A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including: Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience, Paper Sky: A Love Story, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer, and Manawa.

A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including: Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience, Paper Sky: A Love Story, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer, and Manawa.

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

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Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland - PAPER SKY: A LOVE STORY: Skilful integration of reality, psychology and magic

- reviewed by Johnny Givins

This is a magical, inventive, exquisitely fragile show of depth and perception.

Red Leap Theatre has launched their renewed version of Paper Sky at the Southside Festival in the Mangere Art Centre with a fresh and reinvigorated telling of an acclaimed physical theatre masterpiece.

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Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland - POTTED POTTER: THE UNAUTHORIZED HARRY EXPERIENCE: Madcap slapstick hilarious satire

- reviewed by Nik Smythe

Three and a half years ago I took my son, then seven, to see a visiting British family comedy show called Potted Potter. He found it most entertaining in spite of the fact that he hadn’t read or seen any of the books or films, and I found it equally so despite the fact I had. Now he’s ten, and has read most of the books and seen all the films, and Potted Potter is back ...

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Suter Theatre, Nelson - THE ADVENTURES OF ALVIN SPUTNIK: DEEP SEA EXPLORER: Captivates with delicacy, finesse, humour and magic

- reviewed by Gail Tresidder

No surprise then that this story of a little person, Alvin Sputnik, enchants audiences all over the world. It is exceptional and what theatre is all about.

Performed by Tim Watts with delicacy and finesse, Alvin – his puppet body a simple ball with an inner light, his legs and arms Watts’ nimble and expressive fingers – ventures out and down into the deepest depths of the sea to find his dead wife and at the same time save the world.

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Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - MANAWA: Explodes with profundity, entertainment and vision

- reviewed by Tamati Patuwai

MANAWA is the best piece of NZ Theatre that I have experienced for many years! The play explodes from the stage in an outrageous blend of beauty, horror and hilarity!

Book your tickets now and go to see this play.

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TSB Bank Mainstage, Nelson - MIKELANGELO AND THE BLACK SEA GENTLEMEN: DEAD MEN TELL A THOUSAND TALES: Darkly quirky, ironic cabaret at its best

- reviewed by Ruth Allison

The spelling of Mikelangelo, the question of whether men from the Black Sea could be ‘gentlemen’ and the fact that dead men are supposed not to be able to tell tales should be a dead cert for clues that this will be no ordinary performance.

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Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - PUKEPUKE 'O TONGA: Tempo Dance Festival: Final weekend packed with stunners

- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte

Pukepuke'o Tonga was a world premiere in the truest sense, a suite of 10 historic Tongan dances dating from 1200 AD, recovered and arranged by choreographer Sesilia Pusiaki Tatuila to ensure they will not be lost. Each dance has its own songs and rhythms, beautifully delivered by the dancers, together comprising an intimate ceremonial event arrayed for a village setting, with the performers seated on the floor and the audience looking on.

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Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland - NGA HAU E WHA: From primordial time to the near present

- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte

The dancing requires considerable strength and versatility, with extended passages of slithering, crawling and crouching and rolling at first, sculptural sequences subsequently forming mounds and clumps and tree forms, followed by vigorous sections which launch into the air with leaps that become falls and rolls, and with the dancers running in circles.

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The Pumphouse, Takapuna, Auckland - LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS: Simon's sexual revolution never simple

- reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton

It is surprising that Neil Simon's vast repertoire is hardly ever staged in New Zealand. He is regarded as America's most successful playwright and his work will be familiar to local audiences through TV or movie adaptations of Broadway hits such as The Odd Couple and Brighton Beach Memoirs.

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Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - PUKEPUKE 'O TONGA: A first for Tempo Festival, probably a first for New Zealand!

- reviewed by Margi Vaz Martin

Lighting rises slightly as three women take the stage, stepping and with gentle hand gestures, caressing the atmosphere. The red edging on their tapa cloth wraps offsets the red fabric triangles around their necks. All with long hair and a soft plait framing their joyous faces, they move with grace and precision. I notice the faces in the audience are shining back at them.

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Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland - DUETS 2012: A whirlwind of dancing

- reviewed by Roxanne de Bruyn

Duets provides some interesting ideas about what duets are. Duets are not always simply couples dancing together, but rather focus on the interactions and partnerships between people while they dance, and the roles different pairs can take. These can include sibling rivalry as they fight over a car seat, the space that comes from being far away, yet somehow close to someone you love, and the competition which can occur between two skilled performers.

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Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - SECONDARY COLOURS: The future of dance is in good hands

- reviewed by Barbara Snook

The title ‘Secondary Colours’ suggested that the items would be from Secondary Schools and while six schools were involved in the programme, there was a assortment of work that included dance from studios and youth companies, creating a rich mix. Variety was also evident with the choreographers, ranging from students to professionals. The works themselves were all worthy of inclusion in the programme.

