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

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HOLD ME: Enigmatic and intriguing
BATS Theatre, The Propeller Stage, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
By Emily Duncan 
Directed by Tabitha Arthur 
Presented By: Prospect Park Productions
- reviewed by John Smythe

Playwright Emily Duncan has crafted a mature and sophisticated play in Hold Me and director Tabitha Arthur and their cast of three do it proud ... As we spin almost imperceptibly through four time-frames – 1954, 2007, 1975, 1922 ...

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SHORT + SWEET DANCE 2016 GALA FINAL: A varied mix of works for Gala final
TAPAC - The Auckland Performing Arts Centre, Auckland
Shani Dickens, Leah Carrell, Elijah Kennar, Xavier Breed, Amelia Chong, Grace Woollett, Leighton Rangi, Stephen Hidalgo/IDCO Dancers, Jazmine Cox - DreamCatchers WorldWide (DCW)
- reviewed by Sue Cheesman

Obsess is sharply performed with great dramatic timing by the choreographer Elijah Kennar dancing with stand-out male performer awardee Villa Lemanu. The piece is action packed, funny and full of “boy” humour. With the foundation idea around the use of a spray bottle, which becomes the vehicle for some very amusing interplay between the two characters, sending up our human foibles around the obsession of consumerism. The dancers show their range of physical skills by romping through the space using physicality and dynamic variation effectively. Elijah thoroughly deserved the Judges Choice award as well as the Tempo Short + Sassy Award and the highly commended award for emerging talent.

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FLEABAG: One-actor play a no holds-barred look at modern womanhood
Centrepoint, Palmerston North
by Phoebe Waller-Bridge 
Directed by Heather O’Carroll
- reviewed by Tina White

Sophie Hambleton plays out her character's own-worst-enemy story in all its gory details, failures, heartaches and mistakes with a riveting charisma, moving around a remarkable set by Daniel Williams.

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ANCHOR POINT: Richly suggestive and full of possibilities
Centre of Contemporary Art: CoCA, Christchurch
Installation artist Robyn Webster and choreographer Fleur de Thier
- reviewed by Dr Ian Lochhead

In one of the most disquieting moments of the whole performance, a dancer disgorges a seemingly endless vomit of magnetic tape. More tape, dragged from the suspended, kelp-like bundles, is used to bind and blindfold a second dancer, who is then enveloped in this shroud of tape. Like the hanging ribbons of photographic transparencies, magnetic tape captures moments in time; spewed from their ordering containers, these memories have become inchoate. Without fixed shape, they swirl around us, blinding and binding.

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FLEABAG: Bitingly clever
Centrepoint, Palmerston North
by Phoebe Waller-Bridge 
Directed by Heather O’Carroll
- reviewed by Adam Dodd

It's in the twists though, surprising and raw, that Fleabag transforms from an entertaining series of anecdotes and bad behaviour to a poignant portrayal of an all-too-real member of modern society. 

The staging for all this has an attitude and personality all of its own.

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WAIORA: TE Ū KAI Pō – THE HOMELAND: The issues and elements at the core of Waiora remain relevant
The Court Theatre, Bernard Street, Addington, Christchurch
Written and directed by Hone Kouka 
with waiata composed by Hone Hurihanganui
- reviewed by Chelita Kahutianui Zainey

The high cost of cultural assimilation, urbanisation, the disconnection from culture and language, the overwhelming influence and undercurrent of alcohol, violence and unnecessary death are all still too familiar in our Māori landscape and it’s here in the threads of Waiora that we see the seeding of these issues which have impacted so much on Māori.

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WHITIREIA COMMERCIAL DANCE SHOWCASE 2016: From dramatic cabaret to vaudeville style comedy
Whitireia Performance Centre, 25-27 Vivian Street, Wellington
Ange McKellar, Anne Anderson, Leigh Evans, Emma Martin, Brianna Coughlin, Abbie Gale, Charis O’Connor, and students own choreography.
- reviewed by Tania Kopytko

The hour long programme of sixteen items is a mix of tutor and student choreography. All is slick, smart, confident, non-stop and high energy and demonstrates that the cadre has the required skills in tight ensemble work and excellent timing. As befits the commercial sector, the programme covers a variety of dance styles: contemporary jazz often with a hip hop feel, tap and rhythm, old school Charleston and classic cabaret, lyrical and more aggressive hip hop and a vaudeville-type comedic poke at ballet.

