The latest Theatreview Weekly includes reviews of  The Status of Being, Te Manu Ahi (The Firebird), Suri Vs Shiloh, and Peace and Love in Africa.

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

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The latest Theatreview Weekly includes reviews of  The Status of Being, Te Manu Ahi (The Firebird), Suri Vs Shiloh, and Peace and Love in Africa.

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

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TE MANU AHI (THE FIREBIRD): Celebrating dance and live music
ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland
- reviewed by Dr Linda Ashley

Organising 140 children to enter and exit a stage once would be impressive but this dance relies on continual smooth transitions between a plethora of different groupings, and there is not one collision to be seen. Slowly forward moving rows of dancers, whirling circles, clusters using dancers on high, low and medium levels as if molten liquid glues them together. Also in the dancers’ timing, the trademark throws and catches amongst the groups, the various lifts and duet balances are carefully set-up amongst the waterfall of other movements so that they seem to appear from nowhere. Much of the large group vocabulary is undoubtedly simple running, jumps to falls, crawling, slithering, distorted creature shapes, side-to-side reaching, stretching up and down but wholly appropriate for the range of ages and abilities.

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FOR THE LOVE OF DANCE: A world of love with bells and character finesse
Q Theatre, 305 Queen St, Auckland
- reviewed by Kerry Wallis

In the first work, Romeo and Juliet, Amuthini Prasanna and Gopika Gnanakumar enter the stage in a beautiful fusion of cultures as they were traditional dress but show us the Shakespearean world by holding masks. AV shows different scenes within the dance and for a moment each individual character has an internal monologue expressed by voiceover talent in a spotlight. Both dancers are highly expressive and dance well together and when they have solo material. A strong duet with both dancers using the stage well.

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I’LL BE FINE: Promising
BATS Theatre (Out Of Site), Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington
- reviewed by John Smythe

Playwright Ben Wilson is quick to declare his inspirations for this his first play were Eli Kent’s The Intricate Art of Actually Caring (which he saw) and Vivienne Plumb’s The Cape (which he read). He and Script Supervisor /Director Ryan Knighton have assembled many of the potentially potent ingredients of both ‘road trip’ plays and put them together in their own way without really understanding how those particular recipes work in principle to produce compelling performance.

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IF I ONLY HAD A HEART: Almost offensively safe
The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

A few feeble attempts at raunchiness (aimed almost exclusively at one individual in the front row) doesn’t quite raise the sex appeal or scandal-o-meter to any mind-blowing heights and the little choreography included is less than average. It may also just be opening night nerves but as a group there seems to be a distinct absence of comraderie during the night and an obvious lack of team showmanship for the ensemble pieces.

This was all a real pity because the voices of Rebecca Wright, Cherie Moore and Jessie Cassin are very good.

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IF I ONLY HAD A HEART: Affairs of the Heart
The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
- reviewed by James Wenley

It soon becomes apparent just how carefully Tindell has programmed the songs to speak to one another and take up different positions, surmounting the initial gimmick. This is helped considerably by the interpretative talent of performers Jessie Cassin, Cherie Moore, and Rebecca Wright.

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SURI VS SHILOH: High energy, inventive, outlandish
The Office at CBD Bar, 208 Madras St, Christchurch
- reviewed by Erin Harrington

The show opens like a sitcom: in the not-too-distant future, BFFs Suri Cruise (Susannah Smith-Roy), professional clothes horse and A-list actress, and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt (Phoebe Borwick), social justice crusader and (allegedly?) reluctant celebrity, are young adults trying to navigate their way in a celebrity culture populated by burnout and screw ups, while sitting firmly in the shadows of their uber-famous parents.

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THE PAPER CINEMA’S ODYSSEY: Tight, talented, professional, unexpected, special
Theatre Royal, Nelson
- reviewed by Janet Whittington

The drawings are clear and detailed. The movements of the figures, landscapes and special effects are plausible to the tiniest movement. Together with Imogen Charleston he presents a unique live animation style. Rowling even draws the first few scenes with an ink and nib pen to lead the audience gently from reality into his world of Homer’s Odyssey.

