Art Murmurs - Reviews

The Surprise Party

23/1/2020

Emilie Hope

I must admit that I should probably know more about New Zealand’s political climate than America’s. I must admit that I was never attracted to the ego-inflating job of running the country. I must admit that I wouldn’t have been jumping up and down to see The Surprise Party if I hadn’t been reviewing it. But should you go and see it? I was pleasantly surprised by the production (see what I did there?) and so yeah, you definitely probably should.

The Surprise Party by Dave Armstrong, and directed by Conrad Newport, is about a tiny left-wing party made up of eccentrics that manages to get itself into parliament. And not just get themselves in. They end up being the only party in the Beehive and govern the country alone.

A Traveller's Guide to Turkish Dogs

21/1/2020

Austin Harrison

A Traveller’s Guide to Turkish Dogs is a delightful true story full of Turkish legends, colourful characters and the sort of love unique between a person and their dog.

Massive Crushes

7/12/2019

Sara Hirsch

Massive Crushes (Mulled Whine in association with My Accomplice) is a tasting menu of monologues served up on a platter of sex, death and flirtatious neuroticism. Nine deliciously depraved stand-alone solo pieces effortlessly weave their way through the highs, lows and lower-stills of love, lust and the femme experience. Expert storytelling, keen direction and powerhouse performances make this a must see show. Honestly, go see it now. Whatever you had planned, this will be better.

UMA LAVA

26/11/2019

Corey Spence

UMA LAVA, written by Victor Rodger and directed by Vela Manusaute, slams three narratives of three different lives together in the same breathing space. Three unlikely opposites find themselves thrust into a dingy, inescapable room, and coexistence seems impossible between the three. UMA LAVA could be a statement about the sacrifices people of colour make to survive and the potholes on the road to success within a society that historically places them second. But its focus, and main commentary, is on why people should be less garbage and open their eyes to the decisions and choices they make.

NZSD Graduation Season 2019

23/11/2019

Lizzie Murray

Power, grace and creativity shine as part of this year’s New Zealand School of Dance Graduation Season. Eight professionally produced performances highlight this year’s immensely talented graduates. With minimal set for each segment, the stories told by the students’ movement take focus. Together the pieces deliver strong bonds on stage and with the audience. Graduation 2019 promises a crisp glimpse into each students' bright future in dance.

Breaks

16/11/2019

Lizzie Murray

What does a bit of smoko gossip, an orphanage escape, a post-kids divorce and writer’s block all have in common?

The 2019 Long Cloud Youth Theatre presents Breaks, a worthwhile dreamlike escape from everyday life. Written by Ben Wilson and directed by Keegan Bragg, this ambitious show offers an eclectic collection of stories inspired by the concept of breaks and all its forms. It is whimsical, dark, funny and not entirely what I expected.

Four Nights in the Green Barrow Pub

16/11/2019

Jenny Nimon

Red Scare Theatre Company is back again—this time with Kieran Craft’s Adam NZ Play Award Shortlisted (2019) and Playwrights b4 25 Highly Commended (2018) play, Four Nights in the Green Barrow Pub, directed by Cassandra Tse. Hosted in the upstairs bar space at JJ Murphy’s on Cuba Street, this show is a warm-hearted piece of Irish theatre about a whirlwind gay romance.

Monster Songs

25/10/2019

by Laura Ferguson

Heading into the Random Stage at BATS the stage is lit in a red ambience, an actual stage elevated above the seating area, a rarity for BATS. The smoke machine is swirling, the band in the corner is thumping out an upbeat bass and the hairs on the nape of my neck are tingling with anticipation. Monster Songs is a supernatural pop concert filled with songs we love from pop and other from musical theatre, centred around monster-themed tunes. I love Hallowe’en, it’s my favourite time of year, so I was giddily looking forward to the show starting.