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SHORT & SWEET DANCE FESTIVAL 2016
SHORT + SWEET DANCE 2016 - SEASON 2: Short + Sweet dance: A short time is a good time
TAPAC - The Auckland Performing Arts Centre, Auckland

- reviewed by Sarah Knox

Short + Sweet provides an excellent platform, in particular for tertiary dance students and emerging choreographers, to test out and share their dance works within a professional context. With performance space, lighting, technicians, and publicity all provided young artists are able to focus their time almost entirely on the creation of their dance works; and without the huge financial commitment involved in staging a show. Further, showing work without the backing of an institution name and the support of tutors, the learning experiences inherent within the Short + Sweet process are invaluable to a career in dance in New Zealand whether this be as a performer, dance maker, teacher or arts administrator.

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TITUS ANDRONICUS: Polished, cohesive, bloody and satisfying
Meteor Theatre, Hamilton
By William Shakespeare 
Directed by Pip Smith 
Presented by Slip of the Tongue
- reviewed by Cate Prestidge

Titus Andronicus! It’s got everything: war, ambition, sacrifice, revenge, loyalty, betrayal, love, lust, villainy and, finally, some sort of mad, cannibalistic justice. A touch more revenge than love, to be honest, but like most of Shakespeare’s tragedies, a ripping good yarn, with plenty of blood on the floor.

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SHAM: Masterful characterisations the lynchpin
Te Pou Theatre, 44a Portage Road, New Lynn, Auckland
By Jess Sayer 
Directed by Conrad Newport
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

Jess Sayer’s latest work delivers a shrewdly modern take on an ostensibly conventional drawing-room style comedy-cum-drama. The seventy minute single act play is rife with wit, drama and a steady barrage of twists big and small ...

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THE NEXT BEST THING: Touching honesty
BATS Theatre, The Heyday Dome, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Written, Directed & Produced by Chaz Harris 
Presented by Seriously Entertainment
- reviewed by Patrick Davies

The Next Best Thing is a delightful comedy of four mates who are looking for love. They’re through with the chasing and the getting and the moving on and are looking for the big R. By embarking on ‘how women do it’ we follow their experiences of how that might look.

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SHAOLIN WARRIORS: Beauty, elegance, storytelling, humour, amazing kung fu artistry
St James Theatre, Wellington

- reviewed by Chris Jannides

Crouched positions, extended arms with flexed wrists, high jumps, deadly kicks, rapid arm movements that alternate between striking and blocking actions, intricate hand shapes, acrobatic flips, hyper-flexible legs, graceful Tai Chi actions that seduce the eyes, and this is just with the body alone. Add weapons, of which there are many - swords, staffs, spears, daggers, fans, whips, to name a few - and the movement range and visual amazement increase even further.

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TEECHERS: An accessible high energy play
Isaac Theatre Royal, The Gloucester Room, Christchurch
By John Godber 
Directed by Derek Doddington 
Presented by Top Dog Theatre
- reviewed by Grant Hindin Miller

It’s clever. And it’s fast. At times it’s a comedy of one-liners. Movements are quick, new characters introduced, dynamics are assisted by lighting changes and soundbites of relevant pop music ...

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GURU OF CHAI: A gripping experience
The Piano, 156 Armagh Street, Christchurch
Jacob Rajan – Performer, writer 
Justin Lewis – Director, writer 
INDIAN INK
- reviewed by Lindsay Clark

Inspired by an Indian folk tale, the story Kalisar spins for us has threads of many colours. There is romance and tension, loyalty, betrayal and loss, but above all there is a clear perspective on the confusing nature of life, whether in Bangalore or New Delhi or central Christchurch.

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GISELLE - THE ROYAL NZ BALLET: Simply superb in every way
ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland
Choreographers: Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg (after Petipa)
- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte

n the lead roles on opening night in Auckland, Lucy Green as Giselle, guest former principal dancer Qi Huan as Albrecht, and Mayu Tanigaito as Myrtha, Queen of the Willis, were everything you could wish for. Their virtuoso performances were technically impeccable and utterly riveting, bringing subtle nuances to the various incidents which combine to tell the story of Giselle's doomed love for Albrecht.

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GISELLE - THE ROYAL NZ BALLET: Giselle: Delicate, defined, and dynamic
ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland
Choreographers: Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg (after Petipa)
- reviewed by Sarah Knox

The story of Giselle is as relevant and relatable now as it was at its creation in 1841. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, but the boy has secrets, which leads to heartbreak. Through the suspense and drama of the overture we see an aged Albrecht, head in hands, encased in the soft and gentle torment of the roots of a tree. He remembers the moments he shared with his love, Giselle, before she learned the truth about him.

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

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