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HELA: A tragic, marvellous, fascinating, true story told with lucidity and ease
Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland
- reviewed by Vanessa Byrnes

Onashile’s dramatization – based on Rebecca Skloot’s highly-praised The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – breathes life into the story of a woman who died too young, loved dancing, and who was possibly overwhelmed by the medical jargon of the black section of the John Hopkins Hospital where she died some months after the initial cancer diagnosis. Overall, though, it is the issue of informed consent that drives the narrative.

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PERFECT PLACE: Middle-of-the-road immersion
The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

The goal is not joy or happiness as too much of a good thing is deemed unproductive; instead the catchword is ‘contentment’, the ideal middle-ground between misery and ecstasy – as explained in Ernest’s enlightening daily regulation seminars. The relentless pastels perfectly illustrate this policy: not too dull, not too bright.

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THE STATUS OF BEING: Extreme physicality, active questioning
Meteor Theatre, Hamilton
- reviewed by Debbie Bright

Through confrontation and humor, attention is focussed on the power of choice within ourselves over how we respond to the world, an awakening of decision-making inherent within our own views, and empowering sense of responsibility for ourselves and our planet. Ultimately, The Status of Being questions an engineered sense of control. After all, how much choice do we really have in our choices?

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ISAAC’S EYE: A provocative peep into Newton’s mind
Circa Two, Wellington
- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson

In Hnath’s play the upstart is the ambitious Newton, eager to be famous and admitted to The Royal Society. While the established genius of the times, the now largely forgotten Robert Hooke, who has been described as England’s Leonardo, warily watches and attends Newton’s scary experiments on light by sticking a pin into his own tear duct.

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PEACE AND LOVE IN AFRICA: Drumming, singing, playing, dancing
Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland
- reviewed by Jennifer Nikolai

The message: Dance is an agent for change, connectivity with a community and personal awareness. Dance is a source of belonging and encourages listening to ancestral wisdom that leads to personal insight and advocacy.

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REQUIEM FOR THE FALLEN: Stunningly impressive and emotionally draining
Town Hall, Dunedin
- reviewed by Brenda Harwood

The way in which Requiem for the Fallen weaves chorus, string quartet and taonga puoro together to tell a cohesive story of young men leaving home in high spirits to go off to war and the horror of their experiences on the front is impressive. The sheer beauty and sadness of the music and the historic images of young New Zealanders in wartime adds a poignancy that makes the work deeply emotionally affecting.

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SHENG DONG: A MOVING SOUND: Appreciated greatly by aficionados
Theatre Royal, Nelson
- reviewed by Janet Whittington

The costumes, particularly for the men are truly magnificent, with gold thread outlining the red and black accented shoulder wings in traditional Asian style. Hsieh’s bodice and skirt glitter in richly adorned brocade. The shimmering colour holds the audience gaze, while she dances, through the instrumental pieces, hands held Thai style. Hsieh’s vocal range is phenomenal – I swear she must reach High C above High C.

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TASSEL ME THIS: Glittering work proves captivating
Q Theatre Loft, Auckland
- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte

[Tassel me This] employs a wondrous array of sparkling and shimmering curtains and two memorably sequined garments designed by Fraser Mildon, a golden shroud for Dickins and a short flirty cape for McCall.

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EYE: Richly developed work leaves memorable images
Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland
- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte

[eye] is also a work in which we come to experience the extraordinary physicality of Hanna, with a strong and sinewy body which has the capacity for extreme movements and eye-blinkingly fast transitions from one state to another.

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ONCE UPON A TIME IN WELLINGTON: Crime story laden with a few too many clichés
BATS Theatre (Out Of Site), Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington
- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson

This final play is a crime story full of clichés. Two seemingly incompetent criminals, recently out of prison for murder, have hit on hard times and they plan the inevitable full-proof plan of an abduction of a young wife and a ransom to raise much needed cash from the wife’s husband, Chef, who is, according to the trilogy’s synopsis, “a very, very bad man.”

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SONS: Sins of the parents dominate family drama with laughs thrown in
Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland
- reviewed by Janet McAllister

This cross-cultural family soap opera is a revival of celebrated playwright Victor Rodger's 1995 play about respect and broken promises, written when he was in his mid-twenties.

