Phantom of the Opera – a Magical Musical

There’s nothing like a show, and Phantom of the Opera is certainly one of those. It’s the second longest running musical in the world so its a bit of a big deal for Wellington Musical Theatre to land a season here at the St James. I’ve been lucky enough to see the production a few […]

Review: No Holds Bard

The actor playing Hamlet is suffering a crisis of confidence.  Is the play as he remembers? Macbeth drops in to chivvy him along. Then Othello and King Lear give it a go as well. This solo show sees Michael Hurst display his skill at delivering Shakespeare along with hilariously physical stage combat moves. (Some of […]

Review: The clouds

Happy 13th  birthday to The Bacchanals! They are throwing us the surprise party, leaving behind their ‘serious/politically conscientious’ plays in order to be ‘silly & have fun’.  The Clouds is silly and heaps of fun while still containing political and social commentary. The Bacchanals are growing up, but not away from their roots. (As a […]

Sky Dancer in the Capital E National Arts Festival

We’re grownups at the Wellingtonista, well, unless there’s a fart joke to be made, so when there’s a National Arts Festival for Children, we thought it would be good to get some children involved, so here are three reviews of Sky Dancer. Henry, age 11:  “Sky Dancer was not like anything I have seen before. […]

Review: Beep Test

Binge Culture take a physical fitness test and makes a show out of it. Upstairs at Thistle Hall there are inspirational messages sticky-taped to the wall. GIVE IT A GO. TRIUMPH. We are welcomed into the room by Simon and Izzy – the runners. Some of us are coerced into sticking up further messages. U […]

Review: [title of show] take two.

I realise Kris has already given a review of [title of show] but I figure I may as well throw my thoughts into the ring. There’s no such thing as too many voices on the internet right? This review consists the one-two punch of a guest review from my partner Laura, followed by my take […]

Review: A Collection of Noises

There aren’t any noises to speak of in A Collection of Noises. The play concerns the mental breakdown of an awkward young woman and claims Lynchian influence, so obviously there’s lots of archly deployed old-time rock ‘n’ roll; but every metaphor is visual. The central image is a bank of black and white photographs taken […]

Review: [title of show]

 [title of show] is “a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical”. First performed in 2004 it was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Book of a Show in 2008. Energy Theatre have given it a lively NZ premiere. There’s a table to one side of the stage […]

Review: Residence

The flyer says “This candlelit promenade performance will guide you though different worlds within Inverlochy House.” I was expecting something that referenced the history of the house. What I got was an exploration of storytelling and creativity.  Each sketch happened in a different room in the house and didn’t seem to be connected to any […]

The kids are just fine at the Capital E National Arts Festival

While the urbanites of the ‘ista are all currently abuzz about the Fringe Festival, those amongst us who are parents (yes, we exist) are more excited about the Capital E National Arts Festival set to happen from March 11-23. During the weeks, the Festival runs an education programme, so expect to see bus loads of […]