The latest Theatreview Weekly includes reviews of Mother/Jaw, My Favourite Problematic, Lady Liberty, and A Symphony of Sloths.

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

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The latest Theatreview Weekly includes reviews of Mother/Jaw, My Favourite Problematic, Lady Liberty, and A Symphony of Sloths.

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

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THE NON-SURGEONS GUIDE TO THE APPENDECTOMY: More to be achieved
The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

It’s fast paced and has the absurdist echoes of N.F. Simpson (A Resounding Tinkle) and a delightfully singular aversion to plot. Throughout there are resonances of Ionesco, Beckett, Pirandello and the surreal works of Apollinaire but they aren’t taken anywhere. Perhaps that’s the point and I’m being too linear but I suspect the production fails the writing somewhat in this respect. Not a lot, just a bit.

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7 GENERATIONS: Dancing with our demons
Whitireia Performance Centre, 25-27 Vivian Street, Wellington
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman [Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media]

Confronting ones demons is a recurring image, and although not overly obvious, by the numerous support groups given credit in the programme, sexual abuse is also a major factor affecting the main and only character played by Miki Seifert, who is also choreographer of the piece.

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LABYRINTHINE: Where Lost is found
Old Knit World, Left Bank (off Cuba Mall), Wellington
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman [Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media]

Yet another production that delves into the mind, questioning one’s self esteem and how to stop sinking into the depths of depression is Labyrinthine.

Although promenade theatre, where the audience moves from space to space, is not a new or original idea, in this production it does create some quirky and interesting aspects to it.

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MY FAVOURITE PROBLEMATIC: Absorbing for many and clearly welcome
17 Tory St, Wellington
- reviewed by John Smythe

Women get value from realising others share their responses to all-too-common events. Men get the opportunity to hear things not often said in their presence. Everyone gets to hear (in principle) points of view they may or may not align with.

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YEP, STILL GOT IT!: Mining personal problems for musical laughs
Circa Two, Wellington
- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson [Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media]

Jane Keller is two years short of getting a Gold Card and her entertaining cabaret Yep, Still Got It! is about her recent attempts to branch out into a new career as a Life Coach.

Her original intention was to create a cabaret (her forte) about getting old and how women of a certain age cope with it.

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GERALDINE QUINN - MDMA: MODERN DAY MAIDEN AUNT: Loads of love and wisdom
Gryphon, Wellington
- reviewed by Lena Fransham

Seems that the childless, unmarried woman of a certain age was always a bit threatening, like a loose social wheel, undefined and unrestrained by the reassuring moulds of marriage and motherhood. What’s it like in 2015 to inhabit this nexus of inherited social anxieties? Well if you’re Geraldine Quinn, sometimes it’s an absolute crack up.

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GIFT OF THE GAB: An astonishing theatrical creation
Gryphon, Wellington
- reviewed by John Smythe

It stands to reason that when a young man – Gab, who has been a ‘true fan’ of movies for as long as he can remember – discovers his dream job in a cinema complex reduces him to cleaning up pizza, popcorn and toenail clippings no less, his fertile film-fed imagination will be his means of escape.

Yet James Cain’s solo sortie through a memory-bank of celluloid clippings is more than mere escapism.

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LADY LIBERTY: Explosive blockbuster of sound and synergy
Whitireia Performance Centre, 25-27 Vivian Street, Wellington
- reviewed by Deirdre Tarrant

Choreographic credit is given to the Infinite Dance Crew, and their hop hop genre and style is loud, tight and infectious. The large cast are having fun being who (I hope) these young people are not!

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JUST BET/WEEN US: Powerful. Uncomfortable
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
- reviewed by Lyne Pringle

Flies caught in a web, sucked dry by a spider who makes up the rules, head thrown back, arms imploring until you find a slow bounce, a tiny boogie on the dance floor and we are back where we started – same same but different, all shook up, with dead eye over there and startled eye over there just behind, desperate despair eye in the corner. Fall, play dead, earn applause: then begin again. The croupier bound, gagged and blind crumpled in the corner until she is hauled out tomorrow night.

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BUCKET’S LIST: Odd-ball, off-beat rom-com
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
- reviewed by Hannah Smith

Bucket’s List is an idiosyncratic piece comprising mime, live music and narrative. These simple elements are woven together to make a screwball love story with a heart of gold.

