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

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WILD DOGS UNDER MY SKIRT: Anguished misfits show their teeth
Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland
by Tusiata Avia 
Directed by Anapela Polataivao 
Presented by FCC
- reviewed by Paul Simei-Barton

The poems take us beyond the familiar picture of Pacific Island life and present a deeply personal vision of cultural collisions that have created a fragmented, damaged world teeming with vivid, life-affirming images.

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WHEN WE DEAD AWAKEN: A rarefied atmosphere of psychological and metaphysical intrigue
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
A Henrik Ibsen play 
Adapted from the translation by Wlliam Archer
by Director Iris Henderson and Assistant Director Catriona Tipene 
Presented by Walking Shadows & Alexander Sparrow Productions
- reviewed by John Smythe

I believe the way Walking Shadows’ Director Iris Henderson and her Assistant Director Catriona Tipene have trimmed and amended the stodgy language in William Archer’s 1903 translation of When We Dead Awaken, then approached the staging and characterisation, would have delighted the late Sir Tyrone.

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WILD DOGS UNDER MY SKIRT: Compelling, genuine, funny and intriguing
Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland
by Tusiata Avia 
Directed by Anapela Polataivao 
Presented by FCC
- reviewed by Leigh Sykes

The audience clearly recognises many of these characters and enjoys seeing them brought to life by this skilful group of actors. We are introduced to authentic voices and situations that open our eyes to aspects of life that may seem familiar on the surface, and yet have depths of which we may be unaware.

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SHU'S SONG: A clever, poignant theatre experience for any developing imagination
Expressions Arts & Entertainment Centre - Upper Hutt, Wellington
Created by Laura Gaudin, Rachel Callinan & Gina Moss 
Presented by Capital E National Theatre for Children
- reviewed by Tess Jamieson-Kahara

Shu's timid demeanour in the mundane environment makes it easy for us to empathise. The more Shu starts to explore his/her environment, making friends with different office equipment along the way, the more engaging and delightful the ride gets.

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Going West Book and Writers Festival 2016
STRANGE AND WONDERFUL PROGRAMME B: Impressive scripts
Te Pou Theatre, 44a Portage Road, New Lynn, Auckland
From Gary Henderson’s Graduate Playwriting Studio
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

Great performances come from welding actors and directors to excellent texts and all four of these actors do their job very well indeed. I have found my wee gem. It is The Albatross by Cath Harkins.

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EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES: A trend you can buy into
Tararua Tramping Club, 4 Moncrieff St, Mt Victoria, Wellington
By Guy Langford 
Directed by Deborah Rea 
Presented by KidzStuff Theatre for Children
- reviewed by Moana Ete

I do believe these classic adaptations are an opportunity to succinctly express the real-time concerns we have for the next generation while allowing us to investigate the less desirable aspects of adult behaviour through the lens of a child. And it’s not hard to derive more key messages from this exuberant production of Emperor’s New Clothes.

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A LION IN THE MEADOW AND OTHER STORIES: Childhood: a time when anything’s possible
The Pumphouse, Takapuna, Auckland
Based on A Lion in the Meadow, Leaf Magic and The Witch in the Cherry Tree, and the poems Magic and The Reluctant Hero, or Footprints in the Snow 
By Margaret Mahy 
Adapted for the stage by TIM BRAY 
Songs by CHRISTINE WHITE 
Incidental music by NICK GARRETT 
Staged by kind permission of Playmarket
Presented by Tim Bray Productions 
Celebrating 25 years (1991 – 2016)
- reviewed by Kathleen Mantel

Adults don’t always see what children see. There is a sadness, a sense of loss that comes through in the play. David’s Mother is lovely and caring but she has lost the window into a child’s world. Only children have that. Their imaginations are endless.

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Going West Book and Writers Festival 2016
STRANGE AND WONDERFUL PROGRAMME A: Considerable scope and potential
Te Pou Theatre, 44a Portage Road, New Lynn, Auckland
From Gary Henderson’s Graduate Playwriting Studio
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

As a result I have to say I was pretty excited at being invited to review a season of new plays written by students of Gary Henderson and staged under the title ‘Strange and Wonderful’ as part of the Going West Book and Writer’s Festival at Te Pou, by far my favourite venue, as part of their Studio Season, 2016.

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BANGING CYMBAL CLANGING GONG: Off Beat
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Written and Performed by Jo Randerson 
Presented by Barbarian Productions
- reviewed by Rachael Longshaw-Park

Banging Cymbal, Clanging Gong is once again brought to life fifteen years after its debut by writer Jo Randerson. The show promises to be a raucous event pioneered by a tartan wearing, foul mouthed punk figure who navigates her ancestry and personal philosophy throughout the show.

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VANILLA MIRAKA: Awkward Appropriation
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Written and performed by Hayley Sproull 
Directed by Jo Randerson 
Taki Rua Productions
- reviewed by Nathan Joe

Whether she’s giving her mihi or swinging her poi, she grapples awkwardly with the traditions of her heritage, inviting us to laugh with and at her. At its most straightforward, this is a comedy about a white-passing woman trying to be more Maori and struggling.

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SWEENEY TODD THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET: Fleet Street Clean Sweep
The Civic - Auckland Live, Auckland
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim 
Book by Hugh Wheeler from an Adaptation by Christopher Bond
Originally Directed by Harold Prince 
Originally produced on Broadway by Richard Barr, Charles Woodward, Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards.
In Association with Dean and Judy Manos.
Directed by Stuart Maunder 
Conducted by Benjamin Northey 
A New Zealand Opera co-production with Victorian Opera 
By arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd Exclusive agent for Music Theatre International (NY).
- reviewed by James Wenley

While he has never stayed in one place for all that long, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, first seen in 1979, has continued to set up his establishment in production after production world-wide.

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HOOK-UP BOYS: A Satyrical Satire
Basement Theatre Studio, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Written and directed by Bruce Brown 
Presented by BRB INC.
- reviewed by Tim George

Attraction and frustration are at the heart of Hook-Up Boys, an anthology of short plays about a series of eclectic gay couplings. Among the scenarios on are two high school friends recognising their mutual attraction; an internet hook up gone wrong; and a one night stand that becomes far more complicated than expected.

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HOOK-UP BOYS: Fabulous, fragile, raw, vulnerable, unique …
Basement Theatre Studio, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Written and directed by Bruce Brown 
Presented by BRB INC.
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

Hook-Up Boys is exceedingly good theatre and Legacy Project founder Bruce Brown, always an excellent practitioner, would seem to be absolutely on top of his game. The technicals are refined and supportive, the acting is at times sublimely good, the direction clipped and economic but it’s the script – Brown’s acute observations of his community and his compassion for his fellow men – that is the most laudable.

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BANGING CYMBAL CLANGING GONG: Touches the bleeding Barbarian heart
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
Written and Performed by Jo Randerson 
Presented by Barbarian Productions
- reviewed by Candice Lewis

The effect is comic and compelling: what will she do next? She tells us stories, overblown and preposterous; expresses pride in the role of Barbarian, delight in the dirty underdog. We are laughing yet I feel guarded, waiting, wanting to know what this is really about. Then it happens ...

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

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