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EYE: eye and I are one
Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland
- reviewed by Kerry Wallis

His agility as a dancer and his ability to contrast between fluidity and rigidity are mindboggling as he moves effortlessly across the stage. At one point, his entire body becomes a vibrating entity and I can only describe it as stunning. Hanna is undeniably a strong performer with prodigious training.

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SONS: Poignant and heartfelt emotional maelstrom
Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

Rodger’s writing is brilliant. His characters, particularly his protagonist Noah, are utterly mesmerising. The happy-go-lucky innocent boy who just wants to find his dad ends up putting the world into perspective as he discovers he just wants to have the conversation – about what it means not just to be Samoan, not just to be Afakasi, but it really what it means to be ‘Noah’ growing up in this crazy world where truths are hidden and time is a luxury that is afforded to only a few.

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ISAAC’S EYE: Thoroughly engaging if somewhat ethereal
Circa Two, Wellington
- reviewed by John Smythe

The primary perversity is that although the imagined encounters between a young Isaac Newton, his friend and would-be wife Catherine Storer, and the more established and respected scientist Robert Hooke took place in the 17th century – circa the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London (1666) – the characters present as 21st century New Zealanders. This is a conceit that works very well.

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ADAM PAGE: A multi-skilled man in a million
Granary Festival Cafe, Founders Heritage Park, Nelson
- reviewed by Janet Whittington

He is equally an accomplished comedian as much as a musician.

And man can he play! The sax is the best I hear anywhere, his passion as strong, and his flute as beautiful. I am very impressed with this man. Period! No two concerts are the same as each track is improvised on the spot. This is a skill in itself.

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SISTERS IN ARMS: Thought-provoking explorations
Suter Theatre, Nelson
- reviewed by Adrienne Matthews

Every culture has its own unique history, shaped by monumental events. In Sisters in Arms, the individual is given permission to speak their own and their family’s history. Surprisingly, for two such vastly different cultures, the stories have many similarities.

This work allows us to see the importance of the true writers of history. “The importance of personal histories – these are the truths, the true histories, not the histories written by conquerors.”

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MODERN MAORI QUARTET: Heart-warming
Festival Mainstage, Founders Heritage Park, Nelson
- reviewed by Melanie Stewart

Billed as the new face of Maori showbands, handsome, hilarious and harmonious, The Modern Maori Quartet is entertainment at its best.

These four performers – James Tito, Mataraki Whaturau, Francis Kora and Maaka Pohatu – all Toi Whakari trained actors, bounce onto the stage and hold my attention for the full 110 minutes of performance and leave me wanting more.

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GEOGRAPHY OF LOSS: Much works well on stage; some more suited to page
Elmwood Theatre, 31 Aikmans Road, Merivale, Christchurch - Canterbury
- reviewed by Erin Harrington

Geography of Loss is an autobiographical piece, in which playwright and poet Karen Zelas explores family myth and cultural heritage. The play, which is written expressively in poetry rather than straight prose, outlines the intertwining nature of loss and hope, the cruelty of history and the extraordinary will of ordinary people.

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STRIKE BETWEEN ZERO AND ONE: Winning combination of dynamic visuals and sympathetic beats meets a perfect storm of obstacles
Regent Theatre (Dunedin), Dunedin
- reviewed by Jonathan W. Marshall

Strike is a Wellington-based percussion ensemble who have taken a leaf out of UK junk percussion group Stomp and the big Japanese taiko drumming tours of the late 1980s to theatricalise their own live performances.

The principal element in this theatricalisation is the work of long-time projection master Tim Gruchy.

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FINGERPRINTS: Enchanting acrobats and aerialists
Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland
- reviewed by Kerry Wallis

We are taken on a journey of friendship, old and new, perhaps too much teen angst and a thought posed – ‘If I was a teenager again’ (by performer Marvynne Harriet-Walker) which leads to each of the young female performers having their own solo to show case their skillset. Interspersed with acrobatic skills are nice dance routines and clever moments of hilarity - at one point the figure of, what seems to me, a ‘perfect man’ is created from boxes.

