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

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FRED IS COLD: Memorable production elements but leaves many questions unanswered
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
by Ben Wilson 
Directed by Neenah Dekkers-Reihana
- reviewed by John Smythe

It’s Fred the fridge who greets us first – and it’s his perspective on twenty-somethings dealing with love and loss that elevates Ben Wilson’s play above the humdrum. Despite having been stuck in the same place for twenty-something years ... Fred is surprisingly upbeat and friendly.

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BROWN – IT’S COMPLICATED: Brown: it’s not black and white
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Written & directed by Antonia Stehlin
- reviewed by Tameka Sowman

This is one charged play not to be missed. 

Brown: It’s Complicated is certainly an example of what happens when you speak through the language of laughter, and feed the audience the cold hard truths while their mouths are open with joy.

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LUNGS: Unique and intriguing
Circa Two, Wellington
by Duncan Macmillan 
Directed by Dean Hewison 
Produced by Show Pony
- reviewed by Ewen Coleman

Although rather obvious, for couples to communicate their thoughts and feelings, they need to talk, to have a conversation with each other. Which is the premise on which British playwright Duncan Macmillan has based his play Lungs, currently playing in the Circa Studio.

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Nelson Arts Festival 2016
COMMANDER CLAIRE & THE PIRATES OF PROVENCE: Jolly fun had by all
Theatre Royal, Nelson
Written by Gregory Cooper 
Directed by Mark Hadlow
- reviewed by Gail Tresidder

When it comes down to it, nothing works better in a panto than copious mentions of Poos and Wees. Terrific! Pirates and grown-ups using dirty words. So cool! 

And how the littlies do enjoy this – delighted laughter, giggles and whispers – and there are fart words and the blowing of rhubarbs. Marvellous.

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Nelson Arts Festival 2016
THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL NEW ZEALAND NAVY ABRIDGED: Impressive and gently educational
Theatre Royal, Nelson
Written by comedic playwright Gregory Cooper 
Directed by Mark Hadlow
- reviewed by Gail Tresidder

As the story unfolds, accents are produced to suit: Russian, Scottish, county Essex dialect, French and more; quick changes, along with the characters. It is nimble stuff. 

And there is sadness too and very moving moments.

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Nelson Arts Festival 2016
THE GOBLIN MARKET: Best of the Fest for this reviewer
Theatre Royal, Nelson
Director: Mike Edward 
Presented by The Dust Palace
- reviewed by Janet Whittington

Immediately awesome! A full house, standing ovation and the most common word on everyone’s lips: Spectacular! 

Performance theatre can be a bit slow to grab your heart. Or it can be high in skill and low in story value. Not so with this show.

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LIFEWORLD (IN FIVE PARTS): Accessible dance theatre
Opera House, Wellington
Choreographer: Claire O'Neil
Music: Eden Mulholland
Lighting: Natasha James
- reviewed by Leah MacLean

...Another gem is the struggle Beck finds when trying to choose a shirt to wear. The five other dancers brandish a multitude of shirts his way, chanting ‘SHIRT SHIRT SHIRT’. He goes through beautifully choreographed motions of dressing and undressing, in a strange way it keeps you on the edge of your seat. The decision takes on way more importance than necessary and I can’t help but whisper, “I relate to this on a deep level.”

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Tempo Dance Festival 2016
TAUMATA - FOUR NEW WORKS: New dance works met with applause and cheers
Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland
Choreographers: Bianca Hyslop, Taane Mete, Sarah Foster-Sproull, and Loughlan Prior
New sound compositions by Rowan Pierce, Paul McLaney, Andrew Foster
- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte (2)

Rose Philpott, Jahra Rager Wasasala, and Grace Woollett, from Foster Group, presented Sarah Foster-Sproull's Sisters of the Back Crow, a tautly intimate, ceaselessly moving, powerful trio co-developed with the dancers. Wearing simple sheaths of black or red, the women appeared to change identity by the moment, from sisters or friends to priestess and goddesses, or perhaps the mythological Furies.

