 reviewed by John Smythe 18 May 2011 |
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Quality comedy Sampson has a sharp eye and ear for what makes people tick and insightfully probes their pretentions, dreams and vulnerabilities to deliver the blueprint for unerringly good performances in this Wellington production of Idiots: Back 2 School, which premiered last year in Auckland ... [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 25 May 2011 |
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An excellent way to end the day or start your evening The song that gives the show its name ... is a tragic little cautionary tale about trying to silence a bird who knows too much and sings about it too loudly. But having delivered it with a blend of innocence and savagery, Billie is perky and warm in her welcome [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 26 May 2011 |
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The crowning glory of Willem Wassenaar’s four-year tenure Legend has it Arthur Meek pitched this idea to Willem Wassenaar over a bowl of curly fries at Sweet Mothers. Now, after two years of devising, writing, workshopping and rehearsing, Sheep’s seven well-wrought scenes, performed by 12 young actors, follow several generations of interlinked families over 149 years. (Next week a second team of 12 will take over the 34 roles.) [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 10 Jun 2011 |
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Interesting anecdotes short on emotional engagement When Roger Hall’s C’mon Black kicked off on 1996 – at Dunedin’s Fortune Theatre with Tim Bartlett as Dickie Hart, then at Wellington’s Circa theatre with Grant Tilly in the solo role – the tragedy of the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the optimism of the new South Africa, of which Nelson Mandela had become president in 1994, were fresh in our minds. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 19 Jun 2011 |
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Schedule your meeting with these superbly crafted characters now The legendary Winston Churchill looms large in our mythology ... Few families of the era in New Zealand and Australia have not been affected by Churchill’s actions in one war or the other. In his new play Meet the Churchills, Paul Baker ... cleverly stitches such concerns into a small family gathering in 1962, on the occasion of Sir Winston’s 88th birthday. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 2 Jul 2011 |
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Profoundly entertaining I confess to feeling trepidation at the premise of this show: two performers only one of whom has rehearsed; the other is different every night yet plays a crucial role. Is it just a gimmick? Has live theatre become so desperate that a good story well produced is not enough? [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 17 Jul 2011 |
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Ageless tale engages is modern context For this KidsStuff holiday show Rachel Henry (nee More) has reworked the Brothers Grimm’s Rumpelstiltskin as a talent quest to find a princess daughter for an unmarried king to adopt as his heir. Cue much punning about ears. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 12 Aug 2011 |
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Stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once Was this (just) one actor we saw before us – in 50 different personae? By the upping of my thumb, something ‘wicked’ here has come. What a show! And he makes it all look so easy. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 17 Aug 2011 |
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“More matter with less art” “Love,” Jimmy the waiter tells Gloria, the glamorous daughter of the rich lawyer who has hired him to serve at his party, “is over-rated.” And marriage is "meaningless.” The lives of her and her kind, he opines, are "pointless". And so is this play. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 18 Aug 2011 |
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Not a hard ask; a pleasure, in fact A critic asked to review a show that�s been made to raise funds for a deserving cause is confronted with a moral dilemma: What if it�s awful /offensive /disgraceful /a waste of everyone�s time? Who am I hurting if I discourage people from going? [more] |
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