Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Delve into the sublime, surreal and a little bit sexy this Halloween with the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s rebirth of their iconic ballet A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A co-production with the Queensland Ballet and first performed in 2015, this stunning performance combines the late Liam Scarlett’s choreography with Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream score […]

Dream a Little Bigger with This Year’s World of Wearable Arts

United States designer Grace DuVal (and seven time WOW finalist) has taken the Supreme WOW Award this year with her piece Curves Ahead. Built of bright orange road netting, road signs and bedecked with a mohawk of traffic cones, this piece is a blazing bright beacon amongst the rolling sea that is Dream Awake – […]

Review: Lizzie

By Talia Carlisle Have you ever heard someone scream bloody murder? It’s worth cutting down the door to watch LIZZIE, the rocking hit musical by WITCH Music Theatre, where murder sounds hellishly good…. This punk rock’n’rollercoaster will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. So tighten your corset and quieten […]

Review: Hine Te Rēhia

It’s a chilly winter day in Pōneke, but the joy from the audience surrounding me and my theatre-going companion could warm the most cynical of souls. We’re here to see Hine Te Rēhia, a gorgeous piece of theatre by Auckland-based Tutatara Collective, and the mood in the room is unbelievably high. Forgive my lack of […]

Meet the creatives behind HINE-TE-RĒHIA

Presented by Tuatara Collective, HINE-TE-RĒHIA is a multilingual theatre experience coming to BATS Theatre in July. Devised, created and performed by an all-female BIPOC cast, this exciting show promises to leave you gasping in awe of their talent. I had the chance to interview Jason Te Mete (previous deviser/director), Tāwera Ormsby (co-Kaiwhakahaere of Tuatara Collective) […]

Review: The Transgender Agender

I’m here on the ground at Wellington’s Fringe Bar to catch a show at the tail end of the 2024 New Zealand International Comedy Festival – The Transgender Agender. This lineup of fabulous trans and/or non-binary comedians made much merriment on the last Saturday of this year’s NZICF, much to the joy of their sold-out […]

Review: Femme Natale – The Queen Years

Reviewed by Talia Carlisle The talented team behind Femme Natale have worked their butts off to bring a magnificent sketch showcase of parents’ inner adult desires to BATS Theatre. After returning from Edinburgh Fringe with a new lease on parenthood, their new iteration of Femme Natale is refreshingly hilarious and important to share in a […]

Review: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

By Talia Carlisle Invite out your friends and put on your best faux fur, because Witch Music Theatre is back in town. Don’t let the cold weather stop you from experiencing the best night out this side of Broadway, with Wellington’s own revolution of musical genius onstage at Hannah Playhouse until Saturday. Following a memorable […]

Review: Rent

Reviewed by Talia Carlisle Christmas has come early to Gryphon Theatre, with Kauri Theatre Company’s tinselled up production of Rent selling out before opening to those begging for a chance to see creator Jonathan Larson’s iconic Winter-set musical. I am grateful director Lox Dixon has tackled such a huge artistic project to bring Rent back […]

Review: Goody Goody Glam Pop

Reviewed by Talia Carlisle Get ready to shake it, to the fabulous rhymes and sick beat of Goody Goody Glam Pop at Circus Bar for one more night! Bethany Miller’s transformation into pop superstar Brooklyn Brooklyn of Brooklyn is Disney magic to behold as she shares her most pop-ular songs – Back to Back, Breathless, […]