Home  /  Stories  / 

Theatreview Weekly: 01/03/2013

01 Mar 2013
A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including: A Midsummer Mess and Made to Move - The Royal NZ Ballet.

A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including: A Midsummer Mess, Made to Move - The Royal NZ Ballet, Rifleman's Double Bill - Terrain And Amanimal, and Running With Ghosts.

See more recent reviews at theatreview.org, the NZ Performing Arts Review & Directory.

***

A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including: A Midsummer Mess, Made to Move - The Royal NZ Ballet, Rifleman's Double Bill - Terrain And Amanimal, and Running With Ghosts.

See more recent reviews at theatreview.org, the NZ Performing Arts Review & Directory.

***

St James Theatre, Wellington - MADE TO MOVE - THE ROYAL NZ BALLET: Triple treat for 60th anniversary
- reviewed by Ann Hunt

The company, in outstanding form, deliver a night of spirited dancing in entertaining, thought provoking and beautiful works.

------------------------------------------------------------------

St James Theatre, Wellington - MADE TO MOVE - THE ROYAL NZ BALLET: An abstract work between culturally referenced bookends
- reviewed by Jan Bolwell

Paying homage to his German roots, Stiefel takes the audience on an exuberant romp through a Bavarian beer hall. On a monumental set which threatens at times to dwarf the dancing, Bier Halle spills out a series of eccentric characters – nerd, flirts, studs, baker, butcher, bird, among others – who communicate appropriate joie de vivre and clearly relish the opportunity to deliver such full throated dancing.

------------------------------------------------------------------

St James Theatre, Wellington - MADE TO MOVE - THE ROYAL NZ BALLET: Superb level of choreographic crafting
- reviewed by Lyne Pringle

I was spellbound by Andrew Simmons Of Days; every fibre of every muscle of the dancers alert in the work to create the most exquisite poetry. The costumes are masterful - grey leotards with ruched chiffon tops for the woman and unitards for the men. The choreography is spacious and elegant, set to spare but beautiful music by Olafur Arnalds, Dustin o’Halloran and Ludovico Einaudi and the lighting by Jason Morphet is breathtaking in the way that it caresses the dancer’s bodies to make them shimmer.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - RIFLEMAN'S DOUBLE BILL -- TERRAIN AND AMANIMAL: Provocative art and very fabulous performers
- reviewed by Felicity Molloy

Rifleman Productions once again brings to the theatre provocative art, a compelling sensitivity towards creativity and very fabulous performers.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - ONE NIGHT STAND: The tricky freedom of a charming ranter
- reviewed by Heidi North-Bailey

Captain Ruin, aka Australian Mitch Jones, spent six weeks in a Turkish Prison; the results are One Night Stand. The show is a blend of circus tricks, stand-up comedy, political rampages and a surprisingly touching true story.

------------------------------------------------------------------

TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs, Auckland - PROMISE AND PROMISCUITY: A NEW MUSICAL BY JANE AUSTEN: Fast-paced romp with song and dance earns universal appreciation
- reviewed by Bronwyn Elsmore

The gowned and bonnetted Miss Ashton reveals herself as not only a most accomplished actor, but a singer and dancer of some talent also. The songs need to be listened to with care. for the lyrics – as with the dialogue throughout – are replete with inventive use of purloined lines from a variety of contemporary sources, and comments on present-day situations.

------------------------------------------------------------------

St Michael’s Church Hall, Kelburn, Wellington - RUNNING WITH GHOSTS: Sincerity, curiosity and ingenuity drive theatrical experiment
- reviewed by James McKinnon

It deals with death and grief –not only the grief of the living, but also of the dead, because it’s the kind of ghost story where the dead have to work out their issues in what the play refers to as an “in-between” state before they can move on to… well, who knows?

