Review: Blonde Mountain Wolf Man

Craig Geenty comes from a large and extended family. They’re gregarious. They like a bit of a drink. They’ve been whispering about a family secret for years. Great-grandfather Joseph is still officially missing after disappearing on his way back home after making a delivery in town in 1921. Did he crash? Did he run away? […]

Preview: WHY ARE WE STILL HERE?

You’ll remember Emma from her reviews right here on the ‘ista. Turns out she’s putting her money where her mouth is, so I had a chat with her about it. Why are we still here? February 5-9pm Bats Theatre Emma! You’re doing a play! What’s it all about? Four women break into an abandoned theatre […]

Review: A Slightly Isolated Dog’s Santa Claus

Santa Claus brings A Slightly Isolated Dog’s usual charm, wit and innuendo to BATS’ Random Stage for the telling of a tale about a Santa Claus who is rather tired of putting up with naughty people’s bullshit. I shall not go too far into the plot of this sixty-minute show – to save you all from […]

Review: Actual Fact

Reviewed by our fantastic guest reviewer, Shannon Gillies (@dashrightin) on Twitter! The audience arrived warm and willing to be entertained – and they were. Actual Fact explored story telling. Not in a way that is generally celebrated in our society – such as I’m an adventurer, sportsperson, a politician – listen to or read of […]

Review/s: New Zealand Improv Fest Bonanza

I saw four improv shows last night as part of the New Zealand Improv Festival. In the interests of brevity, here’s a joint review of all four. Austen Found  Penny Ashton’s Austen Found is a perambulation into the world of one of Jane Austen’s lost musicals – in this case, the story of one Victoria Sandybottom, who […]

Review: Space Patrol 5 (NZ Improv Festival)

I leaned over to my theatre-going companion just before the start of this show and pointed at one of the audience-made spaceships lying on the floor of BATS’ Random Stage. “That spaceship looks a lot like a dildo,” I remarked, presciently as always, and he agreed. The audience, in an ode to predictability, chose it. […]

Preview: All Good

Parekura and Ra re-unite on a night out in the town. Their past rekindles an old kind, odd romance for each other again. They enjoy the night and end up back at Parekura’s whare where her father, Chief, awaits the return of his only daughter not expecting to see her infamous friend as well. Chief concedes to Parekura’s demands […]

Review: (A Smidge of) Pidge

I’m not entirely sure how to describe this show. Part costumed-wonder, part avant-garde art piece, (A Smidge of) Pidge is a black comedy about identity and anxiety and pigeons. I think. Sherilee Kahui dances about BATS’ Propeller Stage for an hour dressed in an elaborate pigeon costume. She drinks wine, shares gingernuts, and recreates an iconic scene from Love […]

Preview: (a smidge of) Pidge

Hank of Thread presents (a smidge of) Pidge, a black comedy about identity and the anxiety that is inextricably tied to it. The show fuses clowning, song and dance to show the myriad ways that we are all simultaneously the same and different, ultimately celebrating the absurdity of it all.   Written by Sherilee Kahui […]

Preview: The Loneliest Whale in the World

This isn’t a break up show. It’s about marine science. So begins the blurb for this production coming up at Bats Theatre from July 10-14. A play about whales seems to be very very timely for Wellington right now, but this one has been in the making for a long time. “Four years ago, my friend […]