A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including: The Vance Fontaine Big Band Happy Hour, Neang Neak’s Legacy, and I Betty Ya Didn’t Know This About Colonial New Zealand.

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

A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including: The Vance Fontaine Big Band Happy Hour, Neang Neak’s Legacy, and I Betty Ya Didn’t Know This About Colonial New Zealand.

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

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Gryphon, Wellington - NEANG NEAK’S LEGACY: A rare opportunity to see hidden realities brought to light

- reviewed by John Smythe

A large Cambodian contingent on opening night certainly appreciates seeing their own experiences reflected. It is equally important that we more entrenched Kiwis who have become their neighbours and share our daily lives with them – even, and especially, if we are unaware of that because they ‘service’ our lives – take this opportunity to see this world from their perspective.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - I BETTY YA DIDN’T KNOW THIS ABOUT COLONIAL NEW ZEALAND: A highly entertaining pastiche

- reviewed by John Smythe

On opening night the majority of audience seem to know the actors, so the crucial performer-audience bond that Music Hall thrives on is effortlessly achieved with a wink that’s as good as a nudge, so no more need be said. For a ‘GP’ audience on other nights, however, I’m guessing the usual conventions for warming up the audience and getting them on side may need to be employed.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - CHUMP CHANGE: A snapshot that could do more

- reviewed by John Smythe

This Anna Shaw-directed Chump Change is a devised work that tells us quite a lot at a factual level about Sandy (Comfrey Saunders), the runaway daughter of an alcoholic solo mother, and sketches in five other young people who inhabit the streets with little purpose beyond basic survival.

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Circa Two, Wellington - MIDSUMMER – A PLAY WITH SONGS: Raunchy rom-com worth the wait

- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson

It’s amazing that it has taken so long for this raunchy mid-life crisis romantic comedy about two 35 year olds that premiered in Edinburgh in 2008 to finally reach New Zealand.

It’s a funny, arresting, touching two-hander about Helena, a hard drinking divorce lawyer in an unhappy affair with a married man and Bob, a small-time crook with an unfulfilled desire to be a modern day wandering minstrel.

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The Civic – THE EDGE, Auckland - WICKED THE BROADWAY MUSICAL: The Emerald City in Auckland City
- reviewed by James Wenley

For its 75th Anniversary, The Wizard of Oz is currently playing in the United States in a re-release converted into Imax 3D. Flogging a dead horse of a different colour? Not at all. While gimmicky (the word is that it’s a rather special experience), it proves the remarkable ongoing legacy and endurance of MGM’s 1939 film masterpiece.

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The Civic – THE EDGE, Auckland - WICKED THE BROADWAY MUSICAL: A Wicked Night Out

- reviewed by Sharu Delilkan

We knew we were in for an awesome spectacle as we approached the green carpet leading up to the entrance of The Civic. The opening night audience was clearly in the ‘Wicked’ spirit, evident by the emerald green outfits and hair dyes that lit up The Civic foyer–a refreshing sight in contrast to the otherwise monochromatic outfits that typify JAFA opening nights.

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Torbay Community Hall, Auckland - ESCAPE ARTISTS: Tight ensemble provide lively dancing
- reviewed by Briar Wilson

The group achieved a uniformly good standard of movement that makes them a tight ensemble. No one stands out as being a better dancer than the others - perhaps this is not surprising considering how long they have all been dancing!

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Circa Two, Wellington - MIDSUMMER – A PLAY WITH SONGS: Buoyant, magical, dreamlike yet true

- reviewed by John Smythe

Turning 35: that’s a predictable crisis in adult life. Being a sister’s bridesmaid yet again: that can be quite discombobulating too. Not to mention …

Well no, I’d better not mention the other causes that produce this particular brand of midsummer madness because the way they’re revealed is part of the fun of this immensely enjoyable play, with music ...