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Tempo Dance Festival 2016
MEREMERE: Homecoming celebrated in beguiling dance work
Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland
Creation/Performance:    Rodney Bell
Direction: Malia Johnston
Music: Eden Mulholland
AV:    Rowan Pierce
Tikanga, Te Reo, Matauranga Maori Dramaturgy: Tui Matira Ranapiri-Ransfield
Dramaturgy: Emma Willis
Set Design: John Verryt
Lighting: Ruby Reihana-Wilson
- reviewed by Raewyn Whyte (2)

Bell ... celebrates his homecoming in Meremere, a beautifully crafted hour of beguiling storytelling interspersed with gentle audience interaction, wheelchair tricks, dancing with shadows and interactive lines of light or against video clips, with a continuous stream of gorgeous live music from Eden Mulholland. –

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LIFEWORLD (IN FIVE PARTS): Quirky, humorous and absorbing,
Globe Theatre, Palmerston North
Choreographer: Claire O'Neil
Music: Eden Mulholland
Lighting: Natasha James
- reviewed by Tania Kopytko

The work presents life in different scenarios using the movement theatre or physical theatre genre, beautiful and clever visuals (Jeremy Brick) and lighting (Natasha James) with a score (composed and arranged by Eden Mulholland) that well compliments the movement. There was amusing interplay between the lighting sound and movement with many little puns, such as the supermarket trolley lying in the stream in the “I need help” part. There is not an expansive dance vocabulary, but rather, it is more intensive and introverted and at times mimetic.

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LUNGS: Engaging, exciting, entertaining and vital
Circa Two, Wellington
by Duncan Macmillan 
Directed by Dean Hewison 
Produced by Show Pony
- reviewed by John Smythe

It’s a big ask for the actors to traverse the whole lifetime of their relationship within 70 nonstop minutes, yet Walker and Meek accomplish it with astonishing fluency, hitting the full range of emotional marks, moment by moment, with as much authenticity as one might hope to get after multiple takes over hours of shooting for just one scene.

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Nelson Arts Festival 2016
JAMIE BOWEN HEART GOES BOOM/HEAD GOES BANG: Questioning of the universe through grief-tinted glasses
Suter Theatre, Nelson
Written & performed by Jamie Bowen
Presented by Cult of Personality (2014)
Presented by Notorious Management Ltd (2016)
- reviewed by Trish Sullivan

Jamie’s real skill comes out in is his ability to take us with him on the worst journey of his life, the death of his father, whilst making it all really rather hilarious. It’s touching, but funny. Heartfelt but comical.

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Nelson Arts Festival 2016
BEN HURLEY’S EARTH PLANET WORLD: Engaging, intelligent and funny
Suter Theatre, Nelson
Written & performed by Ben Hurley 
Presented by Notorious Management Ltd
- reviewed by Ruth Allison

The hour passes quickly and the audience is delighted. Our geography is tested: Belize, The best comedian is both a little bit wrong and a little bit right according to Olga Kahzan and this is certainly Ben Hurley’s territory. This stand-up comic has the audience on his side – despite the odd joke at our city’s expense ...

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THE SKRIKER: Disturbs and delights in equal measure
Athenaeum Theatre Basement, Dunedin
A play by Caryl Churchill 
Directed and produced by Kerry Lane 
Presented by Little Scorpion Productions
- reviewed by Terry MacTavish

This play uses figures from English folklore to explore some of our deepest fears: stolen children, changelings, mothers who destroy instead of nurture, and the destruction of Mother Earth itself.

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Nelson Arts Festival 2016
NO MORE DANCING IN THE GOOD ROOM: Comedy and drama conveyed to perfection
Suter Theatre, Nelson
Created by Chris Parker with Jo Randerson
- reviewed by Janet Whittington

This is a coming-of-age story that doesn’t finish in puberty, but rather as a fully functioning adult, and is therefore more satisfying for an adult audience to watch. It is a mixed media, drama/ dance theatre show with minimal props inventively used with comic intent.

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TENNESSEE RETRO: Southern Discomfort
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
4 short plays by Tennessee Williams 
Directed by James Beaumont 
Presented by black doris project
- reviewed by Nathan Joe

Williams, quoted in the programme notes, described his one major theme to be the “destructive impact of society on the sensitive, non-comformist individual,” but the more apparent link between these four short plays (besides all being set in the deep south) seems to be the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive.