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HUMAN FRUIT BOWL: Plenty to draw, muse on during stark performance
Playhouse Theatre, Dunedin
- reviewed by Barbara Frame

The actress comes onstage wearing a red bathrobe, which she will soon take off, and starts telling us about being a life model. The crucial things are having a comfortable pose that can be maintained for long periods of time, and, the real challenge, not moving. These she demonstrates over the next hour, both in and out of the onstage claw-foot bath.

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WHITE CLOUD: Impressive quest for identity
Theatre Royal, Nelson
- reviewed by Alison Embleton

An eclectic collection of memories, journal entries and film footage/photographs from Finn and Duncum’s families creates the base for White Cloud. Reminiscences, songs and snatches of poetry are woven together through the 70 minute performance by Finn, who alternates between piano and guitar to accompany the songs. It should also be noted that Finn is a master of the lost art of whistling, and makes ample use of this fine skill during the evening.

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TASSEL ME THIS: A captivating world of glitter and tassel
Q Theatre Loft, Auckland
- reviewed by Kerry Wallis

Aided by two giant fans (which completely bring the entire space alive) and handfuls of gold glitter, Dickins and McCall tassel their bodies in a polished and beautiful way. Every duet and every solo is precise and articulate with choreography to make my jaw drop. Both girls are incredibly strong dancers and performers and there is never a dull moment on stage.

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HUMAN FRUIT BOWL: Naked in a room
Playhouse Theatre, Dunedin
- reviewed by Hannah Molloy

Stempel’s train of thought meanders in and out of the practicalities of posing, her day-to-day life and the life of Bonnard and the lack of verifiable information about the supposed suicide of Moncharty. At times, this is simply a stream of consciousness but much is actually directed to the audience, almost like an art history lecture. I learnt a lot about a small period of early 20th century art and it inspired me to go looking for more when I came home.

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MARX IN SOHO – A PLAY ON HISTORY: Compelling, energetic and compassionate
The Manchester Ranch, 356 Manchester St, Christchurch
- reviewed by Erin Harrington

Armed with a dog-eared copy of Das Kapital, The Communist Manifesto and today’s local newspaper, Marx – back from the dead – eloquently and passionately defends his work and ideals, while harshly criticising the misreading and misquoting of his work, the despotic Soviet bastardisation of Communism, and the cruelty and impact of commodity-based capitalism: a cruelty that is just as relevant in the free trade-obsessed 21st century as it was in the industrialist mid-19th.

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THE STATUS OF BEING: Explosive choreography
Q Theatre, 305 Queen St, Auckland
- reviewed by Bernadette Rae

There is no complacent sitting back comfortably to watch Alexa Wilson's explosive and challenging choreography The Status of Being, made on the Footnote company's very new quintet of five impressive young dancers: Emma Dellabarca who projects an anchoring calmness in a situation which is never calm; Alexandra Ford, who whips and sizzles like a pocket rocket on speed; intelligent seductress Lana Phillips; cock-a-hoop Emmanuel Reynaud and cuddly Kosta Bogoievski.

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THE UNICORN: A LIFE LESS MAGICAL: Magnificent improvising and storytelling
The Manchester Ranch, 356 Manchester St, Christchurch
- reviewed by Erin Harrington

The Unicorn (improviser and comedian Derek Flores), possibly the last of his kind, is both supernatural creature and fading lounge lizard (complete with ruffled shirt and glass filled with equal parts booze and regret). His gift – or burden – is that he is charged with keeping stories alive.

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I, GEORGE NEPIA: Imagination, courage and talent make this simply great
Lawson Field Theatre, Gisborne
- reviewed by Juliet Blakeney

A chair, a guitar, a backdrop and a man alone on a stage is all it takes for George Nepia's life-changing experiences and dreams to be revealed to us all, the old, the young and the yet to come.

I, Juliet Blakeney, a seventeen year-old school pupil, connect with this play which will never be out of date or lost to memories or archives. It will, I believe, always have an important place in our cultural development.

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CUT.PASTE.COLLABORATE: Passion and commitment from new collective
NASDA Theatre, E Block, CPIT, Christchurch
- reviewed by Fleur de Thier

Hahna Briggs and Miriam Marler are stand out artists in both their choreography and dancing. Their level of training is very clear in the concepts and development of their works, and both articulate their bodies with an assurance that is interesting and easy to watch.