------------------------------------------------------------------

Musgrove Studio, return season, Auckland - MRS VAN GOGH: A treat for fans
- reviewed by Phillip J Dexter

Vincent returns to Auckland with a re-staging of Galatea’s Theatre’s production of Mrs Van Gogh. Premiered in April 2012, this encore production is presented through the Auckland Fringe Festival and for hardened Van Gogh fans out there this could be a treat.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Whammy Bar, St Kevin’s Arcade, K' Road, Auckland - A MIDSUMMER MESS: Unashamedly silly
- reviewed by Anna Stillaman

The play promises to be fast moving and there’s no doubt that the actors are moving quickly. Unfortunately, the audience are left bewildered. I missed a lot of what was being said; it was all happening too fast.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland - MIXED NUTS 3 - MYTHICAL: Show puts put a smile on your heart
- reviewed by Dr Linda Ashley

The reinvented Tongan legend, Fale fa, is our welcome mat. Paulo Mohenoa, Tevita Vaka and Leki Jackson Bourke are commanding, mesmerising and poised with ashened skin and golden costumes. Watchful whispers, measured stealth, the uncurling fingers and rotational wrists convey power and grace. All of this is enhanced by their sung accompaniment, a perfect acoustic mix in the Arts Centre foyer. Then as the voices drift away out of the building it all seems like a dream.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Co.Space, 155 K' Road, Auckland - FOR YOUR FUTURE GUIDANCE: A relaxed and playful interactive experience
- reviewed by Glen Pickering

There is also something very surprising and big that none of us had predicted. It brings a completely new, wonderful twist to the show and helps draw the seminar to a close.

------------------------------------------------------------------

BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - RIDDIFORD STREET: Like being at a very fun house party
- reviewed by Charlotte Simmonds

Described in the publicity material as “New Zealand’s raciest Medical Soap Opera Drama Comedy thingy”, the idea of spoofing well-known cultural icons with lampoons and slapstick gags is neither new nor tired, and no matter how easy or cheap banana-skin humour and innuendo might be, they never fail to produce laugh-out-louds from their audience.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement Studio, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - HIGH SCHOOL HANGOVER: Strong ensemble and idiosyncrasies
- reviewed by Hannah Smith

High School is awful, and growing up is worse. High School Hangover explores the horrors of cliquey girl friendships, self-discovery, and the weird and wicked effects that karma and divine intervention may or may not have on our lives.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, The Edge, Auckland - ONE BY ONE: A refined work of untainted, childlike purity
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

Under the sure hand of director Pedro Ilgenfritz, the company clearly shares a passion for telling stories at the most basic level of the human condition where hearts are worn on the sleeve, and even states of confusion or indecision appear oddly clear-cut.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - ECHOLALIA: Engages deeply through humour, warmth, and insight
- reviewed by Norelle Scott

Echolalia is a beautifully crafted, carefully considered and exquisitely executed theatrical performance. Insightful and articulate, this production invites audience participation in a way that is not only engaging and charming but also thematically significant.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Medici Court, Hamilton Gardens, Hamilton - THE MILLION: Good for a laugh and a think
- reviewed by Julianne Boyle

Entering the Medici Court, the show may not have technically started but, already, it’s pandemonium in the performance space. The year is 1972. This is a big day in small town New Zealand as the fictional Waikato village of Tutairua prepares to welcome home its one and only success story.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Gryphon, Wellington - MY BEAUTIFUL DISASTER: Simple, quirky
- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson

A howling wind (excellent sound effects throughout by Charlotte Crone) and a nervous sensibility puts the prim Frau Agniszka on edge as she serves tea to her visitor.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - VELCRO CITY: Confident, committed, comic timing
- reviewed by Hannah Smith

Hamish Parkinson and Eli Matthewson were last seen on NZ Fringe stages with Square Eye Pair, a bromantic comedy about television, pop culture and the comic possibilities of couches. It won a bunch of Best Comedy fringe awards, and they took it over to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Victorian Garden Conservatory, Hamilton gardens, Hamilton - BOOMERS BEHAVING BADLY: Boomer blooms with talent and wit
- reviewed by Gail Pittaway

Jane Keller’s one woman show is mostly musical with a bit of reminiscent stand-up comedy thrown in. With her excellent vocal range, from a background in music and theatre, and flair for facial manoeuvres, Keller is a great comedienne and more than satisfies a crowd of grey haired boomers, with a few Gen Y‘s thrown in for colour.