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UNDER MILK WOOD: Celebrating timeless brilliance
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland LIVE, Auckland
Guy Masterson
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

It’s no mean feat for one middle-aged man to portray allegedly 69 distinct roles of all ages, genders (the two most common ones anyway) and social bearings; his glib delivery and comfortable bedclothes belie the consummate skill required for the task.

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BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL: Class Sha in Class Gaff
ASB Waterfront Theatre, 138 Halsey St, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland
Book and Lyrics by Lee Hall 
Music by Elton John 
Original production directed by Stephen Daldry 
Auckland Theatre Company production directed by Colin McColl 
Presented by ASB
- reviewed by Sharu Delilkan and Tim Booth

It was only when we were comfortably seated that our attention was focussed on the show at hand. The moment the curtains were raised we were treated to Tracy Grant Lord’s dramatic set, with all its brick and tile character – instantly capturing the look and feel of a Northern English mining town.

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Nelson Arts Festival 2016
THE WHITE GUITAR: The truth of the Luafutu family also sets us free
Theatre Royal, Nelson
Written and performed by Fa’amoana John Luafutu, Matthias Luafutu and 
Malo Luafutu (Scribe) 
Directed by Nina Nawalowalo and Jim Moriarty 
With associate director Tom McCrory and script consultant Oscar Kightley 
Presented by The Conch
- reviewed by Daniel Allan

The actors are together alone on their journeys, and considering the juicy dramatic potential of a family of performers on stage, I want them to engage with each other more. Yet the content of their stories is so fascinating that it hardly matters.

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Nelson Arts Festival 2016
SOLOTHELLO: Original, captivating and charming
Whakatu Marae, Nelson
By Willian shakespeare and Regan Taylor 
Directed by Craig Geenty 
Presented by Te Rēhia Theatre Company
- reviewed by Daniel Allan

The plot points of the play rollick along, alternating between a mixture of Shakespeare, modern English, and Te Reo. Laughs come easily, but there is a distinct change in mood in the fatal conclusion where, silent as spirits, we are suddenly drawn into a touching and intense scene of a man murdering his mask.

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LIFEWORLD (IN FIVE PARTS): Defiant and joyous, banal and revelatory
Opera House, Wellington
Choreographer: Claire O'Neil
Music: Eden Mulholland
Lighting: Natasha James
- reviewed by Sam Trubridge

It is an entrancing production by Footnote, and it is fantastic to see how integrated the dance is with some really stunning work on sound, lighting, and AV design. It demonstrates how confident NZ dance is now working across media to develop powerful new relationships on stage. Of note is the precision with which O’Neil works with video footage to create a new dance, between this digitally produced imagery as a kind of ‘second stage’ upon the stage: one that sometimes plays with or overlaps the live performance, or elsewhere provides parallel, separate, or complementary ideas.

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SHORT+SWEET WELLINGTON 2016: Intriguing range of styles, topics and themes
BATS Theatre, The Propeller Stage, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
Festival Producer : Sums Selvarajan
Assistant Producer: Beatrice Lo
Artistic Curator: Ahi Karunaharan
- reviewed by John Smythe

Wellington’s second sortie into the Short+Sweet franchise has opened in Wellington. Eight theatre works make up the programme so – whereas Auckland’s S+S Theatre had two seasons and two wildcard shows to pick their finalists from this year – this, in effect, is also Wellington’s final line-up.

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PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL: And so you’re back… from overseas
The Civic - Auckland Live, Auckland
Book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott 
Adapted from Elliott's 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 
Directed by Simon Phillips 
Choreographed by Ross Coleman 
Produced by Allan Scott in coalition with Back Row Productions, Michael Chugg, Michael Hamlyn and John Frost 
Presented by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and Nullabor Productions
- reviewed by James Wenley

How is she looking? Aged, certainly. She can’t do everything she used to (this touring production doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of ’08). On the plus side, the bus’s exterior has been upgraded, with more flashing lights, and we’ve even got more Kylie Minogue thrown in.

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SHYLOCK: Affecting, thought-provoking, skilfully performed
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland LIVE, Auckland
By Gareth Armstrong 
Presented by Guy Masterson
- reviewed by Leigh Sykes

Masterson is funny and poignant, physical and quiet and through it all we are given a performance that places Shylock in the position created for him by history, by other characters and by our responses to him.

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

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