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

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HINE: Brave, inspiring, uplifting: mauri ora!
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Created by Whetu and Komako Silver in collaboration with whanau
- reviewed by Nikau Hindin

As the lights dim, after a few technical difficulties, an enormous celestial landscape swallows the entire stage and canvas backdrop. A bright Matariki constellation glistens over two bodies and this performance, about feminine sacredness, begins fittingly with a birth.

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Kia Mau Festival 2016
MANA WAHINE: Two years after debut, Mana Wahine still an unforgettable performance
Circa One, Wellington
Artistic Directors/Choreographers: Taiaroa Royal, Taane Mete; Guest Choreographer: Malia Johnston
Te Ariki Tapairu/Kuikui O Ōkareka Dance Company: Tui Matira Ranapiri-Ransfield
- reviewed by Ann Hunt

From the serenely mesmeric opening sequence when the life force is breathed from the ancestor into the inert bodies of the five prone dancers, to the emotionally shattering power of the climax - Bianca Hyslop is quite magnificent here - this is a work that deserves to be seen again and again and everywhere. The full house stood up and cheered.

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EVERYTHING ANYONE EVER WANTED: Everything Anyone Ever Wanted: Subjugating the fear of living
Q Theatre Loft, Auckland
Choreographic direction: Natalie Maria Clark
Creative collaboration/Performers: Sofia McIntyre, Benjamin Mitchell, Emmanuel Reynaud, Rosa Strati
Sound design: Sean Kelly a.k.a. Seth Frightening
Lighting Design:    Ruby Reihana-Wilson
Set & Costume Design: Christopher Stratton
- reviewed by Sarah Knox

Everything Anyone Ever Wanted is a quietly raging work that explores the banality / frustration / joy / façadery of being a millennial. Everything Anyone Ever Wanted is a poignant opening dialog to a conversation that we are all likely already having (or have had) with ourselves. It is big. And it is hard. There are no selfies, no candy crush, and no YouTube tutorials. All we have is a brave look at the challenges 20 somethings face in just getting by, in dealing with ambition and potential, plagued with a sense of failing hope. As a 30 something, I can easily relate.

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Auckland Fringe 2013
LA VIE DANS UNE MARIONETTE: A perfectly efficacious laughter tonic
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Created and Performed by Jarod Rawiri, Justin Haiu and Tama Jarman 
Presented by White Face Crew
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

While we are compelled to care about these characters and their poignant tale, the real magic is in the three players’ consummate clown, movement, and general comedic skills. A number of brazenly forward interactions with the audience are roundly enjoyed by subjects and spectators alike ...

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THIS CLOUD IS...: Experiences provide much to discuss
Under Market, Dunedin
Project conceived and directed by val smilth (Caroline Plummer Fellow 2016, University of Otago)
- reviewed by Hannah Molloy

The bare concrete space was transformed into a series of installations, with performers at hand to extend the invitation to experience their idea of the work. The installations ranged from fully functional composting toilets with disco lights and way slowed down disco tracks from the 80s to an introvert party with gentle yellow lighting (and a disco ball) and boxes arranged for standing, sitting or lying down. There was a boat named Sarah with a cup of delicious ginger tea, small party snacks and conversation, a gentle man offering to wash and dry my hands, a tumble of cardboard for playing in and a rope path to walk around with a box on your head – apparently very peaceful and with an incredible sense of privacy and relaxation.

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THE ELEPHANT THIEF: Stealing the Show
Q Theatre, 305 Queen St, Auckland
Written by Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis 
Directed by Justin Lewis 
Presented by Indian Ink Theatre Company
- reviewed by Matt Baker

One good reason to appreciate Indian Ink is that they are an established theatre company that take genuine risks in their work while cohesively maintaining a focus towards the longevity of their art.

