Art Murmurs - Reviews

Bleeding Black

17/2/2017

Corey Spence

“KIWI 101: Examination in Progress” reads the sign when entering The Studio at BATS Theatre. Shortly after settling, in comes Sam (Christopher Watts) wearing a Turbos rugby shirt. He seems unsure of where he is, but is confident that he can pass this exam. Bleeding Black is about Sam’s experiences being a rugby player turned rugby fanatic. The show delves into past mistakes and errors Sam has made, considering his life and the impact the quintessentially New Zealand sport had on it.

All I Wanted Was Some Chicken

17/2/2017

by Laura Ferguson

Brad Zimmerman’s All I Wanted Was Some Chicken has an easy, casual vibe in the downstairs area of S&M’s Cocktail Bar. The crowd is relaxed and jovial, making liberal use of the bar. Zimmerman’s energy reflects the room as he bounds to the stage, clapping his hands together for attention before launching into his first anecdote of the evening.

"Ze": Queer as Fuck!

17/2/2017

Courtney Rose Brown

Kazoos are placed on the tables which are ours to use for the expression of self, a performance of identity through music rather than terminologies. Something Michelle/Ryan (Ren Lunicke) reminds us is that gender and sexuality are fluid and constantly changing, and with that so do our musical notes. “Ze”: Queer as Fuck! is about the seven life discoveries that Michelle/Ryan has about zir own relationship to sexuality and gender. Ze encourages us to explore our own and to take our time with it.

Marjolein Robertson: Relations

16/2/2017

Catherine Hart

Marjolein Robertson’s stand-up comedy show, Relations, is concerned with all kinds of relationships: romantic, sexual (because they are not one in the same), familial and platonic. Her comedic style is honest, full of quirky personal anecdotes.

The Limbo Cabaret

16/2/2017

Laura Ferguson

The Limbo Cabaret opens on a chaos-ridden stage. Suitcases litter every inch of available space, and stage-hand NoGo Joe fumbles around as he cleans up. A drawling voice emanates from the darkened back of the stage and NoGo Joe is interrupted by Valentino Invictus who begins the show proper by welcoming us to Limbo and dramatically declares “We are ALL DEAD!”. This sets a macabre mood of the different performances -- dance, song, and spoken word -- which all have a death motif.

Paying For It - An Insider's Guide To The NZ Sex Industry

16/2/2017

Adelaide Shotwell

Directed and performed by five current New Zealand sex workers, Paying for It is a well-balanced and informative act. It is made critically clear in the exposition that this is not a performance, but an expressive collection of anecdotes.

Highlights

14/2/2017

Laura Ferguson

Highlights by How About Now Dance Company begins in the packed-out BATS Heyday Dome. I sit in the theatre, having been lured by only the one line of description from their Fringe web page: “Tell my baby I’m back in town”. Intriguing, and I wonder what the performers will make of this sole line.

Manifesto 2083

14/2/2017

Courtney Rose Brown

Olaf wants to understand the mind of Anders Behring Brevik, a Norwegian terrorist who killed 77 people and injured 200 others in 2011. Before his mass killing, Anders sent out a 1,500 page manifesto exemplifying his white radical, right-wing ideals. I can see Olaf’s fascination with Anders, but I struggle to find the same interest within myself. Maybe because now, these ideals are more prevalent, particularly with the recent election of President Trump, as I don’t find extracts from his manifesto surprising, but more disgusting.

The Basement Tapes

14/2/2017

Corey Spence

The Basement Tapes is like a trip down into someone’s basement: low light, no windows, and the temperature seems to cool. The show is an eerie blend of mystery and chaos. The Basement Tapes follows a young woman (Stella Reid) who unearths several old cassette tapes belonging to her recently deceased grandmother, whose untold stories take a discomforting turn.

Jacob's Party

13/2/2017

Corey Spence

Personally, I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to hosting a party, simply because of all the associated responsibilities. It is the host’s job to ensure your guests have a great time, there is food and drink accessible, and everything must be perfect. It is because of this that I can see myself in the shoes of Jacob Brown’s character: so worried about everything being orderly and pristine that I kind of forget to enjoy the party and its company. As the show title suggests, Jacob is throwing a party where he explains how he discover the golden rules for making it perfect.

Out of Darkness

13/2/2017

Courtney Rose Brown

Every year, millions of women and children around the world are trafficked and trapped in sexual exploitation. Out of Darkness explores the mental and physical effects on its victims through physical performance. Performed in BATS Theatre’s Studio as part of the Fringe Festival, Out of Darkness is devised from real interviews from sex trafficking victims. Created by Jess Brownell, the premise of the show is to make the issue local, following Alice’s (Brownell) journey, a young woman from Wellington. Their intent is clear, to draw light to a dark topic, without shying away from the hard stuff. I was a bit hesitant about the heaviness of the content in such a small performance space, and at points the show pushes the content too far, making the information less accessible.

Shirley Gnome: Taking it up the Notch

13/2/2017

Lizzie Murray

Shirley Gnome’s one-woman show Taking it Up the Notch is a hilarious, unapologetic raunchy riot. Accompanied with her glitter guitar and stunning voice, Gnome shares country ballads about sex, masturbating, existential crises and sex. But don’t worry, she gives you the chance to leave after the first song if it's too much to handle.

Love, Loss and Lattes

12/2/2017

Catherine Hart

There is no better way to start off the NZ Fringe Festival than to attend an inspiring, beautiful, and moving show on opening night. Love, Loss and Lattes is a circus-come-dance-come-physical performance that absorbs the audience with its beauty, emotion and magic.

Nan and Tuna

12/2/2017

Courtney Rose Brown

Nan and Tuna have struck up a friendship that has spanned seventy years, we get to see their final journey. Presented by String Bean Puppets, Nan and Tuna is a delightful show with a beautiful allegory about the environment and how it should be cared for. Anna Bailey wraps environmental issues amongst softer themes such as friendship and compassion, sparking a feeling of responsibility. Performed for one day only at the Wellington Museum as part of The New Zealand Fringe Festival, Nan and Tuna is a show that I would love to see again and would encourage a tour around schools.

Stoge Chollonge 2006

11/2/2017

Corey Spence

2006 was a different time: Zac Efron began his film career with Disney’s first High School Musical, MySpace was the dominant social media platform, and My Chemical Romance made every emo kid’s dreams come true with the release of The Black Parade. With Kelly Clarkson’s Since You Been Gone blasting from the speakers, I feel propelled back eleven years. As someone who has a very mixed review of his high school experience, I proceed with caution, but upon meeting four of the girls from Shonnon Girls High, I ease in a little more.