The Wellingtonista

Random stuff about Wellington since 2005

Emma Maguire

Review: Popcorn

by Emma Maguire June 10, 2021

Wellington Repertory Theatre’s newest offering is Popcorn, Ben Elton’s play. The dialogue is witty, the scripting tight and the themes prescient despite being written in 1996. Set in the home of a exploitation cinema director, Bruce Delametri, Popcorn takes place over one night as the legendary Mall Murderers invade Bruce’s house after he wins an […]

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Review: Paradise (Or the Impermanence of Ice Cream)

by Emma Maguire May 23, 2021

A man. A woman. A vulture, and a kulfi shop. Indian Ink is back with another one of their fantastic productions. Lead actor Jacob Rajan delivers a glorious performance where he jumps between seven well-formed characters to tell the story of a man trapped in limbo and his dreams of his past. Indian Ink knows […]

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Review: The Saboteur

by Emma Maguire May 20, 2021

It’s improv. It’s a game show. It’s delightful chaos. It’s The Saboteur.  Off the back of sold-out seasons in the NZ Improv Festival in 2019 and in Melbourne in 2020, The Saboteur is just over an hour’s worth of improv chaos as a part of this year’s Comedy Fest. Five improvisors, one of which is trying to sabotage […]

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A Quick and Dirty Look at the Comedy Fest!

by Emma Maguire May 10, 2021

Ah, the NZ International Comedy Fest – remember when we last had one? Two years ago. However, it’s back, and we’re well into the three week programme now. If you’ve not gotten along to any shows yet, here are some highlights coming up in the next few days! Josh Davies – Look! I’m blind.  Nominated […]

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Review: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

by Emma Maguire April 2, 2021

There’s something so delightful about going into a theatre show completely blind. I knew nothing about this play, had read nothing about it, all I knew was the charming aesthetic of the publicity photos and the fact that this was a New Zealand premiere. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is a true telling of the perpetuity of love […]

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Review: PLAY

by Emma Maguire September 5, 2020

It’s strange to be back in a place like BATS during times like these, but I’m very pleased I went along to see PLAY, a gay dating dramedy here from Auckland. It’s a play within a play, of a sort – the first twenty minutes or so being a form of a drawing-room comedy, then the show […]

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Review: PSA – Election 2020

by Emma Maguire August 27, 2020

Has it really been a year since I last reviewed an interation of Public Service Announcements? Apparently so. The political satire is back, mixing COVID, controversy, and Election Night into one wild and very timely show. Our actors take the stage with a parody of a well-known ABBA song, now rebranded as “MMP”. This trend of […]

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Interview Feature: Venus Rising

by Emma Maguire August 10, 2020

I sat down with Katherine Minor, a soloist with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, to discuss rehearsing during COVID lockdown, what it’s like being back in the studio, and the RNZB’s upcoming Venus Rising tour.  The Royal New Zealand Ballet will be one of the first dance companies in the world to return to the […]

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Review: Dungeoning and Dragoning

by Emma Maguire July 27, 2020

The show is exactly thus – four great actors playing Dungeons and Dragons on stage, led by an eminently likeable DM. I must admit I had my qualms when coming to this show, as I’ve always found playing D&D to be more fun than watching it, but the cast is excellent, the mood appropriate, and the […]

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A Definitive Ranking of Some of Wellington’s Most Cursed Locations

by Emma Maguire July 24, 2020

Cursed places. You might be familiar with them. Places you walk into and it feels like there’s ghosts, places that are a bit spooky or a bit weird or send a chill up your spine. To put it more colloquially – bad vibes. A place doesn’t have to be dilapidated to be cursed – I […]

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