------------------------------------------------------------------

BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - CANNONBALL: Brilliantly crafted
- reviewed by Caoilinn Hughes

One confident, capable, comedic actress playing ten characters in a one-hour kaleidoscope of social observation and riotous imagination with just one prop on stage makes for a ‘hole-in-one’ at this year’s Fringe.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Wesley Methodist Church Hall, 75 Taranaki Street, Wellington - THIN SKIN: Chaos and confusion in private play
- reviewed by John Smythe

I am tempted to write “WTF?!” and leave it at that. After all I have just spent 80-odd minutes watching something that is so completely fails to communicate anything coherent or connect with its audience in any meaningful way that I feel resentful at having to spend more time writing it up.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement Studio, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - WILD BEASTS: A fantastic idea
- reviewed by Stephen Lunt

Reading the title and the premise of Wild Beasts reminds me of Where the Wild Things Are and this dark fairy-tale leads you along a very similar path. In The Basement Studio we enter a tent, meticulously sewn together from every patterned sheet you can imagine. Fairy-lights surround the seating and sitting down on cushions and cross legged on the floor, we are ready to be told a story.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - THE ROAD THAT WASN'T THERE: A remarkable romantic fantasy
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

To experience The Road That Wasn’t There on the same day the country mourns the passing of visual arts icon Ralph Hotere was particularly poignant as Trick of the Light’s work is quintessentially Kiwi in the same way Hotere’s is. It transcends boundaries and cultures, makes no apology for itself and provides no explanation as to why it is what it is.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Westpoint Performing Arts Centre, Auckland - SPRING AWAKENING – THE MUSICAL: Lacking in playfulness and danger with some exceptions
- reviewed by Glen Pickering

I preface my review with this: Should Auckland Music Theatre have produced Spring Awakening? Absolutely! It is a brilliant musical. Should it be part of the Auckland Fringe Festival? No.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Westpoint Performing Arts Centre, Auckland - SPRING AWAKENING – THE MUSICAL: Rock & Angst
- reviewed by James Wenley

“Forget every other Musical you’ve ever seen” says the pre-show announcement voice as the lights dim for Spring Awakening. It’s a statement that is more about marketing hype than the show’s ability to offer something new to the form. Sure, its themes of suicide, masturbation, and sexual abuse are risque, but nothing that are not presented in a confrontational enough way to be piercingly challenging to an audience. It’s still conventional Musical Theatre to a fault.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - THE ROAD THAT WASN'T THERE: A unique journey
- reviewed by Matt Baker

Originally performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012, The Road That Wasn’t There, presented by Trick of the Light and embarking on a tour throughout New Zealand, makes its Auckland debut as part of the 2013 Fringe Festival.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - ELEVATOR: Catharsis of the Confessional
- reviewed by Matt Baker

3 women trapped in an elevator. It’s a simple yet possibility problematic premise, however, Jess Sayer’s script, as reflected in her writer’s notes, finds freedom within structure, and, consequentially, an incredibly engaging story.

------------------------------------------------------------------

St Kevin's Arcade / Myers Park / The Basement, Auckland - CELERY STORIES: Anarchic Fairy Tales in the Dark
- reviewed by James Wenley

At the same time as the Lantern Festival lit up Albert Park, Myers Park came to life in quite a different way as a procession of Fairytale characters and creatures prowled its grounds. Myers Park has been associated with Auckland Fringe since the Festival’s original launch in 2009 and has played a part in reclaiming the park – often avoided – for the public.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - THE BITCHES’ BOX: Hot Dog!
- reviewed by Matt Baker

After forty-two shows across the country in their (literal) Woolshed Tour, actresses Emma Newborn and Amelia Guild finally bring their two-woman show to Auckland for the 2013 Fringe Festival. “Born out of a dream and desire to provide rural audiences a chance to have a truly unique night out with their neighbours”, if the show was received as well on tour as it was on its opening night in the City of Sails, it could only have been an unreserved success.