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The Civic – THE EDGE, Auckland - WICKED THE BROADWAY MUSICAL: What a ride
- reviewed by Kate Ward-Smythe

Green is the new black. From the moment Glinda’s entrance, all bubbles and mirth, transports us into WICKED’s Land of Oz, the opening night audience’s reaction is enthusiastic. We remain upbeat, throughout the first half especially, with generous applause, and to cap it — a well-deserved standing ovation.

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The Civic – THE EDGE, Auckland - WICKED THE BROADWAY MUSICAL: Wicked fun and frivolity fit for family

- reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton

Musical reinterpretation of classic American fairytale captures the irrepressible optimism

The iconic American fairytale with its catalogue of strange symbols and puzzling metaphors proves to be fertile ground for a musical extravaganza that conjures up intriguing back-stories for the wonderfully weird inhabitants of Oz.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - SHAKESPEARE: AS YOU WRITE IT: Long form mash-up v short form games
- reviewed by Shannon Friday

The audience requests are front-loaded here; once we select the main character's major quality /flaw (generosity), the setting (Renaissance Italy), and the Hollywood movie that will get re-made as a Shakespearean play (Mean Girls, with a nod to Terminator 2), our role is pretty much done for the night.

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Court Theatre, Bernard Street, Addington, Christchurch - SNAP!: Cheerfully heavy hand subtracts the spice of subtlety

- reviewed by Lindsay Clark

The plot is a comparatively simple one. A volatile diva is in recuperative residence at a luxurious and isolated retreat on a New Zealand lake, dodging a phantom reporter /photographer who seems bent on undermining her career and maybe threatening more. The inspector is there to accompany his artist wife, who has been commissioned to paint a portrait of the famous singer.

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San Francisco Bathhouse, 171 Cuba St, Wellington - CABARET L’AMOUR: Entertaining, colourful, sparkly, ‘tight’
- reviewed by Maryanne Cathro

When Wellington got its earthquake shimmy on last month, Cabaret L’Amour had to cancel its August show at Bats Understudy Bar, as the city emptied out for the evening.

Not to be held back by a mere force of Nature, producer Courtney L’Amour rescheduled for 20 September at The San Francisco Bathhouse. The weather tried again to thwart the show, this time with a thunder storm.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - STUCK IN THE MIDDLE: The secret to world peace?
- reviewed by Maryanne Cathro

The final show of the NZ Improv Festival finds Rik Brown stuck in the middle of the stage with comedians to the left of him, jokers to the right. Festival participants not on stage for this final show pack out the Bats auditorium; the atmosphere crackles with energy and good will.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - CHORAL GRIEF: Helping to end the festival on a high note

- reviewed by Hannah Smith

As the improv festival draws to a close BATS is filled with buzzing improvisers chatting away at the tops of their voices – proving, if anyone was in any doubt, that they can make plenty of noise. This is further displayed in Choral Grief, bringing together a twenty plus cast from around the festival into a motley community choir.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - THE VANCE FONTAINE BIG BAND HAPPY HOUR: A concept that just keeps giving and giving

- reviewed by John Smythe

To cap the fourth day of this week’s NZ Improv Festival, Vance (Greg Ellis) has invited all participants with an instrument or voice to pitch in – and some dozen or more do just that to the delight of a highly appreciative audience. Late night on a Friday in the Bats Understudy Bar, it could well be a recipe for chaos if they were not all highly accomplished improvisers.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - THE 121 CONNECTION: Profound, poetic, perceptive

- reviewed by John Smythe

There’s a lot going on in this format. The one and only audience ‘ask-for’ is what does summer mean to us? Swimming, says someone. Which means? Freezing, I’m sure they said but Derek hears it as Freedom and someone adds Fear to the mix.

So the opening duo – Matt and Marc – find themselves being ice fishermen contemplating a swim in icy waters.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - ENID UNTOLD: Jolly good show. Hoorah!

- reviewed by Hannah Smith

Blyton is perfect fodder for a long form improv structure. The narratives are formulaic with satisfying story points, and once the goodies and baddies are set up everyone knows exactly how things will pan out. Adventure! Mystery! Gypsies! Ginger Beer!

