Art Murmurs - Reviews

Tea with Terrorists

8/8/2022

Katie Hill

The Magnificent Weirdos’ Tea with Terrorists, written and performed by Sameena Zehra and directed by Sabrina Martin, is a masterful solo show where comedic storytelling combines seamlessly with warmth and intimacy making every minute count. The triumph of this show is Zehra’s unapologetic approach to every retelling of her often dark, sometimes salacious (and always funny!) tales of her life in and across Kabul, Kashmir, and the UK. The skilled nuances to Zehra’s honesty demand she is listened to in the way that never feels, just that– demanding, it’s not just honesty– it’s an unaffected conviction in her ability to hold a room.

Apartment

6/8/2022

Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin

Wellington Repertory Theatre’s show Apartment written by Tama Smith, co-directed by Smith and Belinda Campbell and production managed by Ewan Coleman is a play about us, two years ago. Apartment gives us a chance to come together, acknowledge the power of community, and compassionately reflect on how we have all navigated the storm over the past two years.

Wednesday to Come

3/8/2022

Corey Spence

Promotional image for 'Wednesday to Come'. Photos by publicist Tyler Clarke.

Having read Wednesday to Come when I studied theatre at university, I’ve always wanted to see a production of Renée’s work. It is a story of grief, of hardship, of protest, nestled within a domestic drama in New Zealand amidst the Great Depression. A struggling family must come to terms with a sudden death. At the same time, protesters are marching across the country, with aspirations of closing the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. Guided by director Erina Daniels’ careful hands and thoughtful eyes, we’re presented with an exceptional, polished production, one that’s able to bring you to laughter, to tears, and to fight, all within its 80 minute runtime.

Burrowers or the Secret Society of Notable Nuisances

16/7/2022

Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin

Knot Theatre’s show Burrowers or the Secret Society of Notable Nuisances, inspired by Charlie Mackesy’s book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, was co-written for the BATS Stage by producer Georgia Kellett and director Felix Crossley-Pritchard. The story embraces the nostalgic nature of book-like storytelling with very cute puppets and Fantastic Mr Fox-esque quippy dialogue.

Dream Garden

11/7/2022

Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin

COLOSSAL’s show Dream Garden produced by Eleanor Strathern is a non-verbal aerial circus show exploring the dream world through movement, physical comedy, and gentle audience interaction. Performed and choreographed by aerial circus artists Imogen Stone and Jackson Cordery with tech by Zane Jarvie, Dream Garden provides something beautiful for everybody. Enticing in its craft, relaxed in its confident exploration of dreams, this truly is circus for the soul.

Waiting

2/7/2022

Sarai Perenise-Ropeti

Sos and Sha Creative present Waiting in The Dome at BATS Theatre in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, a big space to fill with a one man show. Shadon Meredith takes us through his journey of self-discovery in a form that’s designed as an ode to his son. He explores his relationship with his culture, family, friends, and himself through dance, performance, and poetry.

The Adults are Talking

9/6/2022

Corey Spence

Image Description: A planner open with the phrase "THE ADULTS ARE TALKING" written and encircled. Beside it are a half-eaten banana, scrunched-up piece of paper, and a refill pad with the phrase "ON TODAY'S AGENDA: 12/05/02" written across it. A dirty coffee mug has had its contents spilled over the refill. An unironed white sheet is visible underneath these objects.

Nestled within BATS Theatre’ Studio is the intimate production of Squash Co. Productions’ The Adults are Talking, where the audience takes on roles as COMM121 students at Victoria University of Wellington in 2002. The tutor (Dennis Eir Lim) briefs us on our ‘assignment’ and we enter, sitting at a round table (courtesy of Ben Purdie, the scenographer, and Jack McGee, co-scenographer). What follows is a 40-minute political farce between a rather fractured Students Association; president Sasha Curtis (Phoebe Caldeiro) is desperately trying to manage her position, her safety, and arguably her sanity, while her male collaborators (if you could call them that) seem thoroughly uninteresting in anything that isn’t partying disguised as ‘student wellbeing’. She has the support of Amy Mills (Anna Barker), who, in contrast to Sasha, makes her disgust and disappointment in the rest of the team very bluntly known.