------------------------------------------------------------------

TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs, Auckland - BUS STOP: Any minute now…
- reviewed by Matt Baker

Youth suicide. It’s an unquestionably prevalent and heavy-handed topic, and it’s been chosen as the theme for Dark Horse Productions’ (a group of eight of The Actors’ Program graduates) fringe show.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - DOLLY MIXTURE: Gross-out Dolly Horror
- reviewed by James Wenley

Thomas Sainsbury and Yvette Parsons’s previous work together typically tend to features unsavory oddballs, extracting comedy from social awkwardness and character eccentricities. This style is once again at play in Dolly Mixture in which the premise sees Crispin Merriweather (Sainsbury) boarding at the residence of Beverly Beavington (Parsons) who restores dolls as her hobby.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - TIM DIBLEY. MASTERCLASS.: Christ knows he should be charging a lot more
- reviewed by Matt Baker

After three years of gradually and increasingly leaking the persona of Tim Dibley into the acting community’s collective consciousness, actor and casting director Eryn Wilson has finally taken the step from Facebook and YouTube to the stage in the premiere live performance of his ridiculous yet somewhat veracious alter-ego.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - BLACK FAGGOT: It’s all in the title
- reviewed by Matt Baker

With such a provocative title (faggot sits at number 9 on the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s list of 31 words ‘Not To Swear’), one would be forgiven if they were to presume that Victor Rodger’s Black Faggot was going to be an excessive bombardment of racial and homophobic rants from both sides of the social spectrum.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - A NIGHT TO DISMEMBER: Dexterous ‘Big Fish’ Yarn
- reviewed by James Wenley

A Night to Dismember by Australian creator and performer Wil Greenway is a late Fringe entry that handily plugged a gap in The Basement’s schedule after previously advertised Truth was cancelled.

------------------------------------------------------------------

BATS, Wellington - FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: Fun with strange characters
- reviewed by John Smythe

The premise of Angie Farrow’s Follow, Follow, Follow (written eight years ago) is that six children at the age of four were removed from their parents and placed in a secure environment where they have grown and developed in isolation for the last twelve years.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - A NIGHT TO DISMEMBER: Sweet and surreal comedy
- reviewed by Hannah Smith

Wil Greenway is a Melbourne-based comic and story-teller. His surrealist one man show is a combination of flowery writing, off-the-wall humour and a straight-up likeable performance style; a mix that makes for a mad-as-a-snake monologue that is more than the sum of its parts.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Frank Kitts Park, Wellington - PARKOUR: Natural movement
- reviewed by Nancy Catherine Fulford

After some consideration I’ve decided to come clean and admit I had no idea that Parkour was a worldwide movement previous to this event. I have no excuse. I haven’t been in a coma since the nineties and I'm very interested in all things physical so I'm not sure what happened there.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Circa One, Wellington - YOU CAN ALWAYS HAND THEM BACK: Mellifluous, articulate and perfectly pleasant
- reviewed by John Smythe

There is wry social commentary on male versus female perceptions, generational differences in the costs of parenting; Kiwis v the English; advancing age, diminishing health and the consequent change in accommodation; living in the moment v valuing family history … Nothing confronting or challenging but there is many a smile to be had on the way.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - MR SACKMAN: The struggle to be understood
- reviewed by Anna Stillaman

The musicians and performers of Mr Sackman have put together a visually intriguing performance that lives up to its reputation as surreal and bizarre.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Coxhead Flat, Hamilton - THE TEMPEST: Spirit captured in steampunk style
- reviewed by Mark Houlahan

There is a special moment towards the end of the dawn performance of The Tempest. “To the elements be free,” says Prospero to the three-person Ariel. They skip in a spiral around each other, and disappear into the grove of trees. This time you really believe Ariel (Ariels here) will be freed.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Founders Theatre, Hamilton - HAIRSPRAY – THE BROADWAY MUSICAL: Irresistibly upbeat
- reviewed by Gail Pittaway

Light, bright and boldly colourful, this treatment of teen life in Baltimore in the 1960s and of Tracy Turnblad’s optimism in achieving her goal is simply gorgeous. Every part of the production is tight and crisp, from the wonderful cast, to the exceptional dancing (thanks to Sonja McGirr-Garret and Joel Benjamin Hewlett) and on to the whacky sets and effective LED screen as back-drop, displaying cartoon images reminiscent of the early days of watching black and white TV.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Hamilton Gardens Indian Char Bagh Garden, Hamilton - BLISS: Blissful contemplation
- reviewed by Sue Cheesman

We meander out of this beautiful garden having experienced a luscious harmony between the garden flowers, the symmetrical architecture, the moving bodies and the whispering monarch butterflies. Overall the work has a meditative and mesmerizing quality, allowing the audience of all ages to experience the magic of both the dance and the garden simultaneously.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Fringe Bar, Cnr Cuba & Vivian, Wellington - SIGNFELD & FREINDZ: Quirky intelligence
- reviewed by Nancy Catherine Fulford

