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

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MUSIQUE ROMANTIQUE: Skilful, spirited and heartfelt
BATS Theatre, The Propeller Stage, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Performed by Matthew Pike 
Directed by K.J Smith
- reviewed by Tim Stevenson

Here are songs of roses drooping over graves, elegiac musings at twilight, laments for the fleetingness of Life, trembling hearts dreaming of an elusive Fair One, turbulent feelings struggling to be born. The music matches the themes, is expressive and emotional, sometimes sweet, sometimes taut with passion.

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FRIDAY'S FLOCK: A resonating and memorable experience
Saleyards Café, Manchester St, Feilding
A site specific drama devised by Reihana Haronga 
Directed by Karla Haronga 
Presented by Te Puanga Whakaari Theatre Productions
- reviewed by Richard Mays

Friday's Flock is a small perfectly formed nugget of delight.

The opening night [November 17] audience filling Feilding's Saleyards Cafe responded to actor Reihana Haronga's 45-minute solo performance with a standing ovation.

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SCARLET & GOLD: An intimate epic
Circa Two, Wellington
Written by Lorae Parry 
Director/dramaturg: Kate JasonSmith 
Musical Director: Laughton Pattrick 
Choreographer: Jan Bolwell
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman

In comparison to the rest of the world, New Zealand's history is relatively short yet, within this timeframe, there have been significant events, some of international importance even, such as being the first country to allow women to vote.

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LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL: Fun, heart-warming, unexpectedly moving, very affirming
The Court Theatre, Bernard Street, Addington, Christchurch
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin 
Book by Heather Hach 
Director Stephen Robertson 
Musical Director Richard Marrett
- reviewed by Naomi van den Broek

I have never been part of an audience that so regularly breaks into spontaneous applause and cheering with such frequency during a performance. The standing ovation in the opening seconds of the curtain call is totally unsurprising and also very much deserved by the cast and creatives who bring it to life.

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SCARLET & GOLD: Timely, relevant, engaging, entertaining and thought-provoking
Circa Two, Wellington
Written by Lorae Parry 
Director/dramaturg: Kate JasonSmith 
Musical Director: Laughton Pattrick 
Choreographer: Jan Bolwell
- reviewed by John Smythe

“You wonder if it’ll ever change, don’t you,” says Waihi gold miner’s wife Katherine Beech at the end of Lorae Parry’s Scarlet & Gold; “if in a hundred years’ time, will it still be like this.” That was 1912 – and the past is now.

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THE VODAFONE SEASON OF A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM: An outstanding production in every way
St James Theatre, Wellington
Choreography: Liam Scarlett
Music: Felix Mendelssohn
Design: Tracy Grant Lord
Lighting design: Kendall Smith
Conductor: Nigel Gaynor
Arrangement and Additional Orchestration: Nigel Gaynor
- reviewed by Donna Banicevich Gera

This interpretation of Shakespeare’s work on the complexity of love seeps into my brain like a soft gentle massage. Life and love certainly hasn’t changed much since he wrote this text hundreds of years ago. It is not often you get to the end of a performance of this length and find yourself thinking ‘I wish it were longer’.

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THE SHAKESPEARE REVUE: A courageous punt
The Gleeson at the Albion Hotel, 119 Hobson Street, Auckland
Inspired by Shakespeare’s works 
Songs and sketches by Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Tom Lehrer, the Beyond the Fringe team and others 
Directed by Nick Brown 
Produced by Andrew Maher
- reviewed by Alistair Browning

With some development, I’d love to see this show continue to be performed around the country beyond its Auckland season. It’s eminently transportable and could have a revolving cast as availability suits.

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MAGICIANS OF WELLINGTON: Top drawer lo-fi trickery
BATS Theatre, The Propeller Stage, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Curated and directed by Jeremy Rolston with Kade Nightingale 
Hosted by James Nokise
- reviewed by John Smythe

The audience ranges from pre-school to over 80 and when Chelfyn Baxter needs four volunteers he makes the mistake of rejecting a very young boy. The lad’s tragic slump and Baxter’s audience-induced change of heart creates an unscheduled magic moment – and the boy’s mother joins her son on standby.

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GALATHEA INTO THE BUSH: Engaging update of a classic story
The Grand Hall, Public Trust Building, 131 Lambton Quay, Wellington
By John Lyly 
Adapted and directed by Ania Upstill 
Presented by TwinCity
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman

Cross-dressing with boys playing girls who then play boys was a feature of a number of Shakespeare's plays. It would seem however that he was not the only one writing at the time with the same ideas.

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GALATHEA INTO THE BUSH: A celebration of diversity
The Grand Hall, Public Trust Building, 131 Lambton Quay, Wellington
By John Lyly 
Adapted and directed by Ania Upstill 
Presented by TwinCity
- reviewed by Shannon Friday

Thirty years ago, New Zealand decriminalised homosexuality. Four hundred years before that, a guy named John Lyly was writing fabulous and convoluted sex comedies featuring cross-dressing boys. Enter Galathea: Into the Bush.

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THE BEAUTIFUL ONES: A high octane concoction of seduction and saliency
Lower NZI, Level 1, Aotea Centre, Auckland
Written and directed by Hone Kouka, MNZM 
Music by K*Saba and Tama Waipara 
Choreographed by Tai Paitai
Presented by Tawata Productions in association with Auckland Live
- reviewed by Tamati Patuwai

The entire cast holds a keen and very welcoming spirit, often making eye contact with the audience. This is a difficult performative style yet the whole team thrive in their characters, following the play’s dynamic with massive skill and joy.

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

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