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THE PAPER CINEMA’S ODYSSEY: Magical, exciting, transporting theatre
Theatre Royal, Nelson
- reviewed by Barbara Frame

On the left, two puppeteers sit in front of a projector. They manipulate small objects, mostly paper cut-outs – hundreds of them, exquisitely illustrated in ink. Other items include lights and their own hands. Their intricate task demands enormous skill, split-second timing and very steady hands.

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THE STATUS OF BEING: Violence, power, choice, control, and love
Q Theatre, 305 Queen St, Auckland
- reviewed by val smith

Despite the physical and emotional intensity of such issues which might be taken as personally confronting or challenging, there is a wonderful feeling of festivity and freedom of expression in watching The Status of Being. Its hard hitting provocative statements in the form of actions and images are enacted as scenes of violence, control and oppression in their more overt manifestations, but there is also an undercurrent of more subtle violence taking place between the dancers. This gives the work richness with a layering of polarities - lightness, darkness, love, struggle and the intricacies of socio-political interrelational apathy playing out.

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YO FUTURE: Uncertain Futurecast
TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs, Auckland
- reviewed by James Wenley

The Yo Future movement has been spreading across the country. First devised in Wellington in 2011, Director Jo Randerson has worked with youth from Invercargill, Hamilton, Wairarapa and asked them provocations like “What does the world look like to you?” and “what would you fight for?” to create their past, present and Yo Future.

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STONES IN HIS POCKETS: Hello hallowed hollow Hollywood
The Pumphouse, Takapuna, Auckland
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

Jones’ searing commentary on the ramifications of unacknowledged exploitation of the people whom the Hollywood industry professes to be empowering might be subsumed to a large extent by the witty conceits and caricature sketches; but the story told through the voices of a couple of ‘nobodies’, a pair of local extras, is a fitting elegy for a rapidly vanishing community.

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YO FUTURE: Unapologetically conceptual
TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs, Auckland
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

As I understand it, the innate structure of the conceptual narrative, such as it is, has been at the centre of each production of Yo Future, while every city in which it has played provides a local cast to bring their own attitudes, dreams and fears to the piece. One might be expecting a certain degree of hyperactive mania from a youth-focussed production, yet the energy is just as often subdued, even serene.

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PACIFIC DANCE PRESENTS PACIFIC CHOREOGRAPHERS: Quality performances and intelligent choreograph
Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland
- reviewed by Dr Linda Ashley

Filoi Vaila'au takes us to Samoa and her dream world in Moe Taitei. Dancing with Albert Tupuola to live guitar (Lance Su’a), song (Valerie Fasavalu) and fala (Albert Falefatu), we are given the whole Pacific cultural package with a twist. The Samoan siva is the backbone and how beautifully it is danced. Woven into a fragrant garland of flowers, sasa slaps make percussive explosions but in a contrasting range steps move softly across the floor whilst hands rotate and uncurl gracefully. In Vaila’au’s romantic dream, there are exchanges of glances and gentle touches comprising a subtle balance of shifts between solos and duets, echoing traditional form. Western salsa and a walk up the aisle offer deft touches to this warm and yet not-too-sweet story.

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THE PAPER CINEMA’S ODYSSEY: Unique evocation of universal themes
Kavanagh Auditorium, Kavanagh College, 255A Rattray St, Dunedin
- reviewed by Reuben Hilder

When the Odyssey was first composed, it is believed the epic poem was intended to be presented entirely through the medium of spoken word. One cannot help but feel that there is, then, an element of irony in the fact that only one word is spoken in the entire seventy-minute running time of the Paper Cinema’s reinterpretation of the work, nearly three thousand years later. However, the British theatre company does just fine without words.

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ONCE UPON A TIME IN WELLINGTON: No way in
BATS Theatre (Out Of Site), Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington
- reviewed by John Smythe

With no apparent motivation, apart from being unemployed and bitter, two guys conspire to abduct a young woman then show her texted photo to her husband in order to extort a ransom. But he, too, is a soulless sociopath.