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Court Theatre, Bernard Street, Addington, Christchurch - PACIFIC POST: A gentle homage to folk who kept calm and carried on

- reviewed by Lindsay Clark

With three New Zealand plays staged out of the five seen so far in its 2012-2013 season, the Court's commitment to local playwrights is clear. Moving from the robust farce of Dave Armstrong’s The Motor Camp (June), to the thrilling, chilling Man in a Suitcase by Lynda Chanwai-Earle (August), the Court now offers a gentle domestic compilation in Pacific Post.

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Suter Theatre, Nelson - I, GEORGE NEPIA: Issues overcome in true trouper tradition

- reviewed by Gail Tresidder

As Nepia, an old man looking back on his life, Whatarau is excellent. We believe in him, he is real. As Nepia, the young man, who “has no thoughts on strategy, he just plays” Whatarau is less convincing and seemingly, less comfortable, especially with the challenging balletic rugby moves he has to perform on an empty stage.

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Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland - SEAMLESS: A couple of charmers

- reviewed by Jesse Quaid

There is a darker side to this exploration of relationships, shadowy figures abound and happiness seems unattainable. A man eats chocolates from a box while the pair demonstrate falling in love. He eats, mechanically, compulsively as if the sweets will make everything alright. They don’t. He leaves. The emotional variations are shown to us but never deeply investigated. The music enhances this feeling, always apt, but never unexpected. At the end the spotlights slowly fade on each performer, returning them to darkness. It is a sombre note, although the final image is a boy and a girl, perched on the box seat, sharing a kiss.

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Meteor Theatre, Hamilton - ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST: Rollicking farce played at a rampaging pace

- reviewed by Brenda Rae Kidd

Pinelli allegedly jumped. Or was he pushed?

Accidental Death of an Anarchist is Fo’s interpretation of this event and life in Italy, post fascism. His bemusement at the inherent corruption and social injustices that prevailed provides the mayhem behind the humour.

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Fortune Theatre Studio, Dunedin - PUSHPANJALI: Impressive student dancers promise a great future

- reviewed by Hannah Molloy

The two dance forms from South India immersed the audience in the stories and mythologies of the area. Mohiniyattam is ‘the dance of the beautiful woman’ and Swaroopa Unni personified this with her exquisite, precise dance, makeup and costumes. Papabhaya haranam, a dance in praise of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god who removes obstacles, including fear and sadness was particularly evocative.

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Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - LILLY LOCA’S VAUDEVILLE CABARET PRESENTS THE VA-VA-VOOM BURLSEQUE SHOW: Tease in the attic

- reviewed by Jesse Quaid

Performing in the Q Loft, the always entertaining Lilly Loca’s Vaudeville Cabaret once again pulled in the crowds. The Q’s smaller space, packed with an audience happily buzzing in anticipation, provided an effective black box space, set for this show with a pair of Japanese style screens and parasols.

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Suter Theatre, Nelson - THE HERMITUDE OF ANGUS, ECSTATIC: Ecstasy and chocolate cake

- reviewed by Anna Pearson

You see, hear and read all sorts of things doing this job, but last night was the first time I had seen a man make love to a chocolate cake.

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Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland - OUT OF THE BOX 2012: Personal issues inspire hip hop choreography

- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte

The show’s format has each choreographer introduce their dance, and Bourne tells us the music was some random classical stuff he was given by a teacher when he couldn’t make up his mind what to choreograph to. Such an inspired choice! The music is very detailed and the individual notes are matched with gestures and steps , the blocks of music matched by modular spatial arrangements - triangles, wedges, diagonal and vertical lines, and the climatic crescendos trigger showy jumps and power moves. The performers have verve and look like they utterly love what they are doing, and the audience reward them with resounding cheers.

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Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland - NGA HAU E WHA: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire and Dance

- reviewed by Tia Reihana-Morunga

The narrative is rich in Nga Hau e Wha, the dancers are strong and connected. The mahi of taonga, Taane Mete and Taiaroa Royal is always to be respected as is the richness of their performance on stage. They have an organic energy that ripples through to audience. As tangata whenua whakapapa warms the work that is presented. The work is contemporary because it is present and now, the work is traditional because it is connected to wairua. The Orareka Dance Company has gifted another dance story to add to the kete of creativity distinctive to Aotearoa, New Zealand.

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Suter Theatre, Nelson - RICHARD MEROS SALUTES THE SOUTHERN MAN: A salute to the Southern Man

- reviewed by Sarah Dunn

I was greeted at the theatre door by a curly-haired man strongly resembling Arthur Meek, who wore a sharp blue suit with a real, bright pink bow tie.

