Review: Hart

There is a ring of white in the middle of the stage. A man stands inside it, slightly to the side. In the dark we listen to politicians and radio hosts discuss Indigenous Australians. Taken from their families ‘for their own good’, ‘to save them from themselves’. A lone voice offers an apology. The sobering […]

NZ Fringe Festival reviews x 3

Reviews for three neat shows in the Fringe Festival. Seeing the city: a tasting menu by Ania and Kim Upstill, at 17 Tory street, final showing 19 February 2016 We are greeted at the door by Ania Upstill and invited to wash our hands. She directs us on to Pippiajna Tui who shows us to […]

Review: Vladimir the Crow: Whispering Ghoul

A bare stage greets us at the Gryphon Theatre.  It seems bigger than usual with a soundscape that hints at vast desolate spaces where the only thing alive is the whistling wind. Then noise! Lights! And a tattered creature that stutters out from the wings as if glimpsed by lightning flashes. Vladimir the Crow is […]

Reviews of Hillary Clinton / Young Lover and Discharge goes back to school

Review: Hillary Clinton / Young Lover Richard Meros is back. Older, more travelled, more ambitious in his attempt to bring about a golden age of trans-pacific partnerships.  He’s convinced Hillary Clinton needs a young lover to boost her poll ratings so that she can get into the White House. (And be in charge.) (Of the […]

Preview: Hillary Clinton / Young Lover

Dashing Millennial Richard Meros is back in town with a persuasive argument that outlines the conditions and possibilities of Hillary Clinton taking him as her Young Lover prior to the 2016 Presidential Election. (You may recall him attempting the same thing with Helen Clark before election night 2008.)  I asked him some questions before his […]

Review: At the end of my hands

Six performers from integrated company Equal Voices Arts, dressed simply in grey, black, and white, enact stories exploring Deaf culture for Deaf and hearing audiences. Stories such as flirtations at the swimming pool and getting busted for speeding (hilarious!) are contrasted with more touching stories. The performers Kylie Willis, Alex Lodge, Mihailo Ladjevac, Shaun Fahey, […]

Review: Spring Awakening

Seven children are pushed into a world where they fumble their way towards adulthood. Moritz and Thea are worried about their academic records. Wendla wants to know where babies come from. Martha’s not sure if her homelife is normal. Melchior has a lot of questions. Hänschen is trying to keep his head down. Ilse just […]

It’s almost Arts Festival season!

Wellingtonians rejoice for it is almost ARTS FESTIVAL SEASON! From the beginning of February through March we’ll be able to enjoy work in development, new and experimental acts, and some of the best stuff from around the world. First one to start is the Fringe Festival.  As they say on the website “Our festival is open access […]

Reviews of two Christmas themed shows in Wellington

This heading is not totally accurate as one of the shows consists of four different shows. You only need to buy one ticket to see the four shows, so for two tickets you can see five shows. Confused? Welcome to the reviews for Stages of Cheer  and A Christmas Karel Čapek at BATS Theatre! (Bring […]

Wellington Theatre Awards 2015

The Wellington Theatre Awards were held at Circa Theatre on Sunday night.  There were 191 shows in Wellington during 2015 – so much for this being a dying city. Hosted by James Nokise (angling to rename the awards the ‘Nokise’s’), with musical numbers by Carrie Green and Jack Buchanan it was an evening celebrating creativity, […]