to my culturally broad, grunge-loving generation; when P was just a letter and it was still cool to have morals; a generation that has finally moved from present to past. [more] |
 reviewed by Melody Nixon (The Lumiere Reader) 31 Aug 2007 |
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Tender, hilarious, and real Both theatrically and in terms of dialogue this Ronald H. Morrison meets Barry Crump meets Lorae Parry piece is pure gold. Its celebration of local and national kiwi bush lore is worthy of the rugged greats, Crump and Morrison; its exploration of the gendered psyche and emotional repression is a Parry-like step in the right direction to counter the “post-colonial stiff upper lip chest out shoulders back bullshit” (in the words of writer Brian Hotter) that still plagues many an aspect of our culture. [more] |
 reviewed by Melody Nixon (The Lumiere Reader) 18 Sep 2007 |
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Engaging, emotive and inspiring Dense monologues and threads of the supernatural interweave with psycho-analysis in this examination of the real and metaphorical ghosts that haunt us. Shining City pulls at the heart of what is Real in our everyday relationships ... [more] |
 reviewed by Melody Nixon (The Lumiere Reader) 17 Oct 2007 |
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Appealing addressing of ‘hide the oldies’ issues The somewhat misleading publicity for this show does nothing to reveal its depth, humour and honesty. Don’t be fooled – this is not a show about two laughing men who are old enough to know better (thought that certainly comes into it). Rather, I’m Not Rappaport is an oft hard-hitting examination of the conflict, cruelty and loss of independence old age brings, interlaced with wit and stirring monologues ... [more] |
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