Review: Fifty Shades of Ray
Reviewed by Talia Carlisle. On a rain-splattered Wellington evening, I find myself refuge in BATS Theatre’s Studio space where paper “worries” are hung on string across the small stage. An eager smattering of audience members buzz in excitement, waiting for Ray Shipley to enter, fresh from a popular Christchurch season with a well-crafted set ready […]
A Quick and Dirty Look at the Comedy Fest!
Ah, the NZ International Comedy Fest — remember when we last had one? Two years ago. However, it’s back, and we’re well into the three week programme now. If you’ve not gotten along to any shows yet, here are some highlights coming up in the next few days! Josh Davies — Look! I’m blind. Nominated […]
Review: Mincing
Mincing is a joy and I absolutely loved it. Jimini Jolly Snr (Tom Sainsbury) runs the best butchery in Timaru, alongside his wife Marge-Irine (Kura Forrester), their son Jimini Jnr (Chris Parker) and their daughter Nicole (Brynley Stent). Jimini Jnr is off to New York to go to tap school, Marge-Irine is on a jaunt […]
Review: The Blair Witch Projector
After a few minutes of technical issues — which may have been an actual ghost in the theatre, who knows! — we’re brought into this show by James Mustapic talking about being unemployed, to which several people in the audience cheer in unfortunate acknowledgement (myself included). Mustapic is going to do a “proper stand-up show”, […]
Review: The Big Show
The Big Show is a 100-minute extravaganza with three UK comedians who you may or may not have heard of. (The comedy world is big, okay?) Despite my utter obliviousness to whom two out of three of them were, this three-act show was a whole lot of fun. Ian Smith Acting as our MC for […]
Review: Andrew Maxwell — Showtime
Andrew Maxwell is baffled by New Zealand. And fair enough too. As he so lovingly puts it, our news cycle is a mad mess of fallen trees and cats on buses. We spend far too much time caring about things that aren’t global political conflicts and Trump. Why should we worry about global politics when […]
Review: Uther Dean — My Fat/Sad
Guest review by Emma Maguire Uther Dean is sad and he wants you to know it. My Fat/Sad is a comedy and a tragedy, a balance between joy and seriousness, and a show with more of a duality to it than you might be expecting. In my desperate quest to avoid spoilers, I’ll leave the […]
Review: Wilson Dixon’s What a Country
Guest review by Emma Maguire When I glance around the theatre before What a Country and notice that I’m definitely the youngest person in the audience I realise that I might be slightly out of this show’s demographic. I also hate country music. But that’s alright, because Wilson Dixon’s What a Country manages to transcend […]
Review: You do you babes — Donna Brookbanks
Guest review by Emma Maguire We are welcomed into the BATS Studio by a woman dressed in a black cloak. Illuminated by the light of flickering (electric) candles, we’re baptised by water poured from a menstrual cup, and we recite the single person’s prayer. All the single ladies… now put your hands up! Donna Brookbanks’ […]
Review: Olive Copperbottom
Penny Ashton presents a new musical inspired by the writings of Charles Dickens as part of Comedy Festival 2017. Olive, a beautiful virtuous orphan, teaches the younger orphans at Mrs Sourtart’s squalid orphanage in exchange for a place to live. Her suitor, Edward Goodsort, was reclaimed from the same establishment by his moneyed family and now lives […]