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - TIME LORD: Unlikely hero saves the day
- reviewed by Phoebe Smith

For any fans of Doctor Who, Improv show Timelord, created and directed by David Innes, will be a most enjoyable indulgence. The company have an excellent grasp of their genre, both structurally and also in terms of humour and character types.

Friday’s opening night audience is treated to the episode, The Telescope of Notre Dame. We are told in Innes’ introduction that this has been pulled out of a bowl of suggestions ...

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Aurora Centre, Christchurch - FAULT LINES: Quake art
- reviewed by Paul Young

The dancers of the Leshan Song and Dance Troupe have impressive technical capacity. When in comfortable choreographic territory, they cut clearly and concisely through the space, executing some remarkable acrobatic technique and showing they are very comfortable with a kind of traditional dramatic movement communication

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Whitireia Performance Centre, 25-27 Vivian Street, Wellington - JANE EYRE THE MUSICAL: See them while you can
- reviewed by Jo Hodgson

I ready my pen and paper, sit back and prepare to be transported. And transported I am; from the hauntingly beautiful opening notes from Michael Nicholas Williams on piano and Elena on violin, I am transfixed.

Transfixed by the melodies, by the story and particularly by Awhimai Fraser in her portrayal of Jane Eyre, the centre of this tragic and romantic tale.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - THRIFT SHOP: Not their best work

- reviewed by Hannah Smith

This premise is loose, and the show is looser. At the outset, the contract of engagement is not clear, and the open-ended provocation ‘costumes and props’ leads to a series of scenes in which two wackily dressed characters say wacky things to one another. Story and character development are not priorities, and the result is a succession of dialogue scenes with even more absurdist characters and surreal stereotyping than the improv-usual.

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Rudolf Steiner School Theatre, Christchurch - ON THE UPSIDE-DOWN OF THE WORLD: A rare articulation of early colonial experience

- reviewed by Erin Harrington

Here’s some history that’s not in many accounts of the early years of colonial New Zealand: Lady Ann Martin and her husband William, the first Chief Justice of New Zealand, arrive in New Zealand in 1841, ostensibly on an excursion to bring civilisation to the heathens and uphold the values (both good and rapacious) of the British Empire.

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BATS Out-Of-Site Understudy Bar, Wellington - PUNDEMONIUM: Razing the bar?
- reviewed by Charlotte Simmonds

As you can imagine, there are two ways a pun-off battle can go, either horribly wrong or wrong.

Fortunately, the whole thing involves some stellar comedians and experienced performers and improvisers, so it all goes only wrong. Which is great, because it is the late show at Understudy ...

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - INTO THE DARK CAVE: Wildly unfamiliar stories
- reviewed by Charlotte Simmonds

The idea of children’s sleepover is perfectly captured with sheets and blankets and pyjama-clad cast members. Mum comes in and tells everyone to get down and be quiet, we can sing one song together and then we have to go to sleep, and she’s got work in the morning, and if she has to get up again in the night she’s going to be “f---ing ropeable,” at which we all titter furiously before trying our best to hush.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - CUT TO THE CHASE: Bare bones clatter and sometimes dance
- reviewed by Caoilinn Hughes

A less forgiving audience might have heckled the go-to sex jokes: goat-buggerers, let-me-slip-on-this-plastic-glove, lip-biting waiters serving up cupped meatballs. This limp humour isn’t because of laziness, quite the opposite: the four Auckland-based performers are enthusiastic and energetic and have clearly worked together for some time.

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Fortune Theatre, Dunedin - GIFTED: Narrative weighs on Sargeson play
- reviewed by Barbara Frame

Patrick Evans’ newest play is based a well-known episode in New Zealand’s literary history: the 16 months in 1955 and 1956 when Janet Frame lived and wrote in an army hut at Frank Sargeson’s Takapuna home.

Sargeson is the major character here, and for much of the time he addresses the audience directly, giving the play something of the air of a monologue and a memory piece.

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

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