The following reviews have been added to theatreview.org.nz in the last week.

Theatreview is the New Zealand Performing Arts Review & Directory.

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The following reviews have been added to theatreview.org.nz in the last week.

Theatreview is the New Zealand Performing Arts Review & Directory.

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The Garden Club, 13b Dixon Street, Wellington - THE WISHING TREE: Proactive conviction and generous interactivity
- reviewed by John Smythe (2)

One gets read out, someone initiates an action, others join in if and when they feel inspired to contribute . and when another player senses it's time to move on, they claim the space to read the next wish. All this happens on impulse and most scenarios are returned to.

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Circa Two, Wellington - THE SECOND TEST: A nuanced blend of humour and gravitas
- reviewed by Helen Sims

The Second Test dramatises the New Zealand cricket team's maiden test voyage to South Africa over the summer of 1953-1954. On the tour was a young fast bowler, Bob Blair. Before he leaves he shares his excitement of being selected to play with his "heroes", Bert Sutcliffe and John Reid with his fiancée Nerissa Love ...

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BATS, Wellington - CHRIST ALMIGHTY!: As subtle as a Liverpool kiss and as devout as a vegan in leather
- reviewed by Phoebe Smith

It's census time in Bethlehem. The inn is bursting, Gabrielle's bitching, the Shepherd's bragging, the Donkey's braying and bastard boy-child Jesus Christ is coming. In fact, everyone's coming. Except poor Mary!

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THE BOX Petone, Wellington - MRS MERRY'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT: Children, adults and the big wide world
- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson

An unusual event occurred on Friday night in Petone: a small 60-seat theatre opened its doors for the first time. Actually in these austere days it's a miracle that anyone would open a new theatre and it is to Geraldine Brophy and Ross Joblin's great credit that The Box is now under way ...

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BATS, Wellington - MINGE: Frankness with comedy
- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson

Minge is a revue made up of what are essentially monologues but they are performed with eight actors and two musicians on stage all the time.

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BATS, Wellington - MINGE: Timely, insightful and very entertaining
- reviewed by John Smythe

The Minges, as they call themselves, are the daughters of women who grew up in a world of feminist consciousness and activism. And as they say in their show, they grew up being told women could do anything and took that to mean they should do everything.

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Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland - TAUTAI: Inspired Pacific-New Zealand theatre at its best
- reviewed by Caoilinn Hughes

Tautai tells the story of a young man torn between his Tokelauan mother's wish for him to move to the safety and heritage of Tokelau, and the local South Auckland urban youth culture of gaming and his 'biz' of theft.

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Globe Theatre, Dunedin - THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND: Good show no mystery
- reviewed by Barbara Frame

Plays with other plays embedded into them keep appearing at the Globe Theatre. A couple of years ago we saw A Winter's Tale, and this year we've seen Kindly Leave the Stage and now Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound.

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Basement Theatre, Auckland - TOYS: Wild and witty world of toys well beyond kids
- reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton

The Basement theatre ushers in the festive season with a bout of wild revelry that probably has more in common with pagan saturnalia than traditional Christmas celebrations. A series of boisterous monologues provides an energising workout for a rotating cast of 40 actors ...

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Basement Theatre, Auckland - TOYS: Like a lolly lucky dip
- reviewed by Lillian Richards

Christmas is about relief. It's about letting go: of the year, of weight control, of your wallet, of inhibitions. Well that's a secular interpretation but one at least that suits the loosely Christmas themed show Toys.

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BATS, Wellington - CHRIST ALMIGHTY!: Irony and irreverence in glorious festive fun
- reviewed by Hannah Smith

If you don't already know the deal about Christ Almighty! you have not been paying attention. A rotating cast of Wellington theatre luminaries stumble their way toward greatness in a cheerful Christmas fundraiser.

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BATS, Wellington - CHRIST ALMIGHTY!: Madcap Christmas story
- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson

If you can imagine Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous playing the Archangel Gabriel and a Coro Street beer-swigging house-wife in curlers playing the Innkeeper then you'll have an idea of the approach this Bats fundraiser revue has towards the Christmas story.

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THE BOX Petone, Wellington - MRS MERRY'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT: Belly laughs and gut-level compassion
- reviewed by John Smythe

The gift Geraldine Brophy gives us here is the opportunity to see ourselves as children see us. And it comes in a box.

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Globe Theatre, Dunedin - THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND: A classic of parody
- reviewed by Terry MacTavish

A reviewer never feels more self-conscious producing her pen and tiny notebook than at the start of a performance of Tom Stoppard's delicious spoof of the critic's calling, The Real Inspector Hound. For the play begins with critics Moon and Birdboot revealing the more sordid aspects of our job ...