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OUT OF ORDER: All-consuming fun
BATS Theatre, The Dome, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
- reviewed by John Smythe

Is it out of order for a young woman – a university graduate with a degree in environmental science, no less – to empathise with various appliances which have been discarded because they themselves have been judged ‘out of order’?

That it may be a racket is indicated when the prologue is delivered by a highly-strung inmate of the warehouse she and other discards have been assigned to.

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VERDICT: A brilliant production
Playhouse Theatre, Dunedin
- reviewed by Alison Embleton

An unconventional murder mystery, wherein the murderer (and their salacious motive) is known to the audience, but not to the characters. Agatha Christie’s Verdict, directed by the incomparable Natalie Ellis, tells the story of what happens after the body is discovered. Someone innocent is accused, and the relationships that have been well illustrated in the first act begin to unravel.

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28 DAYS: A PERIOD PIECE: Saved by energy and honesty
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman [Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media]

From flatulence to menstruation, Bats Theatre this week is presenting plays which people would normally shy away from.

Which is exactly the premise behind Discharge’s production, 28 Days: a period piece. Six women are presenting a theatre-in-education show about the menstrual cycle, in particular periods.

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WAKE UP TOMORROW: Long-haul flight to fun, fantasy
Circa One, Wellington
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman [Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media]

Most people have experienced long haul flights where even with movies to watch or books to read floating off into dreamland is inevitable and so before waking up tomorrow magical moments of fantasy can be experienced which is exactly what Wake Up Tomorrow is all about.

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LIFE AND RHYMES OF BILLY MCGRATH: Enjoyable music and stories
Newtown Community & Cultural Centre, Wellington
- reviewed by Maryanne Cathro

Billy McGrath greets his audience like old friends, as indeed most of them are. Several are even called forth to join in the music, add more detail to stories, and give opinions. Billy’s Mum gives several opinions unsolicited, which leads to an interesting exchange of views.

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YEP, STILL GOT IT!: Provokes laughter, stillness, applause and cheers
Circa Two, Wellington
- reviewed by Jo Hodgson

Those who are approaching the retiring age are faced with many a question. Not only, “Do I want to retire?” but, more pertinent, “Can I afford to retire?”

In Yep, Still Got It, Jane Keller is faced with this modern dilemma.

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LEGENDARY DIVAS: Enriches the experience of being human
Court Theatre, Bernard Street, Addington, Christchurch
- reviewed by Lindsay Clark

The exuberant and versatile Ali Harper is no stranger to the stage at The Court and it is no real surprise to learn that she has recently been awarded a prestigious Best Actress award at a New York festival. Loud applause for this generously gifted actress, with an all-enveloping voice that can take us with her no matter what she sings, is a further extension of the celebration of song that she offers.

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SOUNDS LIKE KEEN SPIRIT: Soul
The Clock Tower, University of Auckland, Auckland
- reviewed by Marianne Schultz

The eleven songs in this concert display an eclectic range; from Renaissance compositions, English folk ballads, Elvis Presley hits to twenty-first century pop songs. Opening with an arrangement by Claire Scholes of the iconic 1990s grunge band, Nirvana’s classic Smells Like Teen Spirit, the soprano voices (in the absence of a written programme it is not possible to credit individual singers) provides an ethereal quality to this anthem of teen angst, contrasting with the original intensity of the song.

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A SYMPHONY OF SLOTHS: Delight in slow-motion
The Audio Foundation, Poynton Terrace, Auckland
- reviewed by Jesse Quaid

As the light dims one slumbering form wakes. Beginning with the glass harp the trio of performers layer simple and sustained tones into a rich and textured body of sound. Fricative buzzing and squeaking break the consistency and the piece evolves into beautifully wacky burbling. The artists have obviously spent quite some time playing with the various instruments, allowing for effectively unorthodox sounds to be produced.

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THE MENAGERIE: Weird, wacky and wonderful
Fringe Bar, 26 Allen St, Wellington
- reviewed by Deirdre Tarrant

Standout act of the evening for me was the solo stand up comedy of Jerome Chandrahasen He was perfect- witty and humorous with a great line in comfortable audience communication. He told stories that connected both to laugh at but also with a reality that hit home. My favourites were the 200 grams of cheese and the Shrewsbury biscuits! You will have to go find him and hear him to maybe get it! You maybe just had to be there!

