 reviewed by Johnny Givins 16 Aug 2012 |
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A tasty theatrical feast It has changed from a family meal into a bigger, brighter, louder and more theatrical feast of very funny ensemble theatre with great music. Lots of dishes are energetically thrown at the audience with a galaxy of styles. The heart of the story is still the vibrant journey of Filipo (Aleni Tufuga) trying to make ends meet, working in an Otara Supermarket’s taro section ... [more] |
 reviewed by Ewen Coleman 15 Aug 2012 |
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Masterly portrayal of loss and survival How someone deals with the loss of not only their husband but their only daughter within the space of nine months would not be considered by most people as something they would want to see performed on stage. But American author and writer Joan Didion’s experiences of how she dealt with such a situation, dramatised from her 2005 book, makes The Year of Magical Thinking,Circa Two’s current production, an electrifying piece of theatre. [more] |
 reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton (New Zealand Herald) 15 Aug 2012 |
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Stylish, inventive view of challenging lives Q Theatre's Loft provides an intimate setting for an engaging double-header that offers two sharply contrasting visions of the current state of New Zealand society. Thomas Sainsbury's And then You Die takes us on a wickedly funny excursion into the head of an under-achieving retail worker who has a compulsive eating disorder and a schizophrenic voice reinforcing her chronically low self esteem. [more] |
 reviewed by Sharon Talbot 15 Aug 2012 |
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Battle of the Queens opera well worth reviving What would Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots have said to each other if they'd ever met … before Elizabeth signed Mary's death warrant?! And what would be the result if their confrontation was set to music? The answer is Donizetti's Maria Stuarda – and predictably dramatic it is! This opera of (mostly) imagined history is intriguing for those interested in the Tudor period and enjoyable for fans of the bel canto ('beautiful singing')style of operatic music. Congratulations are due to producer (and leading lady!) Rhona Fraser for staging this New Zealand premiere of Donizetti's rarely performed gem. [more] |
 reviewed by Candice Lewis 15 Aug 2012 |
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Sci Fi take on illusion, creation, responsibility and what it is to be human The scene is intriguingly set (Grae Burton is the playwright and set designer). Opaque screens drop from ceiling to floor creating a feeling of sterility and containment. The screens play back images, and from the start we see the inflated projection of Mark’s head (Matt Baker). [more] |
 reviewed by Helen Sims 15 Aug 2012 |
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Highly unique community theatre a 'must see' Dog and Bone is a follow up to 2010’s The Ragged, part of Te Rakau’s underTOW series, which seeks to shed light on “the legacy and unknown stories” connected with Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Although the play follows on from The Ragged in terms of characters and setting, it also firmly stands on its own. Both are set on Wellington’s south coast, at the Kenning homestead ‘Te Miti’, although Dog and Bone leaps forward 19 years to 1869, at the height of war in Taranaki. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 15 Aug 2012 |
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The fertility of imagination Reading the publicity material for Skellig – “Michael discovers a dying tramp in the garden shed, and becomes determined to save him. But when Michael discovers wings beneath the tramp’s tatty clothes, the real journey begins…” – reminded me of the 1961 film Whistle Down The Wind (starring Hayley Mills, adapted from the novel by her mother, Mary Hayley Bell, and since recreated as a stage musical). [more] |
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reviewed by Amanda Witherell (Capital Times) 15 Aug 2012 |
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It will happen to you Set aside the subject of grief and everything it can do and undo in a person: Catherine Downes’ performance as Joan Didion in The Year of Magical Thinking is something to witness. There aren’t many actresses who could pull off the complexity of emotions surrounding death without being overwrought or underdone and still own the audience’s attention for 90 minutes. [more] |
 reviewed by Rosabel Tan (Theatre Scenes - Auckland Theatre Blog) 14 Aug 2012 |
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What DOES it mean to be gay? You want a play to change you. You want it to take you by surprise, to delight you, to hurt you. You want it to whisper in your ear three days later when you’re trying to focus during a staff meeting about strategy and best practice. You want it to be meaningful, in whatever way it intends. [more] |
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reviewed by Janet McAllister (New Zealand Herald online) 14 Aug 2012 |
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‘Pride’ delves deep to wrench open closed door The timing of this season could not be more serendipitous. The final play in an unofficial Silo Theatre series about oppressed minorities, The Pride adds historical context and emotional insight to the arguments for passing Louisa Wall's member's bill on gay marriage. [more] |
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