A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including These Are The Skeletons Of Us, The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, Girl With A Movie Camera, and Loser.

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 These Are The Skeletons Of Us, The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, Girl With A Movie Camera, and Loser.

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

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BATS, Wellington - THESE ARE THE SKELETONS OF US: A compelling portrait of a 21st century twenty-somethings relationship

- reviewed by John Smythe

Having become aware, though this esteemed organ, that Aucklandwriter /director /actor /improviser Chris Neels is a creative force to be reckoned with, I have been looking forward to seeing this play at Bats. And I'm not disappointed.

Relationships will always be the stuff of drama, on stage as in life. This Guy and Girl story is idiosyncratic and true.

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Mary Hopewell Theatre, Dunedin - MADE IN NEW ZEALAND 2012 - FOOTNOTE DANCE COMPANY: Revelling in technical sophistication and athleticism

- reviewed by Jonathan W. Marshall

Each piece constitutes a short exploration of a theme, and consequently the results themselves tend to be sketch-like. Trancelike Happiness from choreographer Sarah Foster-Sproull (music Andrew Foster) and (Sex) by Ross McCormack (music Jason Wright) largely succeed in overcoming this limitation by merit of some extremely striking and idiosyncratic movement.

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BATS, Wellington - THE LARAMIE PROJECT: 10 YEARS LATER: High drama: facing up

- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson

It is, of course, not a comedy, though it’s not without humour, but an account by a theatre troupe returning to Laramie, Wyoming to discover what changes had occurred in the community ten years after the brutal murder of a young gay man, Matthew Shepard, in 1998.

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Fortune Theatre, Dunedin - GIRL WITH A MOVIE CAMERA: Highly accomplished multimedia show

- reviewed by Jonathan W. Marshall

Perhaps the most striking sequence is where the projections offer the viewpoints of a number of cameras as these are carried by the moving dancers. Images are inverted, great arcs are described, and other confusing yet invigorating distortions of space are offered. As these films play out overhead, a lone dancer comes on stage holding a video camera, and it becomes clear that she is recreating the positions that she executed when the video was produced.

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BATS, Wellington - LOSER: Low Comedy

- reviewed by Laurie Atkinson

The Whitireia Bachelor of Applied Arts Students’ production of Loser, a comedy about a school reunion, starts with a nice touch: audience members are given name tags with ‘Student’ written on them. From then on, however, it’s down hill all the way ...

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Blue Oyster Art Project Space, Dunedin - BLUE OYSTER PERFORMANCE SERIES: Making the conceptual and experiential link between performance on stage and performance in the gallery

- reviewed by Jonathan W. Marshall

The Blue Oyster Performance Series was a complex series of more than ten individual gallery works over the course of more than 18 days. The review below is divided into sections relating to individual contributions and issues, but is designed to be read as a larger piece for those with the patience.

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Otago Farmers Market | King Edward St | The Octagon, Dunedin - HOLD ONTO YOUR HORSES: Pleasurably larger-than-life characters

- reviewed by Terry MacTavish

It must be wonderful for Christchurch audiences, children included, to recognise themselves in these pleasurably larger-than-life characters, and it helps the rest of us relate to the city’s misfortune, through a charming performance style that provides both safe distance and curious intimacy.

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Corban Estate Arts Centre, Henderson, Auckland - HOU 2012 - ATAMIRA DANCE COMPANY: Compelling programme promises a strong future

- reviewed by Jesse Quaid

The warehouse space of Atamira’s new home aptly suited the style of the evening, which felt more like a sharing than a showing, although the works, on occasion, became swallowed by the space, allowing the wide apron at the front of the stage to seemingly separate the dance from the audience. The video interviews used to introduced each piece gave the audience an extra insight into the processes and concerns of each choreographer before viewing their work in progress.