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A PLAY UPON WORDS: Beauty, wit and potent metaphors
Ponsonby Baptist Church, 43 Jervois Road, Auckland
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

A Play Upon Words was one of my random picks for this year’s Auckland Fringe 2015 – and I couldn’t have asked for a better evening to close what has been three weeks of intense theatrical activity.

For those who aren’t familiar with their work, Affetto are an exceptional group of musicians and performers specialising in Early Modern Music, and their programming is rich, ingenious and uplifting.

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SURGERY IN MIND: Being challenged by the realities of life
Gryphon, Wellington
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman [Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media]

Surgery In Mind, currently playing at the Gryphon Theatre is yet another play that takes a character into their unconsciousness to be confronted with the realities of life.

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REAL FAKE WHITE DIRT: Wonderfully inspired
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman [Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media]

Described by Bates as Pakeha identity poetry, it is not too dissimilar to Shakespeare, and just as lyrical, in the way it moves seamlessly from prose to poetry and back again and from character to character, situation to situation, confronting our notions of what it is to be Pakeha. At one point Bates intones that “we, the Pakeha, weren’t invited” and at another explains that colonialism is ongoing.

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FAX OF LIFE: 90s play in need of work
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman [Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media]

Being faced with the facts of life in some sort of purgatory and having to deal with these is the dilemma the central character faces in the early evening production this week at Bats Fax Of Life.

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BOXED: The minutiae before the quake
Whitireia Performance Centre, 25-27 Vivian Street, Wellington
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman [Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media]

And although Boxed doesn’t actually document the effect of the earthquake it does show, through music and dialogue, how the minutiae of everyday life in Christchurch fades into insignificance when considering what the after-effects of the earthquake will be.

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THE TWO FARTING SISTERS: Sweet and sour flatulence
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman [Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media]

While flatulence would not normally be associated with entertaining theatre, in Petit Workshop’s production of The Two Farting Sisters, currently playing at Bats Theatre, it is the centre of an amusing and quirky story.

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THR3E: Interesting idea not fully realised
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman [Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media]

A sort of boys own action movie onstage, Thr3e by Jett Ranchhod it involves a couple – Jay (Keeghan McGarry) and Sarah (Lindsy Astarita) – gaming on their computer. There is also another flat mate Alex (Jett Ranchhod) that Sarah keeps having illicit conversations with.

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SUDDENLY SHAKESPEARE 2015: Fun for die-hard Shakespeare nerds
Gryphon, Wellington
- reviewed by Shannon Friday

With Suddenly Shakespeare, my big question is, “Who is this show for?” The blurb in the programme says “Wanna do Shakespeare?” and “Wanna watch people do Shakespeare with no rehearsal?” This sets up an impossible set of pressures, and ones that work explicitly at cross-purposes.

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WIT’S WORLDWIDE WELLINGTON TOUR: Enough gold moments to keep us smiling
Little Theatre, Library Bldg, Lower Hutt
- reviewed by Tess Jamieson-Kahara

Despite being able to count the audience members on my fingers and toes, there’s a warm unapologetic welcome into the theatre. First by the musician playing the keyboard to set a quirky atmosphere then the MC, boisterously taking us through how the evening works.

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SQUIRREL: Complex narrative punctuated with gentle visual spectacle
The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

Written by Nicole Steven, as inspired by her own experiences living in China through her formative years, Squirrel begins as nine year old Dara (Steven) and her seven year old sister Annie (Alice Pierce) prepare to return to China after several years living in their mother’s native country here in New Zealand.

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MOTHER/JAW: Jaw Dropping
The Basement, Auckland
- reviewed by Matt Baker

While predominantly a dance piece, the spoken-word component of Taylor's original work is incorporated into the performance, with Alisha Anderson delivering a perfectly cadenced monologue. In addition to the performers' physical interpretation, musicians Addison Chase and Christoph El' Truento, who sit visibly side-stage throughout the performance, have orchestrated a full-bodied soundscape that not only compliments, but also enhances them, and consequently provides a sense of completeness to the theatrics of the show.

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BAKER & WRIGHT LIVE!: Relaxing fun
Gryphon, Wellington
- reviewed by Patrick Davies

Jarrod Baker and Adam Wright have been podcasting for around two years and have now embarked on their first live podcast, which appears on the ’net later that night. It’s an amiable affair with a very laid back atmosphere which is very relaxing and fun.

