 reviewed by Barbara Frame (Otago Daily Times) 10 Nov 2008 |
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Well-paced pantomime finds favour It's November, and at the Fortune Theatre that means another Roger Hall pantomime. [more] |
 reviewed by Nik Smythe 9 Nov 2008 |
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Jocose euphonious apologue At the outset there’s a sense of irony that a full scale musical has been produced about an event as altogether trivial as a spelling bee. Then as the characters take us through the iconically American contest, typically the battleground for pubescent geeks, the validity of the concept is made clear somehow through the expression of the distinct characters. [more] |
 reviewed by Mary Anne Bourke 9 Nov 2008 |
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Cutting wit: not to be missed And who wouldn’t laugh to see such fun? This biting New York satire of showbiz hypocrisy has inspired Wassenaar and Co to turn on yet another hugely spunky entertainment. [more] |
 HEAT at BATS reviewed by John Smythe 8 Nov 2008 |
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Intensity on ice ... Apart from Brian Hotter’s stunning performance as Bob the penguin, Heat’s key experimental element (allowing “theatre artists to experiment in a supportive environment” being the cornerstone of the STAB commissions) is that it is powered completely ‘off-Grid’ by solar, wind and generator, to replicate the energy sources used in the kind of Antarctic huts the play is set in and around. [more] |
 reviewed by Jennifer Shennan (The Dominion Post) 7 Nov 2008 |
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Trimmer triumphs (on & off stage) as old warhorse gets new life [Dompost 3/11 review + 6/11 update] The RNZB’s new production of this picaresque and madcap ballet has spirit, colour, comedy, pathos, wit, striking design and some smashing good dancing. The historic three-act ballet, a century and a half old, is something of a war-horse in the Russian repertoire version, but there have been numerous subsequent productions highlighting different aspects of Cervantes’ sprawling 16th century novel. [more] |
 reviewed by Terry MacTavish 7 Nov 2008 |
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Perfectly pitched at the staff Christmas party This engagingly cheery show is the Broadway musical version of the hit British film, which in its turn bore a strong resemblance to NZ’s own Ladies’ Night. The plot, true to an age-old winning formula, is straightforward: six desperate out-of-work blokes, each with his own personal sob story, band together and succeed against the odds in transforming themselves into strippers. [more] |
 reviewed by Lynn Freeman 5 Nov 2008 |
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Deeply disturbing imagery Playwright Martin McDonagh could very well claim to be the 21st century’s Grimm Brothers, given the bloody twists and turns he gives his stories in The Pillowman. [more] |
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TOI WHAKAARI_NEW ZEALAND DRAMA SCHOOL GRADUATION SEASON 2008 at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School & Circa 2 reviewed by Laurie Atkinson (The Dominion Post) 3 Nov 2008 |
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All the drama of exams University students simply write exams; the poor old Drama School student has to put on plays for public scrutiny during a month-long graduation season. Last month four productions of extremely challenging plays opened, with The Pillowman still running at Circa 2 until November 8. [AoTERRORoa – see below – plays until 6 November.] [more] |
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reviewed by Jan Bolwell 3 Nov 2008 |
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Wit, flamboyance and flamenco offset the score’s relentless symmetry What a perfect anniversary present for Sir Jon Trimmer in his 50th year with the Company. He slips into the part effortlessly and with superb finesse. From the moment we see him as the dotty old bloke absorbed in his book on chivalric deeds, to the agile leg- flinging over a mop (horse) dressed as an aviator and charging off into adventure-land, we are able to believe in this character. [more] |
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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] |
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