“You look a bit lost,” he said. “Which seat are you in?”

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Seatoun Beach, Wellington - ADRIFT: Purposeful gathering of what was adrift becomes profoundly moving

- reviewed by John Smythe

Thus a range of sea-themed stories are floated to interweave and overlap, Adrift in the tide of timeless tales. We leave the security of the ‘fire’ to follow them.

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Civic Theatre, Auckland - MARY POPPINS: A healthy spoon-full of Poppins could improve our politicians

- reviewed by Kate Ward-Smythe

As the Sherman brothers’ timeless tunes wash over us, and the magic created by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s stunning cast and lavish production takes us to the wondrous world of Mary Poppins, for a couple of hours I forget the stresses and complexities of life and simply enjoy musical theatre and family entertainment at its best.

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Civic Theatre, Auckland - MARY POPPINS: New Mary Poppins is up there with the best

- reviewed by Janet McAllister

This Mary Poppins has a lot of expectations to fly up to. Prices are $55 to $145 with no concessions, and three generations of audience members will be comparing it to the classic 1964 Julie Andrews movie.

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The Pumphouse, Takapuna, Auckland - LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS: Real questions identified

- reviewed by Nik Smythe

As amusing as his hapless conduct is, Barney is, in effect, the straight man to the three successive, strongly comedic female characters, with each of whom he strives to reach beyond his staid existence in the hope of having a meaningfully spontaneous, unpredictable liaison, just once in his life.

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Playhouse, Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, Hamilton - FLIGHTS OF ABSURDIA: Green tea for the imagination

- reviewed by Gail Pittaway

It’s great to see Theatre Studies students devising plays that query the whole point of theatre. Detached from the angst of plot, theme and classical narrative streams, absurdist plays float in our consciousness with comical but sometimes disturbing effects.

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Greytown Little Theatre, Main Street, Greytown - THE KITCHEN AT THE END OF THE WORLD: Impressive yet curiously uninvolving

- reviewed by Michael Wilson

In a clever conceit of self-referencing, they never pretend to represent flesh-and-blood human beings, frequently referring to themselves as marionettes, with a nice running gag about their strings becoming brittle with age, looking slender etc.

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Allen Hall Theatre, Dunedin - BARE: Promising debut for new young company

- reviewed by Jennifer Aitken

This production of Bare marks the first outing for newly formed Theatre company Counterpoint. Created by young people, for young people seeking access to an industry that can be notoriously difficult to break into, Counterpoint’s aim is to provide acting opportunities and promote the stories of young people.

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Q, 305 Queen St, Auckland - TIMEDANCE AND SOMA SONGS: Accolades well-deserved

- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte

By the end of this extraordinary work, 38 minutes later, we have seen many variations on the human form. These range from real dancers performing in real time in the studio and among the strange rock formations at Castle Hill, to their movement sequences treated via 3D animation, edited, abstracted, layered, and intercut into impossible formations.

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Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - ON THE OTHER HAND: Thinking movement..... satisfyingly presented

- reviewed by Rosemary Martin

Several solos, duets, trios, quartets and group sections develop, offering sophisticated movement vocabularies and clever use of space and light. While well-rehearsed and immaculately refined, individual identities of each performer had not been lost - there was uniqueness to each performer’s movement.

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Civic Theatre, Auckland - MARY POPPINS: There really is something about Mary

- reviewed by Vanessa Byrnes

It’s ironic that a story about overcoming the odds in an economic (banking crisis) is about to rake in big bucks here in Auckland. Or perhaps not so ironic, but rather a true reflection of how successful show business works. A hit is a hit is a hit in any language or economic climate.

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Circa Two, Wellington - THE MOURNING AFTER: Charming and at points spell-binding

- reviewed by Helen Sims

The Mourning After is writer/performer Ahi Karunaharan’s “re-imagining” of life in a small Sri Lankan village rocked by the Boxing Day tsunami and a family scandal. Playing multiple characters, Karunaharan weaves a charming tale of discovery of family history and survival.

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Circa Two, Wellington - THE MOURNING AFTER: Solo play engaging, entertaining

- reviewed by Ewen Coleman

In Ahi Karunaharan’s gentle yet compelling solo piece The Mourning After, the central character is on a journey of discovery after the death of his father.

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Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - PRIME CUTS 2012: Multiple worlds inhabited by women

- reviewed by Tru Paraha

We engage with the works and spaces between, through our perplexity, contemplation, disappointment, and delight. A multiplicity of disciplines including video art, dramaturgy, choreographic research, and musical composition generates an uncanny potency.

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

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