The Wellingtonista

Random stuff about Wellington since 2005

hannah playhouse

Review: Cellfish

by Emma Maguire June 13, 2019

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 […]

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Review: Pōhutu

by librarykris June 7, 2019

Pōhutu is a multidimensional contemporary dance piece that thrives in liminal space. Drawing parallels between Choreographer Bianca Hyslop’s grandmother’s diagnosis of Alzheimers and the geothermal landscape she grew up in, it’s an unsettling and utterly beautiful work. The beginning and end sequences draw gasps from the audience. The middle sequences contain some of the most […]

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Preview: Kororāreka: The Ballad of Maggie Flynn

by librarykris August 24, 2018

Red Leap Theatre presents Kororāreka: The Ballad of Maggie Flynn, written by Paolo Rotondo and directed by Julie Nolan. The show is set in the era of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, up at Kororāreka (present-day Russell). Fictionalised from the stories of real life NZ women, it follows Maggie Flynn, who leaves Ireland […]

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Review: The Pickle King

by Steph September 4, 2017

The Pickle King is on now at the Hannah Playhouse and is a colourful, quirky and unique tale of love, death and what is worth preserving. Once the finest hotel in town, the Empire is now as faded as the dreams of the piano player who haunts the lobby. Ammachy runs the Empire with an […]

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Preview: The Wholehearted

by librarykris August 31, 2017

Massive Company is bringing The Wholehearted to Wellington in September. An honest portrayal of the extreme power of love, it was developed through conversations with their local community, asking them to share their personal stories of affection and dedication. The result is a heart-warming devised theatre work that spans generations, genders and cultures. Massive Company’s […]

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Preview: Kia Mau Festival

by librarykris May 31, 2017

New Zealand’s only contemporary indigenous theatre and dance event Kia Mau Festival returns to Wellington from Friday 2 – Saturday 24 June. It’s a unique and innovative opportunity for whānau and communities across the Wellington region to engage with today’s tangata whenua and First Nations artists from across the globe. Led by Wellington’s own Māori and Pasifika theatre […]

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Preview: Some shows and a party

by librarykris November 29, 2016

Wow this week is FULL of shows and there’s a party at the end of it. Let’s go! Hudson & Halls is still going strong at the Hannah Playhouse. I loved it, Mr Goulter loved it, the Wellington Theatre Awards judges loved it. Don’t miss it. Across the road at BATS Theatre Musique Romantique, Stand […]

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Theatre review: Brave

by librarykris February 23, 2015

One of the few shows on in Wellington that are not part of the Fringe Festival, The Brave is showing at the Hannah Playhouse until the end of February. Auckland-based Massive Company have devised a show which explores the question “What is it to be a man in 2015?” Using the same cast that looked at […]

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