Rituals of Similarity, the newest production from Dance Plant Collective (performed at Te Auaha during Wellington’s 2024 Fringe Festival) is a moving memoir of twinhood, an exploration of the tensions between “warmth and friction, rivalry and unity, synchrony and idiosyncrasy… a pas de deux of sameness, doubles and contrasts.” For creators and performers Brittany Kohler and Natasha Kohler, this show has been a lifetime in the making, and the stunning intimacy and artistry brought to the stage is a clear reflection of this.
Jack McGeeThe day after I saw Steve Willburry’s magic show/medical tell-all The Unluckiest Magician, I spot him performing street magic on the waterfront. A crowd of children have gathered around him, and he is performing a card trick. I couldn’t make out the specifics, but it had that classic magic bait and switch - convincing the subject that you’ve messed up somehow, only to reveal you were in control the entire time. I stood and watched for a while. Willburry has such a strong presence that it’d be hard not to.
Brie KeatleyFitting that a show so out of the ordinary has its opening at the peculiar time of 3pm on a Saturday. Antarctic Endeavours, directed by Peggie Barnes, is an absurdist piece of fourth wall breaking theatre. It is a triumph for the whole team to have created something so perplexing and out of the ordinary for a typical theatre show.
Katie HillTrick of the Light’s Suitcase Show is a collection of tales tucked away and then masterfully revealed, in yes, suitcases. Now, I am no seasoned Trick of the Light audience member, through no one’s fault but my own, I haven’t seen any of their other critically acclaimed works. I think this is a good thing, and I try my best to not go in with any preconceived ideas of what Trick of the Light is – other than their namesake, of course! It’s less than a minute in, and I get the hype. Suitcase Show is sophisticated play, it’s adult bedtime stories with child-like wonder. My friend jests that the show really is a Trick of the Light – but, by god it’s true, my mouth hangs open for most of the show! It’s crafty as all hell. Through deftly wielding scale and shadow, Hannah Smith and Ralph McCubbin Howell are obvious frontrunners in this corner of the theatre-making world.
Jenny NimonThe Eleventh Trip of Lilibet W. by Continuum Theatre Co., written and directed by James Ladanyi and performed by Aimee Sullivan and Tara Canton, is a timely reflection on regret and accountability; the importance of taking responsibility for your actions even when it is too late to repair the damage.
Sean Burnett Dugdale-MartinHouse of Sand is back with Eliza Sanders’ new solo show, directed by Charley Allanah. Part dance, part theatre, part lecture, part improv, Manage Your Expectations aims to take the idea of “trigger warning” to its absurdist extreme using humour to ask the question how ‘informed’ can we really be and asking “how much do we really want to know?”
Jack McGeeCanadian playwright Norm Reynolds’ is endearingly sincere. His autobiographical, digital, solo-show Making It Up (One Playwright to Another) is charged with schoolboy-esque enthusiasm. The work feels like a challenge issued to anyone who isn’t as jazzed about theatre - specifically playwright Edward Albee - as Reynolds is, which is everyone. While this energy makes Making It Up easy to root for, I do ultimately find it a hard show to like.
Jack McGeeThe irony of reviewing Sweeties is not lost on me. Brynley Stent and Ella Hope-Higginson’s “absurdist sketch dramedy” goes to great lengths to pull apart the arbitrary nature of competition. Whether I’m praising the piece or criticising it, the act of giving it a value judgement puts the joke firmly on me. Which is brilliant! Laugh away! At its best, Sweeties is a communal act of touching grass. It’s a send up of the perverse systems we contort ourselves into, as we chase validation, praise, and all forms of reward. It’s a reminder that awards (and fuck it, reviews) can come down to something as insignificant as whether or not the person giving it likes the size of your hands.
Sean Burnett Dugdale-MartinPure Grime by Warped Productions is the newest solo show from Em Barrett and is a bouffon-style 60-minutes that seeks to explore humanity’s relationship to death and decay; asking humans to question their own relationship to not only flies, but themselves.
Jenny NimonDialogue Before Sunset, created by transdisciplinary artist and researcher HT (Shannon Xiao) and her company Temporary Show, describes itself as a ‘live art journey’ that connects Ewengki and Māori narratives and traditions. It claims to blend improvised sound and spatial installation with walking, filmmaking and participatory theatre to honour the pūrākau of the Wellington Harbour taniwha.
Isaac Andrews New Zealand Fringe Festival’s Ben Pope: Holy Cow stands as a quaint collection of robust anecdotes and inward reflections, which dares to peak into the deeper meaning of our daily lives. Knowing that I am seeing a UK comedian, I am quite excited and glad to see someone from abroad in the comedic field. The show’s promotional statement asks: “What happens after you die? What’s God up to? Is love forever?” Personally, I’m really looking forward to his answers.
Austin HarrisonAll the way from the UK, A Year and a Day is a solo, contemporary folk tale written and performed by Christopher Sainton-Clark and presented by Raising Cane Productions. The central premise is that narrator Nathan finds himself cursed to skip a year into the future for every day that he lives. Over the course of just two months of his life, Nathan’s wife, friends, family and enemies all liveout 65 years. It’s an enthralling conception but left me wondering why?
Sean Burnett Dugdale-MartinKaytlin Bailey’s solo show Whore’s Eye View in BATS’ Stage space is described by Bailey as an aggressive lecture. It is a blood-boiling, hilarious romp through a complicated intersectional human history driven by the charismatic and charming host.
Taylor-Rose TerekiaIt always excites me to see emerging Māori artists presenting new work, and Hāpaitia by two descendants of Tūwharetoa is a double bill show that gives you plenty to feast on.
Sean Burnett Dugdale-MartinThe Forever Wave by Estrella Suerte Productions is a comprehensive exploration of a post-apocalyptic San Francisco after a tide didn’t stop coming in until most of the city had been submerged, except for it’s highest points. Inspired by the famous poem and radio drama Under Milk Wood, this radio play comes in at 90-minutes on Vimeo with subtitles.
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Local Honest ReviewsAt Art Murmurs, our aim is to provide honest and constructive art reviews to the Wellington community. Archives
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