The latest Theatreview Weekly includes reviews from A Christmas Karel Čapek, Christ Almighty!, and The Elephant Thief.

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

* * *

A CHRISTMAS KAREL ČAPEK: A Dickens of a Christmas tale with added robots and Daleks
BATS Theatre, The Propeller Stage, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Presented by The Bacchanals
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman

As their publicity states, Wellington's The Bacchanals are best known for their text-based theatre, propagating social, spiritual and psychological debate.

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

THE ELEPHANT THIEF: Offers chills, laughter and food for thought
Meteor Theatre, Hamilton
Written by Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis 
Directed by Justin Lewis 
Presented by Indian Ink Theatre Company
- reviewed by Mike Mather

Only a complete fool would fail to realise the world is rapidly becoming a pretty horrible place. 

Catastrophic climate change, random massacres, terrorism, ceaseless war, primitive belief systems, thousands of species forced to the brink of extinction: Dolphins, rhinos, gorillas, tigers, elephants...

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

CHRIST ALMIGHTY!: Had the audience laughing till they fell off their seats
Bella Union, Level 1, Trades Hall, Corner Lygon and Victoria Streets, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia
Written by Dan Musgrove and Natalie Medlock
Directed by Natalie Medlock
- reviewed by Sarah Wallace

If feelgood laughter about the birth of the Saviour is what you seek at this time of Yule, pop in to see ‘Christ Almighty!’. These eight twisted Nativity tales have it in spades. Think Monty Python but with a very Antipodean audacity and love of parading in undergarments.

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

THE ELEPHANT THIEF: Wonderful combination of talents entrancing
Meteor Theatre, Hamilton
Written by Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis 
Directed by Justin Lewis 
Presented by Indian Ink Theatre Company
- reviewed by Gail Pittaway

#SeriousLaughter is their Twitter moniker and sure enough Indian Ink’s latest joyful production with soulful intent has themes of mythology, ecology, global economy, politics, religion – and the new religion, science – all layered with internationalism, bubbling away under the surface of some fabulous comedy.

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

A CHRISTMAS KAREL ČAPEK: Iconoclastic, absurd and humorous
BATS Theatre, The Propeller Stage, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Presented by The Bacchanals
- reviewed by Jonathan Kingston-Smith and Pepe Becker

The play is a wonderful mix of the miniscule and the macro: huge ideas about society, enterprise and humanity swim in a slurry of trivia, factoids and random rants about TV shows. It sweeps from the politically pointed to the pithily (and poignantly) personal.

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

THE LAST FIVE YEARS*: Especially poignant
BATS Theatre, The Dome, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Written & composed by Jason Robert Brown 
Directed by: Jon Hunter 
Musically Directed by: Mark Dorrell 
A Vision Theatre Production
- reviewed by Jo Hodgson

Their journey of love, ambition, hope and heartbreak is told through fourteen sung-through scenes, but there is a twist. Cathy's story is told from the end of the relationship, and Jamie's from the beginning, meeting in the middle for their happiest day of all before continuing on their respective paths towards joy or despair, forward and back in time.

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

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.