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

Photo: Stephen A'Court
ROGER HALL’S CINDERELLA THE PANTOMIME at Circa One
reviewed by John Smythe 18 Nov 2012
A rattling good family show
There is a fresh feel about this Cinderella: lively script, topical gags, gorgeous music, clever and bright costume-set-lighting designs, and strong characterisations from an exemplary cast who connect well with each other and their audience. [more]

ORDINARY DARKNESS at Hen & Chickens Theatre, Islington
reviewed by Janina Matthewson 18 Nov 2012
Paddling in murky waters
It is the story of two wilfully naïve young girls being unwittingly coerced into becoming the only employees of a makeshift brothel. It’s about young people fighting unthinkingly against some evil they’ve not really defined but that they’re sure exists within the corporate model and, by extension, the corporate man. [more]

Photo: James Morgan
THE MOUSETRAP at St James Theatre
reviewed by John Smythe 17 Nov 2012
Cleverly-wrought whodunit handsomely delivered while mystery abides
The title comes from the name Hamlet chose for the play he and his travelling player mates staged to “catch the conscience of the King”. “'Tis a knavish piece of work,” he tells Claudius: “but what o' that? Your majesty and we that have free souls, it touches us not: let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung.” I love that line! [more]

CHARLES DICKENS PERFORMS A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Middleton Grange School Performing Arts Centre
reviewed by Lindsay Clark 16 Nov 2012
Brought to convincing life with warmth and skill
It is a great pity that this splendidly crafted piece seems to have arrived unheralded and will be gone before word of mouth can do it justice. Those happy few who found their way to the venue enjoyed a generous and masterly incarnation of the great novelist, reproducing the readings which Dickens himself once took on tour to the world. [more]

Photo: Evan Li
GISELLE at CBS Canterbury Arena
reviewed by Toby Behan 16 Nov 2012
Giselle is breathtaking - bravo the Ballet!
The second act however, is where this production truly excels. As Albrecht and Hilarion mourn at Giselle’s graveside, they are tormented by the Willis – the spirits of young and vengeful women who exact horrific punishment on the men they capture. Although Hilarion meets his (undeserved?) fate in this way, Giselle herself, in an extraordinary and tender act of forgiveness, defends and pleads for the man who caused her ruin. [more]

CALENDAR GIRLS at Fortune Theatre
reviewed by Brenda Harwood (The Star) 16 Nov 2012
Warm-hearted comedy balances humour and pathos
Laughter and tears flowed for audience members during Saturday's opening night of delightful pre-Christmas show Calendar Girls at the Fortune Theatre. [more]

TELL ME ON A SUNDAY at Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St
reviewed by Matt Baker (Theatre Scenes - Auckland Theatre Blog) 15 Nov 2012
Left in a bind
With the right vehicle a musician can stake their claim in the world of acting. From Madonna in 1996’s Evita to Melanie Brown in the 2004 revival of Rent, the musical stage and screen is becoming readily accepted as a platform on which such musical artists may step. I was excited at the prospect of not only seeing the one-woman Andrew Lloyd Webber show Tell Me On A Sunday for the first time, but for the fact that Carly Binding was that one woman. [more]

EIGENGRAU at The Basement, Lower Greys Ave
reviewed by Lexie Matheson 15 Nov 2012
Tight, effective, intelligent and fervent directing of assertive, authentic and raw performances
I’d also go as far as to say that [Skinner is] one of the writers (potent pause) Productions was created for. I started this review talking about how the idea of going to the theatre ‘because it’s good for us’ has changed over the decades but I find that, even when I know I’m going to be emotionally challenged almost to my limit, experiencing a (potent pause) production is always good for me – and usually in ways I wasn’t altogether expecting. [more]

EIGENGRAU at The Basement, Lower Greys Ave
reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton 15 Nov 2012
Deconstructed modern romcom engages well at emotional level
In choosing a recent work from a rising star of British theatre, Potent Pause Productions is looking towards younger audiences while building on its reputation for taking on challenging works from the modernist canon. [more]

TELL ME ON A SUNDAY at Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St
reviewed by Adey Ramsel 15 Nov 2012
At her best with lyrical, understated interpretation of ballads
The decision to stage this rarely performed one-act musical is hardly a risk, what with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s name on the credits, but it does put the pressure on to deliver the goods once the lights go down. [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 | Next >>