Art Murmurs - Reviews

Frida vs. Kahlo

26/2/2017

Evangelina Telfar

Frida vs. Kahlo is a story about the latin goddess of female empowerment and divine vibrant paintings, Frida Kahlo. It tells the tale of when Frida Kahlo was in a bus accident at age 17 and the ramifications of her wounds as she is forced to stay in hospital for months to recover from several broken bones as well as being impaled by a handrail in her pelvis. The play explores Frida Kahlo’s recovering months by separating her into two people that represent the opposite sides of herself, naming one side Frida and the other Kahlo. The use of only two actors helps to make the show feel intimate as well as show the strain between the two different parts of Frida Kahlo.

Lisa-Skye: Spiders Wearing Party Hats

25/2/2017

by Laura Ferguson

The Gryphon Theatre has an excitable crowd gathered to see Lisa-Skye: Spiders Wearing Party Hats and as the lights dim, we clap and holler on command, to welcome Lisa-Skye to the stage. Wearing a multitude of colour from bright green hair to fluorescent pink tights, Lisa-Skye immediately dazzles us. It is a rare time when someone’s personality comes at you so forcefully it is almost a physical presence, but Lisa-Skye has mastered such projection to glorious effect. It reaches out and shakes us and combined with a booming voice, I am immediately enthralled by how unique and how comfortable in that uniqueness Lisa-Skye is.

FLO

24/2/2017

Catherine Hart

FLO is a masked physical performance showing the sweetness of human character. It is filled with simplicity, but at its heart it remains kind and honest. FLO is a rarity, serene and heartfelt.

De Sade

24/2/2017

by Laura Ferguson

“A visionary writer” who uses audience participation to “add to the dramatic tension” are just a couple of quotes Marquis de Sade bade me write about him. I have acquiesced to his wishes because they also happen to be true. Before I continue, though, an introduction is required.

Welcome to Alexander’s Sparrow’s De Sade. Performing in the Cavern Club, he transforms it into the Marquis’ Bastille cell in the year 1789 with the power of illustrative description. Upon entering this den of iniquity, my friend and I are encouraged to partake of libation from the bar before settling in our seats, being sure to “get right on up there”; the first of many euphemisms throughout the night.

Who?

23/2/2017

Bethany Miller

Who are you? Who? by Best on Tap bravely explores this difficult question through an equally brave form. They present audience members’ anonymous self-assessments as a string of improvised scenes and stories, where improvisation stems from truth over comedy. By playing towards “Honest Truths” Best on Tap aim to challenge the preconception that improvisation should primarily be funny. But how truthful can an interpretation be? We write our brief identity blurbs onto cards, place them in a bowl and witness the portrayals of ourselves unfold.

The Hangry Americans

23/2/2017

by Laura Ferguson

The Hangry Americans show is packed with people, and to give Kiwi-shy crowds the incentive to sit close, there are mini candy bars on the seats of the first three rows. Very clever and works like a charm. The gesture is a fitting metaphor for the show; it’s welcoming, friendly and a bit cheeky. There is a slideshow of Hangry Americans, Molly Sokhom and Neil Thornton eating various types of junk food, a hilarious mixture of revulsion and rapture on their faces.

Onstage Dating

22/2/2017

Catherine Hart

There has been such a buzz at BATS Theatre this week. Fringe is definitely gearing up, and we are packing our lives full of varied and brilliant shows. Onstage Dating, performed by Bron Batten, is exactly what the title promises: Bron has a date, onstage, with an audience member; hilarity ensues.

How I Met My Father

21/2/2017

by Laura Ferguson

Rhian Wood-Hill strides onto the stage, acknowledges us with a casual welcome and pours a box of puzzle pieces on the floor. Thus, How I Met My Father begins. Set in the Cavern Club with it’s intimate feeling, it is a storyteller’s venue. The closeness of the audience means the performer has to be willing to engage with us often and well, something Wood-Hill does with aplomb. He picks a few pieces up off the floor to complete the metaphor and begins his story.

Gender Spanner

21/2/2017

Catherine Hart

Tonight I left the Gryphon feeling elevated, empowered, and incredibly proud to identify as queer. Jessica McKerlie performs their one-person show, Gender Spanner, with relatable comedy, stunning metaphors, and brutal, vulnerable honesty. The performance is based on both societal pressures and McKerlie’s personal experience, and is highly entertaining.

26 Cats Destroy the Patriarchy

21/2/2017

by Laura Ferguson

The lights dim. A woop gets exalted from an effervescent crowd already bursting to see 26 Cats Destroy the Patriarchy. A parody of news show music plays and a stream of real news items rolls through the theatre. What should we do about the gender pay gap? Why are women’s rights still such a global issue? Is our Prime Minister a feminist? These questions set the tone for what the play will explore with authenticity and a range of understanding bridged over three generations.

Feet.Us

20/2/2017

by Courtney Rose Brown

I didn’t realise that I would find a large clump of ginger disturbing. Feet.Us, House of Sand’s new work, is currently in development and is certainly in a strange and exhilarating field of its own. It explores the discovery of life and learning in a messy (literally) and quite confusing way.

Attention Seeker

19/2/2017

by Laura Ferguson

Gerard Harris is Attention Seeker. He is AN attention seeker. He is THE attention seeker. And he IS Attention Seeker the way people say Marlon Brando IS The Godfather. It is not often that a performer melds with the theme of their show so perfectly. Attention Seeker is about attention, it is about seeking attention and about being an attention seeker. The layered meanings in the title alone give a mere inkling of the prowess this man possesses.

May Contain Sex Scenes

19/2/2017

Aimee Smith

May Contain Sex Scenes sets its tone up in the title. A gentle tease (may contain sex scenes?), the work plays with our expectations and the question of whether it will ever meet them. Laden with awkward tension, Sex Scenes soars through the joys, pleasures, and fumbles found in anticipation.

Easy Living: Life in a Small Town

19/2/2017

by Adelaide Shotwell

Easy Living: Life in a Small Town is a prime example of playful improvisation. Performed in the intimate Gryphon Theatre by the PlayShop Performance Company, the audience is greeted by a piano instrumental which persists through the entire 60-minute performance. The music is accompanied by the twelve performers excitedly entering the stage, creating a welcoming folksy vibe.

Biased Beyond Belief

18/2/2017

Corey Spence

A scientist manically tries to power up a robot seated across from her on stage. I’m intrigued watching them. The scientist contorts her fingers across her tablet while the robot figures out each of her movements like a newborn. Written and directed by Evangelina Telfar, Biased Beyond Belief considers how humans make decisions and how we make mistakes. The play introduces technology known as the ‘bias blocker’, an upgrade for the human mind to block bias and assumptions we have towards others so we can form opinions informed by fact and action rather than personal bias.