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

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THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE SINGS: Unpretentious charm and high quality
BATS Theatre, The Propeller Stage, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Written by Francesca Emms 
Directed by Adam Macaulay 
Presented by Wanderlust Productions 
A family-friendly one-woman Julie-loving self-help song-book sing-a-long!
- reviewed by John Smythe

This show is in no way a send-up, except of Georgina herself, in a gently self-deprecating way. Amid the relaxed telling of the story of her fixation with Julie, Georgina’s exquisite soprano voice faithfully honours Julie Andrews’ qualities ...

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SMELLS LIKE XMAS: Offers whiffs of Christmas’s various, sometimes nefarious, aromas
BATS Theatre, The Heyday Dome, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Devised and performed by Rachel Baker, Joel Baxendale, Freya Sadgrove, Mouce Young and Maria Williams 
Directed by Joel Baxendale 
Presented by Binge Culture
- reviewed by John Smythe

There is method in their gaucheness, of course. They are not here to teach us anything or tell us what’s right, wrong, good or bad. Smells Like Xmas provokes each of us to consider where we stand on the meaning and purpose of ‘Xmas’ ...

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THE BETTER BEST POSSIBLE ALBUM PARTY THAT ANYBODY HAS EVER BEEN TWO: Frivolous content grounded in truth makes sophisticated, engaging, beautiful satire
BATS Theatre, The Propeller Stage, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Kate McGill and Frith Horan
- reviewed by Moana Ete

The genre is satirical comedy. Indeed, as the show title and on-the-money poster design (William Duignan) suggest, the satire is aimed at the music industry and the idea of celebrity itself. Wellington shows up and shows love tonight. The vibe is positively ‘feirce’.

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CHARLEY’S AUNT: Cast deliver cross-dressing comedy at cracking pace
Globe Theatre, 104 London St, Dunedin
By Brandon Thomas 
Directed by Brian Beresford
- reviewed by Barbara Frame

In the manner of all the best farces, very little goes according to plan, identities become confused, misunderstandings multiply and contrivances grow increasingly desperate.

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CHARLEY’S AUNT: As perfectly suited to the season as apricot bliss balls
Globe Theatre, 104 London St, Dunedin
By Brandon Thomas 
Directed by Brian Beresford
- reviewed by Terry MacTavish

Why on earth are we eternally amused by a man in a dress? Charley’s Aunt, with plot and humour based on little else,has been an amazingly successful play from its inception in 1892 through its London run of nearly one and a half thousand performances, to recent sell-out revivals on Broadway.

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PANGO/BLACK: Spiritual and thought provoking
Opera House, Wellington
Choreography：Moss PATTERSON
Live Music：James Webster (Taonga Puoro - Traditional Maori Instruments)， Shayne Carter (Electric Guitar) Soundscore：Peter HOBBS
Lighting：Jonny CROSS
AV Design：Rowan PIERCE
Set：Robin RAWSTORNE
Costume：Ruth WOODBURY
- reviewed by Donna Banicevich Gera

The six male dancers give a strong, fully committed, mesmerising performance, with the commitment to the story they are telling clearly apparent.

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THE SANTA CLAUS SHOW 2016: Beautifully told morality tale
The Pumphouse, Takapuna, Auckland
by Tim Bray 
songs by Christine White 
incidental music by Nick Garrett 
directed by Tim Bray 
by arrangement with Playmarket
- reviewed by Patrick Kelly

But what is magic about this show is that Tim refreshes the show every year. With new music arrangements, costumes (though some are still from the original production in 1991!), actors (though Tim Raby is still from the original production in 1991!) and new toy characters.

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THE OPENING NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS: Levin la Vida Loca
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Tom Sainsbury, Kura Forrester, Brynley Stent, Byron Coll + guests
- reviewed by Tim George

Shadows of the North Pole is one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen. Written and directed by Rosa-Lynne Martin Shanks (Kura Forrester), it features a cast of amateurs less convincing than that time your little sister forced you and the rest of your family to watch her one-woman show about — oh, who cares, you get what I mean.

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LYSISTRATA: Romps along to a delicious climax
Papa Hou Theatre at the YMCA, 12 Hereford Street, Christchurch
by Aristophanes 
Created by Holly Chappell, Tom Eason, Eden Cotter-Longworth and The Company 
Directed by Holly Chappell 
Featuring The Court Youth Company
- reviewed by Karen Hallsworth

This ribald adaptation makes clever use of limited space to powerful effect. Audience members are led through a war-zone en route to the performance space. The sensory overload of the chaos and destruction of the war-zone sets us up well to hear Lysistrata’s denunciation of war and its futility ...

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SAU E SIVA COMPANY PRESENTS LALELEI: An aesthetic that defies conventional categories
Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland
Choreography by Sau E Siva Company: 
Troy Tu’ua, Italia Hunt, Epine Bob Savea, Leki Bourke, 
Idaleen Ati & Jill Karapani 
Musical Direction by Nathan Peseta
- reviewed by Dione Joseph

The ensemble are a collective tour de force and each one of them has such potential to change, sculpt, and contribute to theatre and dance. Under the musical direction of Nathan Paseta and Pene Ueta, the ensemble allows much more than a story to simply come alive, they bring the fabric of the world from which it was constructed into immediate proximity for the audience.

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CHRIST ALMIGHTY!: Starts on a high note and ends upbeat and sweaty
Inch Bar, 8 Bank St, Northeast Valley, Dunedin
Written by Natalie Medlock and Dan Musgrove
Presented by Counterpoint
- reviewed by Hannah Molloy

Counterpoint Productions’ Christ Almighty is hilarious. Performed in a tiny space in a corner of local haunt Inch Bar, the cast has to pick their way through the packed in audience to the miniscule stage and they make full use of this opportunity for audience interaction!

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THE OPENING NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS: A feel-good festive feast well worth experiencing
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Tom Sainsbury, Kura Forrester, Brynley Stent, Byron Coll + guests
- reviewed by Leigh Sykes

While paying homage to the sometimes not terribly good shows seen in some amateur dramatics societies, the show is spot on in poking fun at many different targets (Auckland especially) through the in-jokes and sometimes fraught relationships that many of those in the audience appear to recognise.

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

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