Reviews
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20.03.2010 Review: Frisky and Mannish Frisky and Mannish is a British musical comedy duo featuring Laura Corcoran as Frisky (vocals) and Matthew Jones as Mannish (piano, vocals). Their show, School of Pop, runs through the hidden meanings in the lyrics of pop songs. And it works... read on 
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19.03.2010 Review: Frisky and Mannish There is a line in Frisky & Mannish's musical misappropriation of the Ting Tings' track ‘That's Not My Name' when they weave in a direct quote from a recent critic's review. Here's one from Time Out Sydney they can use for their Mardi Gras season run at the Opera House studio until 7 March, if they so wish. "Frisky & Mannish are clever, inventive, polished, prodigiously talented and extremely funny. Five glittering stars." read on
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19.03.2010 Review: Mary Stuart There are two compelling reasons to see Mary Stuart, which was first performed in 1800 in Germany, and they are the tremendous performances of Tina Regtien and Carmel McGlone as the two queens caught up in a tangle of lethal political, dynastic, and religious forces that rent Europe. read on 
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18.03.2010 Review: Good Morning, Mr. Gershwin This is one adorable, bouncy, charged, delightful, elegant performance that puts all the verve and panache of French up-tempo choreography simultaneously on to screen and stage. You expect a suite of clever, sexy dances to recorded Gershwin songs, some solos, some trios, some bright, some blue, which is what you get plus a thousand times more. read on 
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17.03.2010 Review: T.E.O.R.E.M.A.T. TR Warszawa's T.E.O.R.E.M.A.T., directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna, is a standout work of the 2010 New Zealand International Arts Festival. This play is an adaptation of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Teorema, the 1968 film and the later novel of the same name. The subtlety of Jarzyna's production closely follows the near-wordless film, in which pure emotions and base human urges are rendered with a stunning visual palette. read on 
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18.03.2010 Review: Freiburg Baroque Orchestra At the 2006 international festival we hard the authentic instrument orchestra The Age of Enlightenment, and the contrast between that and the Freiburg orchestra heard in this concert is as great as could be imagined.
read on
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18.03.2010 Review: The Walworth Farce Theatrical games are afoot in The Walworth Farce, a tragi-comedy set 15 floors up in a squalid South London council falt where Irshman Dinny and his two sons, Blake and Sean, live in their own insulated world and where they carry out a daily ritual that they have apparently been doing for nearly 20 years. read on 
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16.03.2010 Review: T.E.O.R.E.M.A.T. With "11 & 12" and "Theoremat" the festival provided two outstanding plays by two major international directors. One by a director who has changed the face of theatre over the last half century and the other who will probably change theatre over the next half century. read on
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16.03.2010 Review: The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy Whimsical and offbeat shows are becoming a common feature at this year's International Arts Festival and The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy is no exception. The only difference is that it is a play for children.
read on
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15.03.2010 Review: T.E.O.R.E.M.A.T. The 1960s were a highwater mark for the kind of glacially-paced and existentially introspective cinema that hardly anyone makes - or watches - any more, and no one made those movies quite like the Italians: think of directors such as Visconti, Antonioni, Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini. read on
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15.03.2010 Review: Mark Twain & Me in Māoriland Much of New Zealand's colonial history has been recorded from a British perspective, yet few probably realise that a prominent American travelling through the country in the mid-1890's made some rather astute observations on our race relations, whcih didn't go down well with his fellow Europeans. read on 
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17.03.2010 Review: Enter the Dragon with Karsh Kale & Midival Punditz This performance features a screening of Enter The Dragon, the 1973 martial arts film that introduced Bruce Lee to the world as a superstar.
It was also his last film. For this screening a brand new soundtrack has been imagined - and is performed live - by Karsh Kale and Midival Punditz. Kale wrote the score, which features pre-recorded sequences as well as his own live tabla and drum-kit performances.
read on
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15.03.2010 Review: T.E.O.R.E.M.A.T. I propose a boycott of TSB Arena as a venue for theatrical productions until something is done about the seating, particularly as T.E.O.R.E.M.A.T. lasts for 130 minutes and has no interval to stretch one's legs.
read on
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13.03.2010 Review: 360 Auckland's Nightsong Productions and Theatre Stampede have premiered in Wellington a joyous, theatrical tour de force.
read on
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13.03.2010 Review: 360 One thing that is absolutely clear about New Zealand's theatrical contribution to the 2010 International Arts Festival so far is that it has been outstanding. Shows such as The Letter Writer, Apollo 13, The Arrival and Ship Songs demonstrate an achievement of a high order. One can now add 360 to this impressive list. read on
