A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including: Anne Boleyn, Kaha 2013, Short+Sweet 2013 – Theatre – Week 1, and Janeece Gunton: Herstory.

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

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A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including: Anne Boleyn, Kaha 2013, Short+Sweet 2013 – Theatre – Week 1, and Janeece Gunton: Herstory.

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

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Gallagher Concert Chamber, Wel Academy of Performing Arts, Waikato University, Hamilton - KAHA 2013: Sustained flow of energy
- reviewed by Liza Kire

Using their bodies as a group to create what appeared to me like the entrance to a Marae, a race to the finish line and at one point to create the feel that a Ta Moko was being lifted off the skin and taken into a three dimensional form shows the dedication of these performers and the hard work they’ve put in. The culturally rich meaning behind all of the numbers is a pleasure to see taking elements such as the traditional Maori stick game to a whole new level. Gone are the days of simply sitting on ones knees and keeping the simple beat to the song E Papa Waiari. The same beat was used but kicks and jumps, leaps and flips have been added to give it a modern feel that I can see taking off and becoming the new challenge in terms of tititoria (short sticks).

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Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, The Edge, Auckland - SHORT+SWEET 2013 – THEATRE – WEEK 1: Sweet As…

- reviewed by Sharu Delilkan

The best thing about Short+Sweet Theatre is that it features such a wide range of writers, directors and actors, and Week One of the festival is definitely no exception. The subject matter tackled by the writers ranged from Malapropism, Game of Thrones, the same sex marriage bill, The Garden of Eden, the afterlife and most prominently, theatre as a genre.

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Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland - ANNE BOLEYN: The Other Woman

- reviewed by James Wenley

For his 2010 drama, Howard Brenton recasts and reclaims Anne as a tragic heroine who seeks to make her own place within the male-dominated factions of Henry VIII’s court, and by winning the King’s love, and the King’s ear, steers world history on a different course.

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Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, The Edge, Auckland - SHORT+SWEET 2013 – THEATRE – WEEK 1: Eclectic mix of Treats to savour
- reviewed by Vanessa Byrnes

Each year Short + Sweet Theatre produces “hundreds of the best ten minute plays from across the globe produced by some of the most talented local actors and directors”. This evening’s eclectic offerings of week one: Auckland Short + Sweet at the Herald Theatre are a mixed bag of different tasting lollies that you’ll be glad you sampled.

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The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - JANEECE GUNTON: HERSTORY: Raw delight

- reviewed by Heidi North-Bailey

From the moment the door opens and Janeece (Yvette Parsons) appears on a mobility scooter, throwing the C word in front of her like no tomorrow, looking worse for wear after a hard night losing her sick husband’s pension at the casino, we know we’re in for a treat.

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Opera House, Wellington - LANGUAGE OF LIVING - NORTH ISLAND TOUR: Combined talents produce magic
- reviewed by Ann Hunt

Artistic director Shona McCullagh's Trees, Birds Then People is an amusing investigation into behavioural similarities between birds and people. The avian movements were well caught and all four danced with high energy and musicality. Gareth Okan was particularly expressive. As the light faded, it ended with a wonderful leap off stage, as if a bird was taking flight at dusk.

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Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland - ANNE BOLEYN: Naked self-serving ambition and greed, driven by fear
- reviewed by Kate Ward-Smythe

The premise is bold, colourful, fun, accessible and upfront. We are thrust into the muddle of religious doctrine; into the middle an ambitious self-serving monarch, parliament and church. In addition, Brenton portrays Anne as committed to the protestant cause above all else – an astute and fearless political strategist rather than the more popularised view of an ambitious gold-digging minx ...

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Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland - ANNE BOLEYN: A lavish and thought-provoking view of Reformation
- reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton

Although he has a wicked sense of humour British playwright Howard Brenton takes his history seriously and ATC's sumptuous production of Anne Boleyn offers a bracingly intelligent vision of the Reformation as it plunges us into the complex theological disputes that underpinned Henry VIII's marital discord.

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Fortune Theatre, Dunedin - TRIBES: Funny, daring, hopeful, insightful
- reviewed by Terry MacTavish

Lara Macgregor’s production of Nina Raine’s multi-award-winning work is as enlightening as it is enthralling. This is marvellously challenging theatre which entertains with wicked dialogue delivered at breathless pace, while demanding empathy for Billy, the only deaf member of a hearing (and aggressively speaking) family.

