The latest Theatreview Weekly includes reviews from Le Noir – The Dark Side of Cirque, Flagons & Foxtrots, and 2063.

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

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URBANESIA 2015

The latest Theatreview Weekly includes reviews from Le Noir – The Dark Side of Cirque, Flagons & Foxtrots, and 2063.

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

* * *

URBANESIA 2015
LE FREAK: An international act in the making
TAPAC - The Auckland Performing Arts Centre, Auckland
Choreography: Mario Faumui and Amanaki Prescott-Faletau
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

The work has the potential to be revolutionary and although it still has a long way to go in developing its various narratives, they’re all there. The show begins by shining a ‘spotlight’ on certain moments, those deemed illicit, inappropriate, and inconsistent even with the demands of the status quo. From the stark monochromes of the opening scenes the colour bursts out with the performers sharing personal stories and moments, with both poignancy and generosity.

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BOYS AT THE BEACH: Kiwi feel to Boys at the Beach
Centrepoint, Palmerston North
by Alison Quigan & Ross Gumbley
Director Lucy Schmidt
- reviewed by Mary Bryan

It is loosely based on four rather decent, real male characters, in their late teens-early 20s who pool their money to buy a $10,000 golden sand beach section. There is a feel of authenticity. The opening scenes are very much New Zealand of the 70s. The sexual revolution is well underway, and when two young party girls suddenly turn up at the section ...

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GIFT OF THE GAB: Sharp-witted, light-footed fun
BATS Theatre, The Propeller Stage, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Devised by James Cain (performer) and Matt Loveranes (director)
Presented by With Our Powers Combined
- reviewed by Lena Fransham

Cain channels Ian McKellen’s voice beautifully through a series of absurd situations and at times he achieves an eerily close impersonation of a very Snapey Rickman. The brief appearances of Colin Firth are also charming in a self-deprecating Colin Firth kind of way.

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BE | LONGING: A VERBATIM PLAY: Universality in every detail
BATS Theatre, The Dome, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Birected by Hilary Halba and Stuart Young
Presented by Talking House
- reviewed by John Smythe

How appropriate that Talking House from Dunedin, where Robbie Burns presides over The Octagon, should give us this gift of seeing ourselves as others see us. Seven actors channel sixteen immigrants, plus the odd interviewer, by recreating recorded interviews verbatim (as with last week’s The Keys Are In The Margarine). Thus we more entrenched New Zealanders get to see how ‘Godzone’ can be for newcomers to our shores.

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FLAGONS & FOXTROTS: Feel-good comedy sure to be popular
Fortune Theatre, Dunedin
Written by Alison Quigan and Ross Gumbley
Directed by Melanie Luckman
- reviewed by Barbara Frame

It's 1964, and there's a lot going on at the Memorial Hall in Mosgiel.

Grumpy Sid, who runs the dance hall, is so behind the times that he thinks old records are better to dance to than the local Archie Moore Trio, who are just dying for a lucky break.

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THE KEYS ARE IN THE MARGARINE: A VERBATIM PLAY ABOUT DEMENTIA: Touching look at life with dementia
BATS Theatre, The Dome, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Research and written by Cindy Diver, Susie Lawless, Stuart Young
Directed by Cindy Diver and Stuart Young
TALKING HOUSE
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman

It soon becomes obvious that, what at first appears to be a rather obscure title for a play, The Keys Are In The Margarine, is in fact a very common feature of dementia, the play's subject matter.

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2063: Present Future-gazing
Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland
Collaboratively created by Unitec’s 3rd year grad students
Directed by Pedro Ilgenfritz
Produced by Unitec Department of Performing and Screen Arts
- reviewed by James Wenley

There seems to be a bit of a future-casting trend in recent New Zealand drama. In Shepherd (2015) Gary Henderson painted a disturbing sci-fi vision of a Fiordland farm feeding a hungry world. In Aroha White’s 2080 (2014), New Zealand’s population had exploded by ...

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2063: A solid work
Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland
Collaboratively created by Unitec’s 3rd year grad students
Directed by Pedro Ilgenfritz
Produced by Unitec Department of Performing and Screen Arts
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

New Zealand in this futuristic world is a very different place. Global warming and rising sea levels have forced mass migration from Asia, Africa, South America, Europe and Eastern Russia (strangely the Middle East is not mentioned) to our shores. Initially welcoming to the numerous refugees, the attitudes have quickly changed ...

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FLAGONS & FOXTROTS: Authentic recreation its absolute charm
Fortune Theatre, Dunedin
Written by Alison Quigan and Ross Gumbley
Directed by Melanie Luckman
- reviewed by Terry MacTavish

After the thrilling, challenging plays the Fortune has presented this year, the public revels in a delicious recreation of the fabulous 1960s local dances, right here in New Zealand. My guests, ranging tonight from 17 to 70, absolutely love this shimmering production and mourn the demise of those dancing days.

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ALL OUR SONS: Recognising our fundamental humanity
Circa One, Wellington
By Witi Ihimaera
Directed by Nathaniel Lees
Producer: Grace Ahipene-Hoete
Presented by Taki Rua Productions
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

Yes, this is the story of the men who went to war but more importantly, Witi Ihimaera brings to us the tale of how we are forced to participate in war against each other – and our own humanity.

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NIU SILA: Speaks for its own time and for today
Te Pou Theatre, 44a Portage Road, New Lynn, Auckland
By Oscar Kightly and Dave Armstrong
Directed by Borni Te Rongopai Tukiwaho
Presented by b.TERONGOPAI
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

When is it too soon to label a play a New Zealand classic? I’d say never because, despite its relative youth in the grand scheme of things, Niu Sila has, in my opinion, already achieved that status.