The Newlyweds: Double Date

19/10/2019

Jenny Nimon

Photo credit: Katie Hill

Real life newlyweds Eleanor Stankiewicz and Marcel Blanch-de Wilt invite improvisors from NZIF to join them each night for an improv-filled double date in their New Zealand debut of The Newlyweds: Double Date. For their Wellington premiere on Thursday evening, they were joined by none other than Jennifer O’Sullivan and Matt Powell.

Two Bros*

17/10/2019

Lizzie Murray

Introducing Wellington’s most eligible bachelors! Bachelor number one: “Bogan scum” Mike (Haydn Carter) from Reefton a sheep shearer with a heart of gold. Plaid-clad, Mike looks like he’s walked off the pages of a Footrot Flat’s comic strip. Bachelor number two: ̶K̶e̶v̶i̶n̶ Cevin “with a C” (Isham Redford) an impossibly rich, sobby “jaffa” is just as love sick as his rural counterpart. Who will win Lina’s (Monica Reid’s) Ice-Queen heart?

Mild West: Draw

17/10/2019

Jenny Nimon

Photo credit: Alex Rabina

Dunedin-based improv troupe Improsaurus take the Random Stage in the second week of New Zealand Improv Festival. Their show is a longform, character-based narrative where the story is in the hands of a coin-flipper. So improvisors, gamblers, and Westerners alike: saddle yourself up for the wild ride that is Mild West: Draw.

Cock

15/10/2019

Corey Spence

‘Boy meets girl meets his boyfriend’ we’re told on the cover of Cock’s programme: it’s more than enough detail to tantalise, to get audiences to ponder on what could possibly cause such a circumstance. We hone in on John (Jack Buchanan), a man who deals with being attracted to M (Simon Leary), a man, and W (Karin McCracken), a woman, simultaneously. But rather than a story of infidelity, Cock is a pulsating tale that inspects the hate and pain that comes with love, the imposing labels that generate fear and anxiety in our world, and how making the ‘right’ decision can sometimes feel impossible.

Off Book: The Musical

12/10/2019

Jenny Nimon

And we’re back with another NZIF instalment. Impulse Theatre graced the Random Stage on Thursday evening (and will until Saturday 12 October) with their touring show Off Book: The Musical, which is exactly what it sounds like: an improvised musical. For this season, however, the cast of six is joined by Wellington’s very own Bethany Miller, who adds a dose of cheery optimism to the mix.

Here's a Thing: NZIF Kickoff

11/10/2019

Jenny Nimon

New Zealand Improv Fest officially opened on Wednesday night, spearheaded by Here’s a Thing: NZIF Kickoff, MC’d by Jennifer O’Sullivan. This show was jam-packed with the kind of audience anticipation that any kickoff performance should hope to earn. It felt like I was back in high school, attending my first ever theatre fest.

The Pink Hammer

23/9/2019

Emilie Hope

If you’ve been reading the many other reviews that were published more punctually than this one (my apologies), you will already know the premise for The Pink Hammer by Michele Amas. Four women take part in a female empowerment workshop reluctantly lead by Woody (Alex Greig) after Maggie Taylor, Woody’s wife and heavily-mentioned-and-never-seen character, has apparently fled with the $400 pre-paid fee each woman has paid.

Force people to spend time with one another and they will become friends by the end. This we know, especially if it happens on stage. Each of the women begin almost stereotypical: Louise, played by Anne Chamberlain, is such a nervous, jittery, mousey, sweet woman, you wonder if she’s ever left the house before; Siobhan (Harriet Prebble) is the bouncy young Irish woman who is the epitome of Nelly Furtado’s song I’m Like a Bird, which played in the pre-show amongst other empowerment songs sung by women artists; Annabel (Bronwyn Turei) is the staunch modern woman pushing hard feminism down everyone’s throats; and Helen (Ginette McDonald) is the strong silent horse breeder who doesn’t have a maternal bone in her body. Not to mention Woody who is just the typical tradie bloke who doesn’t like the women’s chatter nor their presence in his tool shed/man cave.

However, Amas doesn’t let them stay stereotypical. As the play moves forward, layers peel off, the characters reveal some honest realities, allowing the characters care for one other, and in turn us as an audience to care for them.