The Wellingtonista

Random stuff about Wellington since 2005

NZ Fringe Festival

Review: System

by librarykris March 21, 2019

A sparse set – two walls, some tape on the floor –  is given character by lighting (Natasha James) and projection effects (Jason Wright). Flickerings along the edges of furniture, spinning triangles, water on the base of the wall, clearly defined shadows. A light rectangle becomes something to investigate. The score (Jason Wright) is an […]

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Review: Water

by librarykris March 19, 2019

Based on the true story of Carl Hans Lody, a WW1 German Spy. He was caught then executed inthe Tower of London four months into World War I. This new play, from award-winning writer, Mark Langham, centres Lody’s story and his reasons for becoming a spy. Stephen Lloyd-Coombs is a personable and charming Lody. Around […]

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Review: Yesterday, in space

by librarykris March 19, 2019

The good spaceship Yesterday is the first rocket ship to launch from Aotearoa New Zealand and we get to come along for the ride! Her new crew are determined to show us a good time. What a pity they’re stuck in the middle of professional rivalries, confusing personal relationships, and an asteroid belt… All those […]

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Review: Coffee Bean-Queen Machine

by librarykris March 8, 2019

Paja Neuhoferova wears a blue floral pattern full skirt, a short navy jacket with the blue floral fabric on the front, a headband with small flowers. As we arrive she is sitting on the counter. The accordion she plays is a deep glossy red. It sounds jaunty. Eighteen of us are tightly packed in to […]

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Review: Blonde Mountain Wolf Man

by librarykris March 4, 2019

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? […]

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Review: The Travelling Sisters and The Nose

by librarykris March 13, 2018

Lucy Fox, Laura Trenerry and Ell Sachs are The Travelling Sisters. 2017 winners of Best Comedy and New Zealand Tour Ready Award at Melbourne Fringe they’re at BATS Theatre to make us snort laugh. (They don’t exactly put it like that but it’s definitely what I heard (and maybe did) at their opening night show.) […]

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Review: Beau and Aero and Poet vs Pageant

by librarykris March 8, 2018

Portland physical theatre company A Little Bit Off make their New Zealand debut at Te Auaha with Beau & Aero: Crash Landing. They were the San Diego Fringe Outstanding Physical Theatre award winners in 2017 and I can see why. Pilot Beau (David Cantor) is brash, overconfident and prone to getting a little too involved […]

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Review: FA’AAFA and Big J Stylez

by librarykris March 7, 2018

These were possibly my most anticipated shows of this year’s Fringe.  FA’AAFA is presented by FAFSWAG, an Auckland based collective of artists who celebrate LGBTQ Pacific Islander culture. I’ve seen the photos, watched the interactive documentary, and read about their work so I was excited to see them in this year’s Fringe. Big J Stylez […]

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Review: My Best Dead Friend

by librarykris March 6, 2018

This is a story from a summer in Dunedin in 1998 when the possibilities were endless for Anya and her best friends. They have jobs at a cafe. They have their own space to share. The Backstreet Boys are at their peak. Enriched with exquisite details about Dunedin and intercut with asides about the state […]

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