Review — The Dunstan Creek Haunting
“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 […]
Review: The Aliens
If I’m honest, I walked into The Aliens last night with a certain amount of cynicism. I wasn’t expecting what I got — a thoughtful, gentle exploration of friendship and self in a homogenous world. Annie Baker writes slow subtle plays about people, and their personal journeys, and that could be stupifying in the hands […]
Review: Ideation
A team of ‘management consultants’ are recalled from their project overseas in order to work on an urgent proposal. The question in front of them — if there was a deadly virus that killed the carrier and easily infected others, how would you contain it without alarming the community? As they start to work through […]
Review: The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville is a very silly opera. Last night’s opening performance at the Opera House took that silliness to extremes, mostly to good effect. While very silly, there’s no doubt that it’s also very good. Orchestra Wellington delivered Rossini’s classic under the graceful guidance of Wyn Davies, and the addition of a Fortepiano […]
Review: Digging to Cambodia
Sarita So revisits her Toi Whakaari solo show, turning it onto a longer exploration of making memory and history telling. “Through words, movement and songs from Cambodia’s 1960’s rock era — Digging to Cambodia is a letter to her past, present and future self, it asks us all “What is worth remembering?”” So wears a […]
Review: Cellfish
As part of the Kia Mau festival this year I got to go and see the opening night of Taki Rua’s show Cellfish, brought to Wellington after a season in Auckland last year. Cellfish is intense. A two person show, featuring Carrie Green and Jason Te Kare, Cellfish is set in a Shakespeare class at […]
Review: The Weekend
Lara has only the weekend to track down her partner as she traverses the world of public housing, drug dealing, and addiction. The Weekend is based on a situation that first time playwright that Henrietta Baird (from Kuku Yalanji/Yidinji country in Queensland’s Far North) experienced. From this she’s written an extremely funny, emotionally horrifying one-woman […]
Review: Over My Dead Body: Little Black Bitch
This is the world premiere of the play by Jason Te Mete. The script shared the Adam New Zealand Play Award for Best Play by a Māori Playwright in 2018. It is a theatrical representation of one way depression can manifest. It starts with a mihi from Te Mete (also director and musical director) welcoming […]
Review: The Mournmoor Murders
As The Wellingtonista’s resident super-fan of afternoon murder mystery television for old people, I was unbelievably excited to get the chance to see The Mournmoor Murders, Maria Williams and Alice May Connolly’s excellent satire of that whole genre. And it was fantastic! Detective Thompson (Williams) and Detective Constable Detective Agent Cooper (Connolly) must unearth dark […]
Review: Uther Dean Reads 300 Haiku
Uther Dean Reads 300 Haiku is indeed that. 300 haiku in a row. But what the title doesn’t tell you is the wandering narrative Uther tells through the 300 haiku. “These haiku were written by Peter the Poet,” he says. Yes, we agree, though I’m not convinced. Peter is desperately in love with Janine, who is a […]