Written and performed by Kate Aschoff in Gryphon Theatre, Adventures with Depression acts as a Depression 101 crash course into mental illness. Lead by the honest, forthright and witty Aschoff, as an audience we have the rare opportunity to get a glimpse into the finer details of living with depression, anxiety and dissociation.
Jenny NimonWellington Raw Comedy Quest 2019: Heat 3, held this time at Cavern Club, showcased a wide range of style and skill. The two-part show had a total of eleven contestants—each performing a set of up to six minutes—and was headlined by award winning comedian, Jon Bennett. MC Stephanie Laing, started off the show with some slightly stiff audience interaction and a few jokes, but relaxed as the show went on, supporting the contestants with wit and pace.
by Laura Ferguson Stepping into the world of The Mournmoor Murders by Alice May Connolly and Maria Williams already feels intimately familiar to me. I grew up in a small town in North Otago which is mighty close to where the fictional town of Mournmoor is set in South Canterbury. I know where Fairlie and Washdyke are. I know that despite its burgeoning rockabilly scene, the “big smoke” of Timaru can be a bit of a shithole. Yet despite that, I know “Feel, Touch, Taste, Timaru” is still the best town slogan I have ever heard. Taking inspiration from many tropes from various murder mystery pop culture institutions such as Midsomer Murders, Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple stories, and Twin Peaks amongst others, The Mournmoor Murders delivers crime mixed in with a hefty dose of hilarity.
by Laura Ferguson Brush-technique jazz drumming and low red lighting accompany us into the Te Auaha theatre for Tim Motley’s Dirk Darrow Investigation tonight. Purveying the show as “Boardwalk Empire meets Naked Gun meets Derren Brown” in the Fringe Festival programme certainly had me interested in this show. The intrigue starts immediately as we are given a card to answer some questions that need to be kept secret for the mentalist aspect of the show. The questions range from banal to risqué, so answer them at your own risk.
Jenny NimonWritten and performed by Damien Warren-Smith, and directed and cowritten by Cal McCrystal, Garry Starr Performs Everything is riot of a show that will delight theatre-makers and casual audience members alike. Having won awards in the Adelaide, Brighton, and Manchester 2018 Fringe Festivals, and having been nominated for both Best Newcomer and the Golden Gibbo Award in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2018, I was intrigued to say the least. Let me break down this must-see of Wellington Fringe Festival 2019.
Harry GibbonsHow do you review a theatre performance operating with a cast of 10 undertaking multiple rolls in quick changing scenarios (over 20 in fact)? In the end it was delight matching that of the audience following Basejump Improv (NZ)'s 60 minute current Fringe Festival show, Hardcore Truth. A surprising and overdue first in Wellington.
Lizzie MurrayAs a huge fan of Drag Race, I’m embarrassed to admit this is the first full-length Wellington drag show I’ve attended. A Mulled Whine presents the drag king spectacle Lord Bi-Ron: Mad, Bad & Dangerous, devilishly directed by James Cain. Struggling with his ENGL 114 essay, Nathan (Isaac Thomas) brings the outrageous poet, played by Aimee Smith, back from the dead to help chronicle his scandalous life.
Harry GibbonsThe promotion for Imposter Child describes it as contemporary (which it certainly is) fresh (which again it very much is) and hilarious. Well it was certainly genuinely funny and there were a number of very funny moments in what proved to be yet another great Fringe Festival contribution.
Lizzie MurrayThe idea of performing improv comedy terrifies me, and I tip my invisible hat to anyone who has the guts to impromptu an entire scene and land big laughs. Studylink Presents: Comedy Related Costs is a cheerful, late night improv delight. Nine fresh faces show off their improvising skills through a series of skits inspired by Tinder profiles, horoscopes and crime.
Jenny NimonAs someone who has never had a bent for movement, it always astounds me to see the way that dancers can tell a story with their bodies alone. Flying Down Sand Dunes is the first full-length work by Well Fare State—recent graduates of contemporary dance at the New Zealand School of Dance. Created as part of the Toi Pōneke Choreographic Residency, it explores the human condition, addressing themes of love, fragility, strength, and loss.
Lizzie MurrayFootnote New Zealand Dance presents five emerging artists in their short-term dance company, ChoreCo 2019. In Nobody Hears the Axe Fall the talented team suspend reality and envelop the audience in a visceral, haunting world.
Kate NorquayJosh Davies grew up with no sight in his left eye and only 15 percent vision in his right eye. Now he’s making comedy about it. Josh Davies, Look! I’m Blind is a stand up comedy show about the awkward, frustrating and confusing aspects of being blind, most of which are caused not by the blindness itself, but by everyone else's reaction to it.
Lizzie MurrayKate Spencer makes a splash in her debut one-horny-woman show Squirt. Poetry blends with stand-up comedy in this body positive, sex positive and positively vulgar treat.
As the audience enters the Fringe Bar they are asked to share their sexual fantasies to be revealed onstage and go in the draw to win a mystery sex toy sponsored by Adult Toy Mega Store. While fun and quirky I’m sorry to say it's not the first time the Fringe Festival has dared me to do this. However, the audience’s answers will always be original like one attendee whose ultimate fantasy is “a foursome, outdoors on LSD.” Sara Hirsch
Spoiler alert: I loved this show. This reviewer is desperately trying to think of something constructive to offer in a couple of paragraphs time, because ‘nothing is ever perfect’, but I have to admit, this show came pretty damn close. Soft Tissue, created and performed by Ella Gilbert (with direction from co-creator Jade Eriksen) is an hour-long deep dive into the twisted imagination of its creators. This solo clowning show is a playful, political probe into the ‘performance of womanhood’ that will leave you crying with laughter and also with anger at the patriarchal forces still at work in 2019. Corey SpenceAs far as the popular roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) goes, I’m pretty much a novice, and before heading into tonight’s live recording of the Kiwi podcast D&D series The Fate of Isen, I didn’t know the podcast existed. A live recording presented the team with problems they had to navigate that they might not normally need to, such as interacting with and supporting their audience, but with a panel of comedy experts, The Fate of Isen - Live Recording was a hilarious snippet into the podcast series. I am certain it has sparked more interest and more viewers.
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