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FOUR FLAT WHITES IN ITALY: Nuanced plot generates empathy
The Pumphouse, Takapuna, Auckland
By Roger Hall 
Directed by Regan Crummer 
Produced by Crummer Entertainment
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

The first time I read Four Flat Whites in Italy I somewhat arrogantly described it to myself as a fairy story with a happy ending. It seemed to have all the hallmarks of this often overlooked genre and I’m happy to say Crummer and his excellent cast seem to agree with me. It also has all the qualities of Hall at his best.

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MEDEA: Reworking turns classic tale of vengeance on its head
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland LIVE, Auckland
Written by Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks
Original concept by Anne-Louise Sarks after Euripides
Directed by Rachel House 
Presented by Silo Theatre
- reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton

The enduring relevance of Greek tragedy is persuasively demonstrated in Euripides' Medea, which shockingly suggests murderous violations of the sacred bond between a mother and child cannot be explained away as madness or evil.

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THE MAGIC FLUTE: Triumphant night of opera magic
ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland
An opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder 
Directed by Sara Brodie 
Conducted by Wyn Davies 
A New Zealand Opera production
- reviewed by William Dart

What new paths might Mozart have pursued had he lived to capitalise on the popular success of The Magic Flute? Sara Brodie's spirited production for New Zealand Opera suggests he might have wooed Viennese audiences with something closer to Broadway musical than grand opera.

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FRANKENSTEIN: Intriguing pageant of ideas and theatrical wizardry
The Gym, The Arts Centre, Worcester Boulevard, Christchurch
Directed by Peter Falkenberg 
Presented by Free Theatre Christchurch
- reviewed by Lindsay Clark

We step into a misty world of crystalline white that crunches underfoot with a cascade of the same material falling on a circle of semi prostrate figures producing something between a chant and a hum. On a high ledge is a pale, roped, giant figure who turns out to be Prometheus.

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THE MAGIC FLUTE: Has the Flute lost its Magic?
ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland
An opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder 
Directed by Sara Brodie 
Conducted by Wyn Davies 
A New Zealand Opera production
- reviewed by Sharu Delilkan

I have taken all this time to reflect on the content of the show and what I struggled with was the relevance of the piece and its unacceptable themes of misogyny and racism which left a bitter taste in my mouth.

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FRANKENSTEIN: Finely balances spectacle, performance and audience engagement
The Gym, The Arts Centre, Worcester Boulevard, Christchurch
Directed by Peter Falkenberg 
Presented by Free Theatre Christchurch
- reviewed by Erin Harrington

Frankenstein combines rich spectacle, movement and puppetry, haka and waiata, song and dance, some terrific sound and music, and a good deal of impressive work on aerial silks, all bound together by a diverse range of textual snippets from Shakespeare through William S Burroughs and Stephen Hawking to Nick Cave.

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MEDEA: Poignant and well-executed
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland LIVE, Auckland
Written by Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks
Original concept by Anne-Louise Sarks after Euripides
Directed by Rachel House 
Presented by Silo Theatre
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

This portrayal of the desperate housewife is quite brilliant and Rachel House’s direction is almost flawless – particularly with the young boys, where her touch is light, flexible and leaves room for their energy and personality to work with the script.

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Kia Mau Festival 2016
LA VIE DANS UNE MARIONETTE: A delectable liqueur to finish the feast
BATS Theatre, The Heyday Dome, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Created and Performed by Jarod Rawiri, Justin Haiu and Tama Jarman 
Presented by White Face Crew
- reviewed by John Smythe

The story (for which Jarman is credited) sees a lonely Pianist taking delivery of a life-sized Marionette which turns out to be able to move independently as long as the piano is playing. The synchronicity between Haiu as puppet and Jarman as puppeteer, as their relationship develops, is sublime.

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Kia Mau Festival 2016
SOLOTHELLO: Shakespeare gets a Maori twist in SolOthello
Circa Two, Wellington
By Willian shakespeare and Regan Taylor 
Directed by Craig Geenty 
Presented by Te Rēhia Theatre Company
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman

One of the more enduring qualities of Shakespeare's plays that continue to make them popular, even after 400 years, is their portrayal of the human condition like love, hate, affection, jealousy and greed.