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Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, The Edge, Auckland - MR BOON SAVES CHRISTMAS: Silly fun for kids; dry humour for adults
- reviewed by Sian Robertson

Santa skypes Mr Boon to say that the reindeer have been stolen and he needs them back by Christmas Eve at the latest. Mr Boon (played by Mike Boon) has to do some quick sleuthing, track down the reindeer and return them to Santa, who is too busy with the presents to do it himself.

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BATS, Wellington - CHRIST ALMIGHTY!: Makes better sense and brings big laughs
- reviewed by Priyanka Bhonsule (Hutt News)

The beauty of Christ Almighty! is a bit like improvised theatre - every night there will be something (or someone) different on stage, bringing their own colour to the role.

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Canna House, Days Bay, Wellington - THE JOURNEY TO RHEIMS: Sparkling evening of vocal fireworks
- reviewed by Sharon Talbot

Director Sara Brodie's conception of the opera is as an operatic version of Hotel Babylon, with situations and characters as fraught, sexy and glamorous as the TV show. As she did for Figaro, the costuming mixes historic and contemporary ...

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Downstage Theatre, Wellington - THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND: Offered High Amusement
- reviewed by Jennifer Shennan

What an inspired notion to have critics tramp the boards. Dance critics might think about an equivalent offering... mmmm? . maybe not.

Stoppard is a wickedly funny playwright and this rehearsed reading offered high amusement.

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BATS, Wellington - CHRIST ALMIGHTY!: Rejoice. For unto us a show is reborn
- reviewed by John Smythe

Oh my God - what are they thinking? Not God, as such, but the minions caught up in one of his/her/its more celebrated acts. What were they thinking?

This is the question Dan Musgrove and Natalie Medlock address in Christ Almighty!, a sequence of eight monologues ...

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The Forge at The Court Theatre, Christchurch - A VERY MERRY SCRIPTLESS 2010: Infectious high risk frivolity
- reviewed by Lindsay Clark

There can be no better season for improvised theatre than the weeks before Christmas, when spontaneous good cheer needs no other cue than the set up that we are all together in a suitably cosy place, complete with a bit of lighting, bling and live music, to underscore invention as it capers from one mad challenge to the next.

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TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs, Auckland - THE IDEA OF AMERICA: Nancy says. Sylvia says.
- reviewed by The Common Critic

NANCY SAYS   If you've ever stumbled in on a private argument between two lovers.
SYLVIA SAYS   The Idea of America, for a brief moment, almost manages to make dementia look glamorous.

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Downstage Theatre, Wellington - THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND: Not worthy
- reviewed by A Mateur

I would dearly like to offer a review of the performance of "The Real Inspector Hound" as presented by The Critical Mass.  Alas, I cannot, since they are not professional actors and as such are not deemed worthy..

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St James Theatre, Wellington - THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW: O'Brien tells Rocky's tale his way
- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson

Richard O'Brien on his first appearance as the Narrator received an ovation that would gladden the heart of any pop star. At the end of his 85-minute show the whole audience, many of whom were dressed as their favourite characters, attempted to dance and sing along with the cast as they ripped into the Time Warp for a tumultuous finale.

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St James Theatre, Wellington - THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW: O'Brien's gift exhilarates
- reviewed by John Smythe

It's 'Time Warp City' now, as this revival of The Rocky Horror Show adds a new level to its in-built nostalgia for the late night science fiction double feature picture shows that inspired it's writer - and original Riff Raff - Richard O'Brien, when he saw them as a lad in Hamilton over half a century ago.

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BATS, Wellington - THE HEIGHT OF THE EIFFEL TOWER: A pleasure to watch
- reviewed by Lynn Freeman

This is a charming way to spend an hour, an excellent example of how one actor can transform without need for costume changes into a variety of characters and make them each individuals you get to know and like, in a very short space of time.

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BATS, Wellington - MINGE: Anything and everything in dual purposed show
- reviewed by Helen Sims

On a luridly colourful set, the show is conducted by the MC, a sort of agony aunt throughout the ages, with a lot of celebrity friends. Despite the media release, the girls /women don't revolt against her, but turn to her for help and "cakey".

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Gagarin Way Garage, 181 Hobson Street, Auckland - GAGARIN WAY: Porletuks, phulorsorphy 'n' murrddurr
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

... a kind of political snapshot, exploring the shifting culture of working people in the typical Scottish factory town of Fife as their socialist history is being swallowed up by the inevitable onslaught of capitalism. Secretly though, it's really a wryly hilarious black comedy ...

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