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HIGH MOUNTAIN FLOWING WATER: GAO SHAN LIU SHU: Echoes an ideal of supreme communion and friendship
Glenroy Auditorium, The Dunedin Centre, 1 Harrop Street, Dunedin
- reviewed by Jonathan W. Marshall

The story of Boya dates from China’s Warring States Period, when multiple forces seeking control of the divided empire created havoc across the land, with regimes, villages, and the lives of many, constantly being interrupted or even extinguished. Boya’s tale thus offers a model of an unselfish oasis in the midst of such conflict, an all too rare moment of beauty ...

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BEYOND: Athleticism with humour, style and grace sets an incredibly high standard
Theatre Royal, Nelson
- reviewed by Gail Tresidder

Everyone in this crammed full house, including the children, is captivated and caught in the wonders we see and amazed at what the human body – and brain – can do. In many sequences, it is impressive and also surprising to see men, two or three at a time, lifted by one strong woman.

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TUT: Tut-tut, this play needs action
BATS Theatre (Out Of Site), Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington
- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson

Playwright Alice May Connolly states in a programme note that her hour long comedy, Tut, was born out of an idea to make things very hard for herself by introducing two completely different characters to each other. This she has undoubtedly achieved.

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THE RESIDENTS - NEW ZEALAND SCHOOL OF DANCE CHOREOGRAPHIC SEASON 2014: Outgoing exuberance and wonderful ability
Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland
- reviewed by Briar Wilson

The set is like a really bad decaying student renter - brown paper walls, with a door, empty fireplace, window and a set of stairs, all of which are exuberantly used for entries and exits. The dancers wear a mix of stripes, frills and short crinolines in pale blue and shades of grey (only one touch of red) that have the look of period costumes, with a suit or two for the guys.

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PROMISE AND PROMISCUITY: A NEW MUSICAL BY JANE AUSTEN: Bewitching promiscuity
Playhouse Theatre, Dunedin
- reviewed by Terry MacTavish

The plot is most entertaining, and Ashton in her pink Empire gown switches roles with well-rehearsed economy yet absolute clarity. Each character (even the horse!) has its own walk, from a strut to a prance to a waddle, its own distinctive voice and, thanks to Ashton’s extraordinarily mobile mouth, its own quirky facial expression.

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NO HOLDS BARD: Hour upon the stage enough
Fortune Theatre, Dunedin
- reviewed by Barbara Frame

Hurst, an accomplished Shakespearean actor, has great timing and he's always good to watch. His performance is highly athletic, with falls, tumbles, back flips and quite a lot of beating himself up.

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MANAWA ORA: STORIES FROM THE STREET: Say YES to seeing these stories creatively told
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland LIVE, Auckland
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

And when it starts it does so in a big way. POW. The stories pour out. Beautiful, heart-wrenching, each unique and beautiful, supported physically through their mentors standing beside them – and displaying a wealth of talent across storytelling, rap, photography, curation, song-writing and dance. It is powerful, uninhibited and true.

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KAHA (2013-14): Strong and empowering, yet playful
Regent Theatre (Dunedin), Dunedin
- reviewed by Hahna Briggs

the audience are very appreciative as evident in their enthusiastic cheers at the end and as the lights came on I notice a lot of young people in the audience. This is a great show to introduce young people to Maori contemporary dance. Kaha displays a diverse range of styles and genres within Maori contemporary dance, and at times touches on themes that I believe can engage young people, such as popular culture and the New Zealand sporting culture. In addition, young audience members, many of whom will be learning such art forms in the class room, have the chance to see how haka and pou rakau can translate into the theatre,

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NO HOLDS BARD: Wildly energetic, remarkably complex, simply superlative
Fortune Theatre, Dunedin
- reviewed by Kimberley Buchan

A good actor is bonded intimately to his character and becomes them night after night. The danger in this lies when the character begins to inhabit the actor. And what happens when more than one of your previous roles comes back to haunt you?

Michael Hurst plays a Shakespearean actor beyond the edge of reason. After playing Hamlet 181 nights in a row it is understandable that he has gone a little crazy.

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

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