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THE RIVER TALKS: Unique and fascinating theatre with a message
Pt England Reserve, 122 Elstree Ave, Glen Innes, Auckland
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

“Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au."

The whakatauki above, translated into English, says ‘I am the river and the river is me’ and it underpins this highly effective promenade-style environmental journey.

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THIS KITCHEN IS NOT IMAGINARY: Enlightening and memorable serious
The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
- reviewed by Shanon O'Sullivan

Thoughts are illustrated through human form in playwright Ben Anderson’s new play This Kitchen is Not Imaginary. Its description as a ‘visually daring tale’ couldn’t be more accurate as it encompasses an engaging melange of witty antics which have some serious clout underneath exterior human facades.

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DEAD SILENT: Exploring supernatural themes
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
- reviewed by Amy Tait

Upon entry into the theatre the audience are invited to explore the set and search for “clues”. It is a novel concept being allowed to do this, and it fulfills its purpose of intriguing and engaging us.

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LUCID, THE VISUAL FEAST: Dance, music and sculpture in an exquisite venue
McCormacks Bay Property, Mt Pleasant, Christchurch - Canterbury
- reviewed by Emily Napolitano

The evening ends back on the lawn where it began, though this time we are invited to watch from the balcony. This view point, the setting, and the vigorous dance bring the Otherworld celebration full circle. Indeed we have been treated to an intersection of worlds – dance, music, sculpture, emotion and creativity – this evening.

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VOW: Performed with confidence and that hint of arrogance that comes from sincerity
Ironbar, 150 Karangahape Rd, Auckland
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

I’m reminded of the feminist poetry readings of the 60s and 70s; the joyous, hippie-like events of wonder dressed in diaphanous draperies that some of us loved so much. This is edgier though and leaves a different, tarter, taste in the mouth. I must say I like that too.

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CHAMELEON AND ONLY BONES: Unbridled delight
Bandoliers Hall, end of Lawson Place, Mount Victoria, Wellington
- reviewed by John Smythe

What a privilege to witness the birth of the cross-disciplinary Chameleon Company – set up by visual artist Gemma Tweedie and clown Thomas Monckton – and to see the world premiere of their new experimental work, preceded by Monckton’s new solo piece; both billed as ‘in development’.

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7 GENERATIONS: To be savoured
Whitireia Performance Centre, 25-27 Vivian Street, Wellington
- reviewed by Jillian Davey

Miki Seifert’s performance brings utter beauty and strength to the piece. She commands the stage in a quiet way, neither overpowering nor fading into the projections behind her, on her, and around her. William Franco’s skill and experience with video installation (of the museum and gallery variety) is evident.

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DOUBLE O SINNER: Could be fantastic
Blondini's Bar, Embassy Theatre, Wellington
- reviewed by Maraea Rakuraku

The Sinner, Karen Anslow, sashays through a series of 007 theme songs supported by impressive musicianship provided by Natalie Hunt, Nick Price, Sam Rorke and Geraint Scott. In between, there is banter about the movies, the actors, the writer and any other kind of 007 trivia.

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TOWARD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIVERSE: Intimate delivery of wonderment
17 Tory St, Wellington
- reviewed by Maraea Rakuraku

Yet there is an intimacy and I can’t figure out if it’s because of his manner, voice, tone, pace, natural delivery, likeability or all of the above. I suspect the later. There is something very believable, honest and truthful about Klein. If you had to hear shit news this is who you would want it delivered by.

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FANFIC AFTER DARK: Creative muscles pumping fun
Gryphon, Wellington
- reviewed by Shannon Friday

A huge part of fanfic is wish fulfillment: taking ownership of or inserting oneself into a story. This results in a lot of slash fiction. Slash fanfic focuses on relationships, and let's stop beating around the bush, sex. Lots of sex. Not all fanfic is slash, but it is unsurprising, given Fanfic After Dark's title and 11pm start time, that our 5 authors start – and finish (ha!) – here.

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POSTMORTEM: Simple, affecting story with great songs
Truby King House, 21 Manchester Tce, Melrose, Wellington
- reviewed by Patrick Davies

Truby King House is an ideal setting for this intimate journey into death. While more site-sympathetic than site-specific[1] (as stated in the programme), the austere yet comfortable room feels halfway between your grandmother’s best room and a funeral chapel. We are post-funeral as Vanessa Stacey plays daughters of the late Patricia – the matriarch of the family.

