 BANGING CYMBAL, CLANGING GONG at The Basement, Lower Greys Ave reviewed by Kate Ward-Smythe 21 Mar 2009 |
|
Passionate Barbarian breaks fourth wall Whether you gravitate to Randerson’s symbolic references to nihilism, existentialism, Grotowski’s ‘Theatre of the Poor’, or Theatre of the absurd (where it is the playwright’s job to articulate that life is inherently without meaning); or whether you simply like humorous statements, you’ll certainly enjoy Mapp-Borren’s wide enthusiasm and forceful, entertaining performance. [more] |
 MISDEMEANOURS at The Classic reviewed by Nik Smythe 28 Feb 2009 |
|
Raunchy yet dignified It seems to me that this kind of show is a viable dating experience for open minded couples… in fact the door staff seemed surprised I was there alone and I felt the need to explain I’m the critic so they wouldn’t think I’m just sad, quite possibly actually confirming the reverse… [more] |
 THE CHAIRS / LES CHAISES at Musgrove Studio, Maidment Theatre reviewed by Nik Smythe 14 Mar 2009 |
|
Absurdist classic about the eternally questionable phenomenon of human existence Behind a cover of sheer netting over the entire room, like food being protected from flies, an old quartermaster general (Michael Lawrence) and his dutiful wife (Cristina Ionda) reminisce about their lives and fantasise about what they might have been. The man decides he has a message to share with the world based on the culmination of his own life’s experience ... [more] |
 GESTALT at The Basement, Lower Greys Ave reviewed by Nik Smythe 17 Mar 2009 |
|
Feelgood X-Box Romcom Glen, Donnie and Liam are flatmates, and a fanatical team of contending online Halo 3 champions, known to ‘normal’ people as geeks ... Their flat is a messy workshop and graveyard of pizza-boxes, energy-drink cans, comics, mags, transformers… Grown men living a ten year old boy’s dream. [more] |
 SLOW TRAIN at The Basement, Lower Greys Ave reviewed by Nik Smythe 20 Mar 2009 |
|
Earnest profundity lacks real teeth Jonathan Hodge is Max, a lone guitar-toting trench coat-wearing minstrel with a bristly face and inevitable aspirations to Dylan, keeping on keeping on down the road. We meet him on a freezing night in a remote pass where he’s been caught in a blizzard and taken refuge in a rustic hut. [more] |
 LIGHTBULBMAN at The Basement, Lower Greys Ave reviewed by Sian Robertson 28 Feb 2009 |
|
Absurdly intense nightmare with flashes of brilliance Lightbulbman is a noir hip hop musical comedy. An improbable superhero (Jacob Tamaiparea) who’s lost his mojo, must regain his superpower (‘the blink’) in order to defeat his arch nemesis, Shoes, a cruel soup kitchen manager with a demonic laugh, a cheese-cutter cap and a plastic BB gun. [more] |
 LITTLE WHITE MEN at Cross Street Studios reviewed by Sian Robertson 9 Mar 2009 |
|
Paranoid conspiracy theory or fair warning? A balaclava-wearing guerrilla guard with a metal detector stops you as you enter the door to Cross Street Studios and checks you for concealed weapons before warning that there will be strong themes and language. [more] |
 RUBY TUESDAY at The Basement, Lower Greys Ave reviewed by Sian Robertson 11 Mar 2009 |
|
Touching story hits the spot Even as we are filing in and taking our seats, the theatre becomes a classroom. The two actors, wearing the demeanour of stern teachers and grasping clipboards, address their seated ‘students’ and dole out reprimands and detentions to us for wearing our skirts too short or carving initials into desks. [more] |
 THE NEEDIES at Cross Street Studios reviewed by Sian Robertson 16 Mar 2009 |
|
Unable to suspend disbelief The Needies rubs your nose in the fact that the dominant way of life is one of compulsive consumerism, non-existent attention spans, and economics based around debt management, all crammed under the much-abused banner of ‘freedom of choice’. Most westerner’s recoil from the idea of living sustainably, equating it with becoming an ascetic monk, as if that and unchecked indulgence are the only two options. [more] |
 HEROIC FAUN NUMBER ONE at The Basement -return season reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton (New Zealand Herald) 28 Jun 2010 |
|
One-man faun tale goes the extra mile In recent years getting a gig as an extra on a mega-budget Hollywood epic has become an almost obligatory rite of passage for aspiring Kiwi actors - something akin to the way an earlier generation were marked by improv workshops or the inevitable Shortland Street episode. [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 >> |