This show is funny, really funny. If I was an old fashioned talent scout, I’d be congratulating myself on having found a gold mine in this company and sighting a particularly shiny nugget in the main dude.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Newtown Community & Cultural Centre, Wellington - DOUBLE-BARRELLED SLINGSHOT: Fine teamwork with sketchy results
- reviewed by Nancy Catherine Fulford

Obviously it’s an opportunity for people to cut their teeth as writers, directors and performers, and learn from that, but I wonder if the creative team involved has ever really stopped and asked themselves, “What are we trying to achieve with this show? What is it that we want to say to our audience?”

------------------------------------------------------------------

Inverlochy Art School, Inverlochy Place, Te Aro, Wellington - RESIDENCE: An odd mixture
- reviewed by John Smythe

Overall it is an odd mixture of performative elements from which I feel more and more detached as the hour progresses. If I declare it adds up to considerably less than the sum of its parts, will its creators feel they have therefore ticked some sort of ‘post-modern deconstruction’ box?

------------------------------------------------------------------

St Kevin's Arcade / Myers Park / The Basement, Auckland - CELERY STORIES: Magical spectacle and streetwise satire
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

A sizeable crowd of eclectic Fringe-style aficionados convene in St Kevin’s Arcade, appropriately about the closest thing to a fairy tale castle (that isn’t a church) around uptown Auckland. At the front-of-house each patron is provided a goody-bag/survival-kit containing a licorice allsort, a map, a compass and a slice of baguette.

------------------------------------------------------------------

BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - CORNER DIARY: Hilariously genuine
- reviewed by Fiona McNamara

Four performers, MC’d by the self-titled Shame Shaman, Jean Sergent, share the deepest, darkest, strangest (and in the case of this weekend’s theme, straightest) moments of their past selves, by reading their own diary entries, love letters and fan mail to seventy people who have shown up to spend their Friday night revelling in some Schadenfreude.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Fringe Bar, Cnr Cuba & Vivian, Wellington - ALEXANDER SPARROW: NARCISSISTIC DIVA: Amusingly self-effacing
- reviewed by John Smythe

The hyperbole of his introduction perches Alexander Sparrow atop such a tall, albeit imaginary, poppy that the only way is down. His methodical plucking of the petals in a ‘he loves himself; he loves himself not’ game creates effective comic tension.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Massey University, Wallace St, Entrance A, Block 5, D14, Wellington - WHAT THE, SHEEP?: Inflation confuses and distorts
- reviewed by James McKinnon

What the, Sheep? began life as a ten minute script for a university course, and one can easily imagine why it would have been a hit in that format. But the lesson many of us took away from The Hobbit (Part One) applies here: more is not necessarily better.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Gryphon, Wellington - A CRY TOO FAR FROM HEAVEN: Authentic drama of two ill-fated Kiwis
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman

Most historical figures brought to life on stage from New Zealand's past are heroes in some way or other. But not so in Invercargill Invers Theatre's play A Cry Too Far From Heaven where the stories of two locals have been combined into a fascinating piece of theatre production.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Gryphon, Wellington - A CRY TOO FAR FROM HEAVEN: Profoundly moving
- reviewed by Michael Wray

Simultaneously set in 1895 and 1918, A Cry Too Far From Heaven presents us with the final day of two New Zealanders sentenced to suffer the death penalty.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Auckland - AN UNFORTUNATE WILLINGNESS TO AGREE: Dance in Week 1, Auckland Fringe Festival
- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte

The nature of friendship is also at the heart of Salted Singlet's hour-long work An Unfortunate Willingness to Agree, set against a backdrop of the everyday complicity which lets us suspend our connections to matters of earth-shattering significance on a world scale, and our choices to let sleeping dogs lie when it comes to our closest relationships.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Musgrove Studio, Maidment Theatre, Auckland - HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND STILL APPEAR NORMAL (2013): Auckland Fringe Festival - dance, week 1
- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte

The audience quickly becomes fully engaged by the work, charmed and challenged by the mix of self-reflection and revelation threaded by wit and whimsy, and leave the theatre with much to think about.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Studio 77, VUW, Wellington - MADAM X AND MISTER Q: ‘Make what you like of it’ mode makes for dispassionate observation
- reviewed by John Smythe

My guess is that a Chinese readership, or audience, would detect a strong thread of political satire beneath the social critique but that dimension dissipates when played to an audience unfamiliar with day-to-day life in a radically changing China. What prevails, then, is an evocation of inter-personal petty politics.

