Art Murmurs - Reviews

Best Foods Comedy Gala 2022

4/10/2022

Alia Marshall

If The Best Foods Comedy Gala 2022 is any indication of the year ahead in comedy, we have a lot to look forward to. Having been rescheduled due to Covid, the Comedy Gala kicks off to a sold-out crowd on Friday night who’ve been waiting for this since May. The line up is packed with acts I’ve never seen before, and several who I’m dying to see, and I overhear chatter as we file in about who people are there for. The Michael Fowler Centre is packed as we enter, everyone is fizzing and everywhere you look there’s mayonnaise, what’s not to love?

THE WASP

4/10/2022

Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin

The Wasp produced by Alice Kirker, directed by Sam Snedden, and written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm is a sharp reminder that if you don’t deal with your past, it is sure to deal with you. This production is a jaw-dropping, fist-clenching thriller and darkly funny throughout. It is a must-see and some of the best theatre Wellington has on offer.

Krishnan's Dairy

23/9/2022

Alia Marshall

The life of Krishnan’s Dairy came to an end on Wednesday night, and I am lucky enough to see it alongside the sold out audience. This show has an incredibly rich production history, having started as a 20 minute solo piece during writer/performer Jacob Rajan’s time at Aotearoa's drama school Toi Whakaari to being developed into a full length show (with the help of director Justin Lewis) that has been seen by thousands, received critical acclaim, and won multiple awards. It only feels right that the final performance is held in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, and what a final performance it is. Krishnan’s Dairy is an unforgettable piece of theatre that tells a story that will always need to be told.

He Māori?

18/9/2022

Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin

Isaac Martyn’s show He Māori? asks what it means to reclaim Māoritanga from a Pākehā upbringing. Returning to BATS Theatre for Tahi Festival after a sold-out first season, Martyn leads the audience on a journey of total confusion to partial understanding – weaving together elements of stand-up comedy, waiata, and theatrical performance to explore the doubt, celebration, and the complicated nature of identity.

Party Pigs!

13/9/2022

Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin

Little Dog Barking Theatre Company’s show Party Pigs! is originally adapted for the stage by the late Peter Wilson from the nursery rhyme "This Little Piggy Went To Market." This iteration of the show is given new life by Wilson’s long-time friend Kenny King as performer, Jacqueline Coats as director, original design by Tish Oldham, and puppets by Sharon Johnson. Party Pigs! is a delightful puppetry story set around the excitement and anticipation of a child’s birthday party - piggy style!

Captain Festus McBoyle - The Prose and Cons

12/9/2022

Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin

Pea-Knuckle Productions show Captain Festus McBoyle - The Prose and Cons is a whanau comedy theatre experience laced with songs, poems, stories, and epic fun. The character Captain Festus McBoyle (Rich Manic), joined by his wife Miss Lucy Drawers and strongman extraordinaire The Great Ebenezer (no credits given), have been infecting audiences for over seven years. The latest voyage was at BATS Theatre as part of the Tahi Festival.

Skin Tight

1/9/2022

Austin Harrison

Gary Henderson’s Skin Tight is a play etched in the fabric of contemporary New Zealand theatre. It’s one of those plays which theatre students study all over the country and is a common feature in 300-level directing courses. Yet, it has been over a decade since it was last performed professionally in Aotearoa, and tonight marks my first opportunity to see it in full. Holy smokes, it was worth the wait!

Midnight Confessions

26/8/2022

Austin Harrison

Remember sleepovers? The delirious, sugar-fuelled bonding. Being allowed to stay up past bed-time and share everything while your parents weren’t listening. Heartbreaker Productions has used that time and those memories as a playground to dance, play and laugh in their newly devised anthology Midnight Confessions – and it’s an absolute delight!

Man Lessons

13/8/2022

Emilie Hope

As I walk into The Dome at BATS Theatre, Adam Rohe (performer and live show deviser) says hello to me in a way that makes me feel we’ve been friends for years. I instantly feel welcome and comfortable in this space that is relatively bare. The stage only has a pair of former leather car seats on wheels, a black two-seater couch in the corner, and an exposed wall for film projections. Though the stage is sparse, Rohe fills it with his energy, his tenderness, his voice – with words and songs. Accompanied by excellent lighting design by Molloy and documentary film reels by Ben Sarten, they tell the story of his gender transition – the highs and lows, the beauty and the pain – and the existential nature of life and being oneself.

Celestial Nobodies

11/8/2022

Jenny Nimon

Potentially Playing Productions’ return season of Celestial Nobodies (written by Evangelina Telfar and directed by Anastasia Matteini-Roberts) is a cosmic and comical polylogue that personifies each of the celestial bodies in our local solar system and carries us along for each of their existential crises. It describes itself as a “massive mixtape that tackles social issues with cosmic sparkle”, and it tackles them with a healthy dose of cleverness and flair.

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.