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Various cafes, Dunedin - FAUX PAS: Confectionary performance

- reviewed by Jonathan W. Marshall

The theatrical conceit itself however is fairly slight. The spoken text alludes, for example, to fussy customers at cafes who ask for vegetarian, gluten-free and/or vegan meals. As someone who eats with such people on a regular basis, I must say I found the suggestion that this was inherently funny rather forced --- and a bit surprising amongst dancers, whose ranks are typically filled with such individuals.

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St Martin's Hall, Northumberland St, North East Valley , Dunedin - CABARET BOTANICA OR THE MORALITY OF PLANTS: A big bouquet to all

- reviewed by Patrick Davies

Talking House is well known in Dunedin for creating community based projects, especially in the very community-minded North East Valley. Most, if not all, performers reside in the Valley and the vast majority are not ‘performers’ per se, and are led by professionals.

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Ironic Café & Bar, 9 Anzac Ave, Dunedin - POLSON HIGGS COMEDY CLUB 2012: Flirting with calamity; immaculate timing; quirky; consummate

- reviewed by Patrick Davies (2)

The Polson Higgs Comedy Club continues this Fringe produced event with Nick Rado as host and featuring Rhys Mathewson, Abby Howells and Jeremy Elwood, and what a great way to send off the last week of the Fringe.

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The Church, 50 Dundas Street, Dunedin - LAURENTINA'S ODDYSSEY: A very cosy, pleasant evening

- reviewed by Terry MacTavish

The Fringe blurb tells us Laurentina is 30, single, unemployed, and still living with her parents. So she does what any sane person would do: she dabbles in witchcraft. This seems familiar territory, Bridget Jones stuff, except perhaps for the witchcraft.

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Sammy's Entertainment Venue, Dunedin - MILLY WONKA AND THE BURLESQUE FACTORY: Fab warm-up to disaster

- reviewed by Jennifer Aitken

Dunedin’s own Peachy Keen Girls are the warm-up act to Milly Wonka and they are fabulous. Their sultry routine is the perfect warm-up to what I have been lead to believe is going to be an exciting evening of Wonka themed burlesque.

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Q, Rangatira, Auckland - SHIP SONGS: Ship Songs Sparkles

- reviewed by Sharu Delilkan

The live band on stage kick starts the voyage dramatically, promising and definitely delivering a memorable theatrical journey.

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Q, Rangatira, Auckland - SHIP SONGS: Poignant, rollicking, tragic, lyrical, cheering and stirring

- reviewed by Janet McAllister

Chameleon storyteller Ian Hughes and composer-performer Don McGlashan are likeable, well-known talents offering an entertaining, layered evening, with the assistance of superb musicians Chris O'Connor and Dave Khan. The decision to revive this well-anchored 2008 show can't have been hard - it has wide appeal for good reason.

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Concert Chamber - Town Hall, THE EDGE, Auckland - THE MAORI TROILUS AND CRESSIDA - TOROIHI RAUA KO KAHIRA: Satirical mockery strips war of all pretensions to nobility

- reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton

The production is a remarkable testimony to the transcendent quality of Shakespeare's writing that is somehow able to speak across time and culture.

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Allen Hall Theatre, Dunedin - WOM!N IN MY LIFE: An affectionate, respectful look at women

- reviewed by Brenda Harwood

Young love, family conflict, illness and death are explored in verbatim-style docu-drama Wom!n In My Life, presented by staff and students of the University of Otago Theatre Studies Department for the Dunedin Fringe Festival.

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St James Theatre, Wellington - NYC THREE SHORT BALLETS FROM THE BIG APPLE: Director delivers flawless triple bill

- reviewed by Jennifer Shennan

The performance sizzles with style overlaying admirably secure technique, and you couldn’t fault one of the dancers throughout the entire evening. That said, several of them shone with a radiance and nonchalance that lifted the company into orbit. We wished they could have danced all night.

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St James Theatre, Wellington - NYC THREE SHORT BALLETS FROM THE BIG APPLE: Exquisite artistry on display

- reviewed by Lyne Pringle

It is rousing to sense how much the dancers in the company are relishing the new repertoire, expectations and directions that have come with Ethan Stiefel. It is stirring to sense the excitement and engagement of audiences throughout the country.