------------------------------------------------------------------

BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - PUT IT IN MY BLOWHOLE: Raucous entertainment with a purpose
- reviewed by Lucy O'Connor

Written and directed by Alwyn Dale and Becca Barnes, this ocean comedy/drama manages to incorporate so many elements. There are laughs, there is drama and, best of all, we learn exactly what happens when mermaid and a human man create a ... WHAT exactly?!

------------------------------------------------------------------

Coxhead Flat, Hamilton - THE TEMPEST: Clarity amid the murk
- reviewed by Gail Pittaway

Coxhead Flat, on the banks of the Waikato River, is a perfect island-like setting for the story of Prospero, the deposed duke turned eco magician – perhaps a source for our own Prince Charles’s preoccupations?

------------------------------------------------------------------

Crossways Community Centre, Wellington - TOUCHED: Beyond touch
- reviewed by Amy Hughson

The special thing about this show is that it weaves so many art forms together seamlessly. When the dancers stop in the center of the room, the musicians and artists stop too, creating complete stillness. The musical accompaniment is fantastic. There is a wonderful assortment of instruments creating some conventional and some very unique sounds. The vocals are simply beautiful.
Throughout the performance visual art is being created. One of the gems of this show are the photos being taken throughout and relayed to a projector. Kwai Lam has a genuine knack for capturing exchanges and expressions, thus allowing the audience in on moments they may have otherwise missed.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - THE BITCHES’ BOX: A unique experience
- reviewed by Melissa Fergusson

After touring Nationwide, The Bitches’ Box now graces the Auckland stage to reveal the multiple layers and the inner psyches of 'man's best friend'.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - DOLLY MIXTURE: A rip roaring ride
- reviewed by Heidi North-Bailey

Innocent and socially awkward virgin Crispin Merriweather (Thomas Sainsbury) arrives at the house-as-a-homestay of doll collector and satanic alchemist Beverley Bridgewater (Yvette Parsons). He seems happy enough with his new digs, despite his new landlady’s passion for dolls, her glittery black eyes and demented demeanour.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - THE PINEAPPLE JUKEBOX DANCE SHOW: Choose a dance and then enjoy
- reviewed by Felicity Molloy

Highlights include two truly genuinely authentic French styled numbers -- a 1960s go-go trio, Gogo-YeYe, to music by April March, and the disco dance Cloclo Medley, with 6 dancers performing to a mashup of four French pop songs by Claude Francois. Julie Anterrieu shines as a performer in both of these.

------------------------------------------------------------------

TAPAC Foyer - Western Springs, Auckland - NOT AT ALL TOPLESS: Must see debut production for All You Can Eat Dance
- reviewed by Felicity Molloy

Not at All Topless is a collaborative programme hooked together by performance transitions: props – a mobile piano included and gorgeously played by Flavio Villani, multiple changes of tops, dialogue, musical switches, and running adventures harnessed in film. Of particular note is the eccentric weave of MCall's dances and Paloma Schneiderman’s film clips of colourful crayons melted by a hair dryer -- t-shirt design visuals as recurrent backdrops to an ongoing story of mental anguish. European inflections and subtitled texts throughout suggest that the show as a whole could be considered durational dance - providing a progressive collage with the pace sufficiently slowed to reveal deeper social and gendered themes.

------------------------------------------------------------------

See more recent reviews at theatreview.org.nz, the NZ Performing Arts Review & Directory

Further information:

What began as a glorified blog by John Smythe has now become a major organ of communication, interaction and information that has created an online performing arts community by recording, critiquing, celebrating and debating NZ’s professional performing arts activity.

If you value Theatreview, and want to see it survive and grow to further serve the interests and needs of the performing arts community and their audiences, please join the Performing Arts Directory or offer a donation/koha.