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SIVA: All that glitters is not gold
ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland
Neil Ieremia
- reviewed by Sharu Delilkan

Having followed Black Grace almost as long as we have been here (over 13 years now), I have a vivid recollection of their 10th anniversary show held at the Viaduct a decade ago.

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TWISTED – THE MUSICAL: A Whole New Story
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Script/Story: Nick Lang, Matt Lang and Eric Kahn Gale
Music: AJ Holmes | Lyrics: Kaley McMahon
Orchestrations: Andrew Fox
Director: Adam Spedding
Musical Director: Andy Manning
Produceed by Dionysos: Brendan Talbot & Aaron Tindell
- reviewed by James Wenley

I’ve always liked Jafar. His sleek robes, his slimy voice, his talking pet parrot. This might be part of the reason that it wasn’t the VHS of Aladdin, but its direct-to-video sequel Return of Jafar, that was played to destruction in childhood. Jafar is a straight up badass, one of Disney’s greatest villains.

In telling “the untold story of a Royal Vizier”, Twisted is a musical parody of both Aladdin, and the 2000s revisionist phenomena to revisit classic villains and turn them into goodies (which arguably reached its nadir with Disney’s own Maleficent).

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NORTHERN GLOW: Bryony Skillington
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Written and Performed by Bryony Skillington
Directed By Ahi Karunaharan
Presented by Working Class Productions & Agaram
- reviewed by Matt Baker

Written and performed by the chameleonic Bryony Skillington, there's Darren, who's running the bingo and petitioning to save jobs at the mill, Lauren, the birthday girl who's running the show, and Jill, the long-suffering wife and mother respectively.

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KOOKOO THE BIRDGIRL: Endearingly weird
TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs, Auckland
Created and performed by Sarah Houbolt
Co-choreographed by Kelly Nash
Directed by Celia White
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

Sarah describes her telling of Minnie’s story as a calling, drawn as she is to her plight in a time of prejudicial laws that seriously restricted the freedoms of anyone considered of abnormal or grotesque appearance. Although her own medical condition is a different, even rarer one, in her furry bird-girl outfit, tall single feather headdress, large funny glasses and webbed leather bird-shoes, Houbolt strikes an impressive resemblance.

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WHITIREIA PERFORMING ARTS GRADUATION SEASON 2015: Proud. Slick. Spirited
Whitireia Performance Centre, 25-27 Vivian Street, Wellington
Kereama Te Ua, Tupe Lualua, Tuaine Robati, Paora Taurima
- reviewed by Chris Jannides

What is firmly established almost immediately at the start are the performance strengths of the student dancers. The words I find myself scribbling in the dark while I am watching are: spirited, strong, poise, power, presence. I note the beauty and clarity of their singing. Their focus and how light they are on their feet, which makes moments where they deliberately stamp the ground for percussive effect stand out even more. The weapon and poi work are precise. I am impressed at how well they’ve been rehearsed and how fully invested and committed the students are to their task and to the material. This is exquisitely tight ensemble work that is projected with great pride, group cohesion and attention to detail.

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SIVA: Mythology, tradition, ritual, inspiration and the pacific
ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland
Neil Ieremia
- reviewed by Francesca Horsley

After 20 years of making dances as artistic director of Black Grace, there is no doubting his strong bond to his ancestral homeland, Samoa. A mix of mythology, tradition, ritual and personal inspiration brings his South Pacific world to life.

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LE NOIR – THE DARK SIDE OF CIRQUE: Making the impossible seem easy
Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch

- reviewed by Lindsay Clark

The roar of approval which almost drowns out the finale music for this show confirms that Christchurch dearly loves its circus and applauds the technical artistry and daring spirit of those who bring it to us, this time from around the world.

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THE F WORD: Theatre-in-education for adults
BATS Theatre, The Propeller Stage, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Presented by Best on Tap
- reviewed by John Smythe

Subtitled “Sex without the ‘ism’”, The F Word addresses the concerns heterosexual thirty-somethings may have as they attempt to negotiate the minefield of coupling, be it by virtue (if that’s the word) of a one-night stand or a committed partnership, parenting and the whole long-term commitment thing.

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KOOKOO THE BIRDGIRL: Intriguing, moving, playful, honest, challenging
TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs, Auckland
Created and performed by Sarah Houbolt
Co-choreographed by Kelly Nash
Directed by Celia White
- reviewed by Camelle Pink

Chuckles whisper through the auditorium throughout the show. Houbolt's expressivity enables us to to watch with glee as she becomes 'Bird Girl'. The choreography itself cunningly twists familiar classical steps, giving flight to the movement in a way that Swan Lake will never achieve. We experience discomfort, a nervous fidgety energy courses through the theatre. We wonder what this bird-like character is suggesting about the ways women perform in these contexts? And what is asked of these women?

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THE KEYS ARE IN THE MARGARINE: A VERBATIM PLAY ABOUT DEMENTIA: Deeply absorbing
BATS Theatre, The Dome, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Research and written by Cindy Diver, Susie Lawless, Stuart Young
Directed by Cindy Diver and Stuart Young
TALKING HOUSE
- reviewed by John Smythe

Don’t be put off by this being about dementia. The Keys Are In The Margarine also offers a riveting array of Kiwi characters portrayed with that special sense of authenticity only verbatim theatre can manifest.

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BLUE STOCKINGS: A most uplifting story
Playhouse, Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, Hamilton
By Jessica Swale
Directed by Gaye Poole
Presented by The Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship Programme in association with Carving in Ice Theatre
- reviewed by Jan Maree

Unsurprisingly, when Tess (on whom the story centres) makes a comment, she is made to look quite the harpie as she becomes increasingly frustrated and combative in the attempt to make her point. She is duly ejected from the room.

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

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