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LABYRINTHINE: Experiential but not profound
Old Knit World, Left Bank (off Cuba Mall), Wellington
- reviewed by John Smythe

Given the declared driver for Labyrinthine is “those voices in your mind that tell you ‘you suck’, ‘you can’t do this’, ‘who do you think you are’…”, it would be a very ruthless critic who said this show sucks. Who would he think he was?

Fortunately Labyrinthine doesn’t suck.

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MOTHER/JAW: Provocative, political and powerful
The Basement, Auckland
- reviewed by Carrie Rae Cunningham

MOTHER/JAW is equal parts choreography, spoken-word poetry, performance art, dance, theatre, installation, sculpture (living and otherwise) and music. The entire cast is absolutely brilliant, including the live musical accompaniment, by Christop El’ Truento and Addison Chase of Cosmic Compositions and Liam Kiely, made up of manipulated electronic soundscape, guitar, ambient noise and audio snippets including a blueprint for the ‘breeding out’ of the Aboriginal race and Kevin Rudd’s famous “We say sorry” heard round the world. The work’s content and meaning is as multi-faceted and layered as the components that make up its form...

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JABBER: Confidently performed triple bill
The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
- reviewed by Paul Young

Out of the three works, only Vivian Hosking-Aue begins to let go of full frontal facing as being of primary concern, and his offering The Wounds of JC marks a mighty leap forward in cohesion, embodiment, vocabulary and maturity. Hosking-Aue is championed by many as an emerging talent to watch, and is obviously a keen and studious observer of current contemporary choreographic practice. The relationships between the dancers are strong and multi dimensional, adding the necessary frisson to connections, both physical and spatial.

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PREHISTORIA: Pretty hysterical
The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

As directed by young local comedy veteran Hamish Parkinson, their hilarious, frequently anachronistic if not downright meta clown antics play out in the foreboding shadow of regular meteor-strikes, initially bring the unlikely duo together against the common threat, but continually threatening to blow them and everything else apart.

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KATABASIS: Epic Saturday night relationships
Thistle Hall, Wellington
- reviewed by Lena Fransham

Katabasis – from the Greek for ‘going down’ – is said to have referred to a journey from the interior of a country to the coast, and to the mythological hero/ine’s descent into the underworld: see Orpheus the legendary musician, and Dionysus the god of partying.

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DEFINITELY NOT WITCHES: Full of favourite moments
BATS Theatre, The Dome, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
- reviewed by Shannon Friday

The game of the evening is that all the performers (Rose Cann, Jen O'Sullivan, Abby Howells, Christine Brooks, and Caitlin McNaughton) have been accused of witchcraft. They must prove their innocence through “trial by story”, because everyone knows witches are the best storytellers.

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WANTED THOUGHTS: MIKE LOADER: A serious comedian with great skills
Q Theatre, The Vault, Auckland
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

Mike Loader has the one quality comedians need – he’s truly funny.

Much comedy requires critical mass and Loader’s is no different, the bigger the audience – within reason, I doubt stadium shows are an option – the bigger the laughs but it takes a real craftsman to work a smallish Wednesday audience and have them guffawing happily for a full hour.

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PROFICIENCY TEST: Interactive competition and gameplay wins
Computer Lab 2, Wellington High School, 249 Taranaki Street, Wellington
- reviewed by Shannon Friday

Proficiency Test is an interactive experience set in a satirical/dystopic alternate present. The situation is laid out in a brilliantly executed corporate promo video, shot by Jack O'Donnell and featuring Andrew Clarke and Jessica Old.

The backstory goeth thus: after the 2008 financial meltdown, New Zealand is divided into a number of corporate-run city states, including the financial rivals SuperCity Inc and the Wellington and Cook Strait region's CapiTEL Corporation. You are applying for a social media marketing job with CapiTEL.

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SAME SAME DIFFERENT: Intelligent, perceptive and wonderfully satirical
Kitty O'Sheas, 28 Courtenay Place, Wellington
- reviewed by Alex Wilson

Chandrahasen’s show buzzes around many concepts such as the similarities between the Big Save Furniture Warehouse’s seemingly overflowing warehouses and our Prime Minister’s decision to go to war, but he largely focuses on New Zealand identity – what unites us as Kiwis and what makes us so different to any other culture on the planet.

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

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