The Wellingtonista

Random stuff about Wellington since 2005

Theatre

Review: Alice in Wonderland

by Emma Maguire November 18, 2019

Circa’s panto this year is Alice in Wonderland, and it is a mystical journey down the rabbit hole (Mt Vic tunnel), to discover fun, some quality Kiwi bangers, and utter manicism (in a good way). Written by Circa stalwarts, Gavin Rutherford and Simon Leary (who play the Dame and the Mad Hatter respectively), it’s a […]

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Four Nights In the Green Barrow Pub – Review

by Sophie November 15, 2019

Four Nights In the Green Barrow Pub is the third of Cassandra Tse’s shows I’ve seen, and each one was wildly different from the others.  M’Lady had me in stitches, The Aliens, in tears.  Four Nights, though, took me down memory lane. Having a hundred noisy musical Irish cousins of my own, I was probably […]

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Blackbird Ensemble Performs Björk: All Is Full Of Love – Review

by Sophie October 19, 2019

Blackbird Ensemble are “NZ’s most exciting chamber orchestra”, and Thursday’s homage to Björk supported that claim more than competently.  A collection of strings, horns, percussionists, and Claire Cowan’s multi-instrumentalism brought director Cowan’s arrangements to vibrant and emotional life.  The musicians were more than just that; in their glowing boiler suits they became part of a sensory […]

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Review: Cock

by Emma Maguire October 13, 2019

Cock is tense. It is beautiful, jarringly intimate, and phenomenally crafted. It’s also completely heartbreaking. Circa One’s set (designed by Sean Lynch) inspires thoughts of a boxing ring, or a fashion show – in the round, with bright lights cast down onto a white floor below. The audience sits on three sides; I view the […]

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Review: Peggy Pickit Sees the Face of God

by Sophie September 21, 2019

  Liz and Frank have spent the past few years achieving the sort of anaemic existence that passed for middle-class success for my parents’ generation.  Careers, a house, a child.  Carefully curated shelves of books and knick-knacks in the living room.  This living room is the stage for a reunion dinner party; two old friends […]

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Review: The Pink Hammer

by Emma Maguire September 8, 2019

Circa One has been turned into a man-cave, complete with a nude calendar – permanently set to July – a fridge full of beers and a Ryobi power drill for The Pink Hammer, being performed until early October. The show itself is a critique of Kiwi masculinity (of a sort), a bit of feminist fun […]

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Preview: Peggy Pickit Sees the Face of God

by librarykris September 6, 2019

‘Peggy Pickit Sees the Face of God’ by Roland Schimmelpfennig is opening at Circa Theatre next week. A New Zealand premiere appropriate for our modern lives, this play examines colonialist attitudes over freshly baked bread, and discusses quarantines and vaccinations while sharing drinks – it’s irony, of a sort. Are we doing enough to help […]

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Review: Death Comes To Us All

by Emma Maguire August 28, 2019

Death takes her by the hand, leads her to a pool of light at the apron of the stage and she tells us her last moments. There’s light at the end, she says, and disappears off stage. I sniff, a little, and hold back tears. Death Comes To Us All is a remarkably honest, very […]

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Review: High School Magical: The Reunion

by Emma Maguire July 24, 2019

We all know Harry Potter, right? The lovely folks over at Playshop have turned its basic premise into an improv show called High School Magical, full of hi-jinks and comedy of the wizarding sort. It’s ten years since the Chosen One (who I presume is gifted the title by the audience each show, but was […]

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Review – The Dunstan Creek Haunting

by Sophie July 10, 2019

“This is the true story of two travelling carnies who develop an obsession with the occult, exposing and explaining the paranormal.” Lizzie Tollemache and David Ladderman listen to their audience.  It makes sense as performers who’ve worked with circus, cabaret, and variety around the world…  so much of those skills rely on the audience investing […]

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