There’s no doubt that Circa puts on a great Roger Hall and this iteration of Four flat whites in Italy is no exception. It crackles with energy and fair zips through the action. Here’s the story — Adrian (Stuart Devenie) and Alison (Darien Takle) — art gallery attending, book reading, Labour voters — are about […]
I, George Nepia is a beautifully written, beautifully realised play. The script by Hone Kouka draws inspiration from many sources including Nepia’s autobiography. You don’t have to have read the book to appreciate the play. (I’m not even sure you have to appreciate rugby.) The narrative is about a man finding his place in a […]
#RWC11 is prompting an abundance of New Zealand theatre. The plays cover NZ history, politics, and travel. On at Downstage is On the Upside-Down of the World by Arthur Meek. It’s based on ‘Our Maoris’ by Ann Martin. She came to New Zealand from England with the first Chief Justice. The play follows her as […]
Cavalleria rusticana by Mascagni, and Pagliacci, by Leoncavallo, are apparently opera’s most famous double bill. Both operas cover betrayed love and jealousy. Both end with a death. They are satisfyingly epic in this production by New Zealand Opera, supported by the Vector Wellington Orchestra. The curtain rises on an enormous rocky outcrop. It’s a barren […]
Monologues have always struck me as exciting things to watch. There is only the performer and the audience. If the audience doesn’t like the performer then it can seem like a very long time sitting in the dark waiting to get back to the bar. If it works then it’s magical. In Eight, there are […]
Strike are completing their Downstage Residency with a revisit of Elemental. It’s a “percussive based theatrical stage show” which is funny, breathtaking, and intricate. Murray Hickman, Tim Whitta, Leni Sulusi, and Takumi Motokawa, are joined by newbie Tom Broome. Their team work is so good that it’s difficult to tell that he’s new. The pieces […]
‘When the rain stops falling’ has a challenging narrative and structure — one actor (x2) plays two characters, two actors (x2) play one character, three characters have the same name, and the timeline spans 80 years. There’s a family tree in the programme to help keep the characters sorted but even then it can be […]
‘Awhi Tapu’ and ‘An Oak Tree’ are on until the end of the week. I found both fascinating for the way the story was told as much as for the narrative. Awhi Tapu at Downstage is set in a small ex-timber town. Wendyl is the leader holding Raj, Casper, and Girl Girl, together. He’s hoping […]