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Fortune Theatre Studio, Dunedin - GUSH: LOVE AND OTHER FILTHY HABITS: A little different, a little risqué and always fun

- reviewed by Patrick Davies

A frequent visitor to Dunners, Penny Ashton always raises a good crowd and this was the case again last night in the Fortune Studio. A lot of repeat offenders wrangled their kin and friends to come and enjoy the titillating temptress who is never afraid to let rip on ...

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BATS, Wellington - THE LARAMIE PROJECT: 10 YEARS LATER: Excellent ensemble meets important challenge head-on

- reviewed by Lori Leigh

American company, Tectonic Theatre Project, presents a style of work known as verbatim theatre. Verbatim is created by interviewing individuals, recording their words and presenting precisely (hence the name) their stories and testimonies on stage for an audience; a form of documentary theatre.

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Chingford Park (411 North Rd, NEV), Dunedin - THE FIRE OF LIFE: A JOURNEY TO THE UNDERWORLD AND BACK: Fire-born adventure

- reviewed by Kimberley Buchan

In case you weren’t aware, Hades is in North East Valley. For the next two nights you can be guided around the site-based drama at Chingford Park, brought to you by The Firebugs and a multitude of musicians, dancers and actors.

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Temple Gallery, Dunedin - HEREAFTER: Challenging theatre for those with the stomach for it

- reviewed by Terry MacTavish

Clambering up steep stairs through a tangled inner-city garden to the gorgeous Temple Gallery is an appropriately Gothic-Romantic introduction to this strange nightmarish work.

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Q, Rangatira, Auckland - SHIP SONGS: Touching, fast and witty

- reviewed by Adey Ramsel

Hughes has that cheeky appeal that makes you want to like him; the persona of a man you meet down the pub or someone you’ve only just met, yet you feel you’ve known him a hundred years. He invites you to like him and in return you don’t doubt he likes you; he talks to us as if we’re family ...

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Globe Theatre, Dunedin - PINK SPIDER MEN:  An aural and visual assault

- reviewed by Jennifer Aitken

Having seen the majority of As Is productions over the last three years, I constantly find myself at a loss when trying to extract any specific meaning behind their work. Unsurprisingly Pink Spider Men is no exception.

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Havana Lounge, cnr Moray Place and Filleul St, Auckland - DUNEDIN’S ONE NIGHT STAND… UP: Two short, funny sets the highlights

- reviewed by Patrick Davies

With the curious absence of any local stand up from usual stalwarts CIA, it’s great to see Lockie Scott jumping head first into the gap with this one night only stand. It’s been along time since I’ve been to the Havana Lounge at the back of the pool hall and the refurbished little cinema makes for a wonderfully intimate space.

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Basement Studio, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - DIALOGUE WITH A MANNEQUIN: Mercurial abstractions

- reviewed by Nik Smythe

The Corwine sisters, with the assistance of producer Steve Wrigley, have clearly spent many long hours in their living room creating all manner of structures, puppets, gadgets, costumes and props, to bring us this somewhat twee but nonetheless entrancing theatrical essay on the human condition.

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Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - LITTLE HISTORIES OF THE LIFE ORDINARY: Getting Lost in Space

- reviewed by Rosabel Tan

Little Histories of the Life Ordinary follows a girl named Frankie whose deepest desire is to travel to space. You’ll never be lonely up there, you see, and the moon is made of cabbage, so you’ll never go hungry either. Also, the Milky Way is made of milk. Problems – all of them: solved.

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Globe Theatre, Dunedin - MIND READER: A fascinating array of memory and energy tricks

- reviewed by Kimberley Buchan

Robert Haley does not claim to be a mind reader apparently, in spite of the title. His techniques descend from those that the Delphic Oracle used instead. Haley’s performance moves through acts involving a deck of cards, words, memory, energy and questions from the audience with a startling degree of accuracy.

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

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