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THE MAGIC FLUTE: A very intelligent production with sound musicality and dramatic whimsy
ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland
An opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder 
Directed by Sara Brodie 
Conducted by Wyn Davies 
A New Zealand Opera production
- reviewed by Michael Hooper

The greater question is whether the production succeeds, dramatically and musically, to entertain in the easily comprehensible yet satirical way that Mozart and his populist entrepreneur librettist Emanuel Schikaneder might have wished, and to that the answer must be yes.

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DYING FOR IT: Satirical insights all too relevant
Te Whaea National Dance and Drama Centre, 11 Hutchison Rd, Newtown, Wellington
By Moira Buffini 
Directed by John Bolton 
Production and Lighting Design by Brian King
- reviewed by John Smythe

The pervasive grunge of Te Whaea Basement is the perfect setting for a play set in the lower depths of Soviet Russia and an ideal starting point for a tragi-comical satire. Stuck in a rooming house where a struggling couple is obliged to sleep and eat in a common thoroughfare, the only way is up – or down: six feet under.

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YOURS TRULY: Lyrical feat but interest and tension not sustained
Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland
Written and directed by Albert Belz 
Presented by Te Rēhia Theatre Company
- reviewed by Heidi North-Bailey

Belz’s writing is sinister and clever. The play is at its best in the relationships between the two romantic couples: prostitute Mary Kelly (Ascia Maybury) and artist Sickert (Blair Strang); Eddy (Ben Van Lier) and Annie (Esmee Meyers).

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WAHINETOA: Rich and absorbing personal narratives
Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland
Nikki Upoko, Katerina Fatupaito, Jahra Wasasala, Julia Mage'au Gray
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

Jahra Wasasala’s work from the recent 2015 Choreolab 2015 is the central work of the evening. Blood/d/runk is articulate, eloquent and multi-faceted. There are potentially three different works in this one piece (which all deserve to be given their own space) but this iteration offers a poignant and personal exploration of women, with voice, and is supported by a host of other female witnesses.

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HOTEL EUROPA: Memorable performances and production values
Te Whaea National Dance and Drama Centre, 11 Hutchison Rd, Newtown, Wellington
Written by Goran Stefanovski 
Directed by Anna Marbrook 
Designed by Kasia Pol
- reviewed by John Smythe

Hotel Europa certainly puts displaced people at the effect of exploiters, while book-ending and threading it through with the timeless and universal desire for ‘home’. The existential question of whether people are victims of external forces or predestination, or the authors of their own destinies, is up for scrutiny as we watch them do as they feel they must to survive or even, sometimes, contribute.

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Kia Mau Festival 2016
SOLOTHELLO: Enjoyable and enriching
Circa Two, Wellington
By Willian shakespeare and Regan Taylor 
Directed by Craig Geenty 
Presented by Te Rēhia Theatre Company
- reviewed by Lori Leigh

On stage is Taylor and carved totara masks, which he uses to play the characters of Iago, Roderigo, and Desdemona. All other characters are unseen (or ‘unscene’), which for me, further highlights the predominant forces in Othello’s fragile psyche. Othello himself, is unmasked ...

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THE ELEPHANT THIEF: Immensely talented cast but play feels lost and confused
Q Theatre, 305 Queen St, Auckland
Written by Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis 
Directed by Justin Lewis 
Presented by Indian Ink Theatre Company
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

Its 2066 and we’re in India. But it’s far from a world of super robots and flying cars. In fact things seem to have gone a tad pear shaped. For starters snap-chat is still being used and while security measures in the jails haven’t improved much disaster has struck in all manner of natural catastrophes.

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THE POLITICIAN’S WIFE: All encompassing
Centrepoint, Palmerston North
By Angie Farrow 
Directed by Stephen Bain
- reviewed by Alexandra Bellad-Ellis

Kim leads a life of wealth and privilege; she is also the wife of a conservative politician in the middle of the biggest campaign of his life. A chance meeting in a bar reminds her of the life she used to have as a nurse, and risking everything she plunges back into nursing on an offshore island refugee camp.

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

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