Presenting... The Tiwhas!

8/6/2022

Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin

Ghostlight Productions show Presenting… The Tiwhas! is an explosive introduction to Jthan Morgan (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Magiagi, Sapapāli’l, Lotofaga), Slay West (Tainui) and Raureti Ormond (Ngāti Tuwharetoa) and their jaw-dropping, stage-owning, face-melting, wig-snatching drag; this takatāpui trio give some of the best energy I’ve ever seen given in a show at Circa.

ROPE

7/6/2022

Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin

Wellington Repertory Theatre’s show Rope, written by Patrick Hamilton in 1929 and directed by Helen Cashin and Paul Stone, is no classic whodunnit, because we know who did it right from the start. It follows a party unfolding from the perspective of the hosts, two high-key psychopaths and low-key lovers, Wyndham Brandon (Slaine McKenzie) and Charles Granillo (Tom Foy) and the tension of the piece comes from their evasiveness of their guests sleuthing and joking instead of from a hunt for clues.

Girls & Boys

1/6/2022

Emilie Hope

Sabrina Martin performing in Girls & Boys by Dennis Kelly. Photo credit: Roc+ Photography.

All hail angry women. They’re the activists, change makers, and history makers. Girls & Boys by Dennis Kelly, brought to us by Red Scare Theatre Company, is a solo show with an angry woman. Directed by James Kiesel and performed by Sabrina Martin, this show has a grit and a humour that keeps you entirely entranced for the 100 minutes – no intermission – performance that receives a standing ovation on opening night.

Bunny

22/5/2022

Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin

SquareSums&Co’s show Bunny, written, directed and performed by Barnie Duncan and produced by Yee Yang ‘Square’ Lee is a love letter to clubbing and an exploration of dealing with grief. Made in the weeks following the death of his mother, Robyn, Duncan brings this iteration of Bunny to BATS with a year of development under its belt, having been made for the 2021 Comedy Fest.

UNDOING

9/4/2022

Emilie Hope

What I love about dance shows is that (much like a certain cereal’s slogan) you only get out what you put in. This review will be a reflection on my experience – yours may not necessarily be the same. I always come to dance shows with an open mind, ready to be swept away. UNDOING is a new dance theatre work by House of Sand, produced, directed, and choreographed by Eliza Sanders and performed by 11 incredibly talented dancers.

Boys, Wake Up!

6/4/2022

Corey Spence

When I think of Aotearoa, our penchant for binge drinking definitely makes the top five. It isn’t surprising, then, that theatre and literature of Aotearoa has a fascination with attempting to critique, inspect, and unpack why this problem is so ingrained in our little slice of the globe. Enter Boys, Wake Up! – a devised theatre piece, co-directed by Jackson Burling and Bella Petrie, brought to us by Brick Haus Productions.

It is a classic narrative: four laddish teenagers – Ezra (Renata Mahuika), Cameron (Caleb Pedro), Bradley (Isacc Andrews), and Jamie (Jackson Burling) – drink to excess at a party, one suggests they’re sober enough to drive, and eventually calamity ensues… It’s all downhill, quite literally, from there.

The Spitfire Grill

25/3/2022

Austin Harrison

It’s a rainy Wednesday night. There are only two shows on in Wellington this week, and I’m stoked to be heading to the Gryphon Theatre for one of them. The Spitfire Grill promises to be a nostalgic look at small town America in the 70s, based on the 1996 film of the same name. The production premiered in 2001 off-Broadway and has taken 21 years to make its New Zealand premiere. Tonight is that night and, being a Wellington Repertory opening night, there is free food and drink and a warm buzz that immediately leaves the wind and rain outside.

Satan vs God

12/3/2022

Austin Harrison

It’s 2022 and this year’s Fringe has over 20 online offerings, including C-Arts’ programme of international events from around the world. Finding myself in isolation because of you know what, I’m excited to take a digital dive. My first online show of Fringe is DGP Production’s Satan vs God. This production is beamed all the way from Florida, USA, and I regret that I’ll have to teach them the meaning of “yeah…nah”.