Circa Theatre’s The Importance of Being Earnest has marked itself down as a fantastic retelling of my favourite non-New Zealand play, and an excellent night out besides. Staged in a thrust stage in Circa One, Jonathan Price’s directorial hand is evident as a play that is often so caught in (delightful) internal conversations is broadened […]
The first thing that grips me as soon as I walk into Circa Two is Lucas Neal’s gorgeous set design for this show – a huge pohutakawa that stretches up and across the entire stage, a white picket fence, and the outside edge of a traditional weatherboard kiwi house. Cicadas chirp (beautiful sound design by […]
Leaving Circa on Wednesday after the opening night of Olive Copperbottom, one of the many things I was feeling was deep regret that it was the very first of Penny Ashton’s shows that I’d seen, and I’d missed so many others. Ashton is a bright light. Her energy, her wit, and her joy were incandescent […]
Reviewed by Lox Dixon. Presented as a part of TAHI Festival, 2022. I’m going to make an earnest effort to mention the writing as little as possible in this review because that’s not really the point and everyone probably knows by now that Will Eno is a phenomenal writer. That said, the beauty of this […]
Reviewed by Shona Jaunas Back to Square One invites you into conversation between 95 year old Inga’s living room in Denmark and her grandson, Anders Falstie-Jensen in New Zealand. It starts with the audience all writing their names on the stage front in chalk which immediately brings us into the space; we are all involved […]
Skin Tight is my favourite ever play and I’ve been wanting to see it performed since I first read it. Circa Theatre did not disappoint with their iteration of this show; a gloriously evocative piece with incredible staging, performances and movement. The play is not just a love story to its characters – and the highs […]
I’ve seen Ali Harper before, at Old St Paul’s in 2012, and I was struck by her humour and professionalism then. It was a fun night out with my Robot Mum and we both enjoyed hearing songs we knew, and some we didn’t, performed by someone who knew her craft and was super skilled. On […]
The Glitter Garden is a drag musical extravaganza for kids featuring dazzling outfits and fierce lip syncing. Join Hugo the Gardener on Pride Parade as he attempts to embrace self-care, personal growth and planter boxes, all with the help of his glittering garden friends. Created by TVNZ’s ‘House of Drag’ winner Hugo Grrrl (George Fowler) […]
Has it really been a year since I last reviewed an interation of Public Service Announcements? Apparently so. The political satire is back, mixing COVID, controversy, and Election Night into one wild and very timely show. Our actors take the stage with a parody of a well-known ABBA song, now rebranded as “MMP”. This trend of […]
I’ve found myself in a very lovely, very privileged, and deeply uncomfortable space. I’ve seen three previous Red Scare Theatre Company shows, and I’ve genuinely loved them all. I will have to enlist one of my ‘Ista comrades to review their shows in future, to preclude claims of bias and shameless fangirling. Each of those […]