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Ferrymead Friendly Societies Hall, Christchurch - Canterbury - TABLE 12: NZ funk/lounge on the menu
- reviewed by Kerri Fitzgerald

A series of ‘vinaigrettes’ unfold - from appetizers to ‘New York ‘style - each course titillating and tantalizing the audience keeping teenagers to octogenarians fully attentive. Duos, trios, quartets, and ensemble numbers, all of equal strength, simply burst into life. And then there are the solos: Andrew Sheppard devilishly delights with his chocolate (cockolate) number wearing highly desirable boots that are a marvel to behold, Bina sings cabaret style with verve, and Sean James’ ‘Dessert’ is rich, fluid and elegant.

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Circa One, Wellington - TU: Potent emotional story makes for resounding theatre

- reviewed by Hannah Smith

The performances are strong and the ensemble cast work seamlessly together. Non-verbal sequences show us the tangled and troubled history of the characters; the rhythms, imagery and theatricality of these arrangements connects powerfully with the audience and drive the energy forward.

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Hawkes Bay Opera House, Hastings - KAHA 2013: More than you can take in during one viewing
- reviewed by Peter Nee Harland

Rakau by Gaby Thomas stood out for me. Inspired by the familiar stick game and waiata E Papa, the dancers kneel quietly in formation creating and building upon rhythms clack, pa pa, clack, pa pa... The scene is disturbed by the figure of a man in traditional dress. Jack Gray’s performance was impressive, his careful deliberate actions emotive... What was he symbolic of?

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St James Theatre, Wellington - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: Another spectacular night at the theatre
- reviewed by Jo Hodgson

And what a journey! The sumptuous overture (played excellently by instrumentalists from Orchestra Wellington) accompany the set transformation into the Opera House as it was in 1881 and the chandelier rises like a spaceship to the ceiling. There are operatic melodies, diva antics, frayed nerves, mysterious voices, fatal ‘accidents’, hidden lairs, magical mirrors, young love, longing and despair and the singing, oh what fabulous singing.

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St James Theatre, Wellington - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: Familiar, but still mesmerising
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman

On the whole the production comes out a winner, with director Grant Meese, musical director Michael Nicholas Williams and choreographer Leigh Evans and their creative production team pushing all the right buttons to present a top-rate show that delivers in bucket loads.

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Dance Studio, Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, Hamilton - DANCING IN THE WAKE: THE STORY OF LUCIA JOYCE: Intense rivalries laced with comic delight
- reviewed by Mark Houlahan

Bolwell makes it a memory play, beginning with an old, sad Lucia, who we see visited by a comical version of Samuel Beckett, with whom Lucia had an intense bond. Together they explore Lucia’s life in the 1920s, when she was first exploring her passion for dance.

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Hawkes Bay Opera House, Hastings - KAHA 2013: A spicy plate of tapas offered with warmth
- reviewed by Kathleen Mantel

The dancers each bring something of themselves to the performances. Kaha is dance, but it is also theatre. We see strength, pain, fire, flirtatiousness, ego, vulnerability and laughter in a way you don’t often see with dance. There is a real sense of human connection on an intimate and personal level. There is a depth to the works, many steeped in Maori mythology and glimpses of lives we somehow remember but may have forgotten along the way.

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Dance Studio, Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, Hamilton - DANCING IN THE WAKE: THE STORY OF LUCIA JOYCE: Engaging us in laughter, loss and literature
- reviewed by Dr Karen Barbour

As she twists, travels and twirls through the space, marvellous shifts in Lucia’s dancing between social and performative styles make for a delicious choreographic mix and much laughter. Duets with Smythe as Lucia’s father Joyce and as her lover Samuel are highlights and even some audience members get short dances with the flirtatious Lucia. Adding a rendition of Josephine Baker’s famous banana dance, and later (with some artistic licence around the facts), Nijinski’s ‘dance of your war’,

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Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - K'RD STRIP: Cabaret a whirlwind salute to K' Rd
- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte

The six performers are multi-talented, able to sing and dance and act. They are all in fine voice for the 19 iconic Kiwi tracks. A good deal of credit must go to Jason Te Mete, the musical director as well as part of the cast, for the fine ensemble singing.

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

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