The latest Theatreview Weekly includes reviews of Shadows of Algora, Edinburgh Fringe 2014 Wrap #1, Fix, and Affinity.

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

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The latest Theatreview Weekly includes reviews of Shadows of Algora, Edinburgh Fringe 2014 Wrap #1, Fix, and Affinity.

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

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FIX: Fix transfixes
The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
- reviewed by Sharu Delilkan

Knowing that playwright Jess Sayer wrote this play when she was 21 is both amazing and somewhat disturbing. Her carnal knowledge of what it is like when someone experiences a personal crisis is phenomenal for someone of such a tender age.

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EDINBURGH FRINGE 2014 WRAP #1: Revolutionary; Honest and fresh; Exuberant performances
Various Fringe venues, Edinburgh, Scotland
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

THE TIME OF OUR LIES: The Life and Times of Howard Zinn | HAYANI | JAPAN’S MARVELOUS DRUMMERS

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SHADOWS OF ALGORA: More to explore; more fun to be had?
BATS Theatre (Out Of Site), Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington
- reviewed by John Smythe

Shadows of Algora involves a mythical kingdom presided over by the King and his Council of Echelons representing 11 regions, defended by The Crimson Legion, sworn to uphold The Iron Order. It is here that Ancient Evils are surfacing in the form – and guts – of Dragons; where gemstones hold magical properties that may be used for good in certain hands or go bad in certain guts.

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AFFINITY: A tight, perceptive allegory
The Basement Studio, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
- reviewed by Vanessa Byrnes

It’s a neat little play that explores the collision of actions in real life and how they resonate beyond. What happens when events link us? What if there are repercussions beyond death from such events? I’m not going to spoil the dramatic setup, but in light of its execution, I recommend this tight piece to Auckland audiences.

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EAMONN MARRA IN MAN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN: We leave feeling informed, affirmed and warmly human
BATS Theatre (Out Of Site), Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington
- reviewed by John Smythe

So how does a reviewer approach such a show in such a context?

Well the first thing to say is Eamonn Marra’s on-stage style could not be more opposite to that of Robin Williams. Williams was loud, hyper and apparently hugely confident; Marra is quiet, unassuming and apparently lacking in confidence (he says as much), which makes the very existence of his show an impressive confidence trick.

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ONE OF THOSE: Cerebral analysis of a failed celebrity
Q Theatre, The Vault, Auckland
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

Located in the bowels of the Q complex, the humble Q Vault seems an apt venue for playwright / solo actor David Charteris to invoke the real-life, openly gay and proudly obnoxious character of Kiwi poet and journalist (Walter) D’Arcy Cresswell.

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FIX: An affecting work from an exciting emerging playwright
The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
- reviewed by Kate Ward-Smythe

Emerging playwright Jess Sayer packs plenty of bitter black humour and verbal violence into FIX, her play centred on a shocking family revelation, which gate-crashes an already dysfunctional family and sends it into a tailspin. Clearly not one to beat around the bush, it’s plain to all after the first few minutes, that Sayer’s end game will not be pretty.

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MANA WAHINE: Awe inspiring, deep and enriching
CHB Municipal Theatre, Waipawa, Napier
- reviewed by Kim Buckley

From start to finish, the composition is a stunning array of short scenes that surrenders itself to intuitive construction rather than linear narrative. It is this exact construction which invites the viewer to read from the work that which is most important to themselves. Rich imagery and clever use of props endorse the work even further.

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ALLEGRO: A versatile and vibrant company
Municipal Theatre, Napier
- reviewed by Kim Buckley

Overall, the dancers of the Royal New Zealand Ballet showcase their extraordinary ability well here and the polished program is testament to their hard work. A versatile and vibrant company capable of anything given to them.

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PLUM: A regular wheeze plus facts and irony
Court Theatre, Bernard Street, Addington, Christchurch
- reviewed by Lindsay Clark

The playwright, Roy Smiles, has a startlingly fresh way with studies of writers and comedians (at The Court, Ying Tong and Year of the Rat drew on The Goons and George Orwell respectively) and on the way creates opportunities for powerful and engaging theatre. Here, it is the turn of P G Wodehouse, the writer still applauded for the endearingly batty larks he whipped up from upper crust ‘English’ doings in the first half of last century.

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OPEN HOME: A gorgeous experience
Newtown Community Centre, Wellington
- reviewed by Lena Fransham

Pat-a-Cake’s trademark discontinuous narrative style is consistent with their aim here: to take things apart in a curious, childlike manner, to examine them minutely and then try to put them back together in other ways. They make you their partner in their exploratory game and you find that you are playing too, as if you are one of them.

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BLACK FAGGOT: Sharp, witty and heart-warming
Assembly, Roxy, Edinburgh, Scotland
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

New Zealand may be a small semi-colon at the bottom of the world but the theatre that comes from Aotearoa is unapologetically loud and proud. NZ shares her stories without pretensions or shame and always with a whopping dose of colloquial humour. For example: Black Faggot.

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DUCK, DEATH AND THE TULIP: Sheer poetry through puppetry
Summerhall, Edinburgh, Scotland
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

For a show that is targeted at children, Duck, Death and the Tulip has more than a few adults in the audience. Unusual? Not really. Because one of the magical things about tracing the inevitable encounter between life and death is that it caters to the young and the young at heart.

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ACQUISITIONS '14: Acquisitions '14 - humanity exposed
Q Theatre Loft, Auckland
- reviewed by Dr Linda Ashley

I would love to know who made those clever boxes. There is much to watch in this production and a second viewing could prove equally rewarding. Physical restrictions disappear in Acquisitions ’14 and Touch Compass unequivocally meet their mission of making a difference in terms of who can dance.

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THE TAUTAI OF DIGITAL WINDS: Digital Winds Blow Fierce But Too Long
Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland
- reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton

With a cast of 25, a live band, dancers and video projections, The Tautai of Digital Winds presents a truly epic piece of community-based theatre.

The title refers to the navigation of ancient Polynesian voyages and applies the concept to contemporary Pacific Island youth searching for a way through the treacherous currents of their digitally enhanced world.

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THE TAUTAI OF DIGITAL WINDS: Fascinating, rich in emotion, performed with passion
Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

There is no single story line in a conventional sense but the weaving all comes together at the end in a most satisfying way. There are interludes which initially seem disconnected but which are inextricably linked to the common web that the production offers; there’s music of top quality and dance that is impressive beyond words – as indeed it should be, dance being what it is – and the whole has the feel of a cleverly designed patchwork that is flawless but elusive, in essence just like the subject matter itself.

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ALLEGRO: SPEC-TAC-U-LAR
Founders Theatre, Hamilton
- reviewed by Debbie Bright

The dance moves seamlessly from lyrical leaping, stepping and turning to angular holds and lifts, and unexpected moments of stillness. The sound track progresses through deep bass, screaming high notes and an ongoing driving rhythm. Finally, I no longer see the dancers as three-dimensional and the light display as two dimensional; I see the reverse: two dancing ‘satellites’ spin slowly through space, among moving images of light between gauze and backdrop, as the other dancers step and pose in a single beam of side lighting along the front of the stage. For me, this is an incredibly satisfying and awe-inspiring sound and visual feast.

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

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