Category: review

Review: de Castro-Robinson, Mahler, Berlioz – a triptych of works circling heartbreak, grief and the macabre

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Nick Harte reviews de Castro-Robinson, Mahler, Berlioz, presented by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Northey, at the Douglas Lilburn Auditorium in the Christchurch Town Hall, Saturday 1 August 2026. Eve de Castro-Robinson’s Hour of Lead (2024) takes its namesake from the Emily Dickinson poem which reads: After great pain, a formal feeling comes… Continue reading Review: de Castro-Robinson, Mahler, Berlioz – a triptych of works circling heartbreak, grief and the macabre

Review: Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Winter Season – a triple bill that’s pretty, playful and political

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Breeze Robertson reviews the Royal New Zealad Ballet's Winter Season at the Isaac Theatre Royal, Friday 31 July 2026, RNZB’s Winter Season triple bill was somewhat of a whiplash tour through the evolution of ballet - from the tutus and tights of the traditionally classical Birthday Offering, through the playful contemporary quartet Ultra Folly, and… Continue reading Review: Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Winter Season – a triple bill that’s pretty, playful and political

Review: Dear Stalker – a bloody funny show that works the audience like a pleasure device

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Naomi van den Broek reviews Dear Stalker, written and performed by Harriet Moir, at Little Andromeda, Friday 24 July 2026. Dear Stalker is a tight, frank, and riotously hilarious stand up hour about the trials and tribulations of looking for love, from comedian Harriet Moir.  It opens with a David Attenborough-esque voice over introducing us… Continue reading Review: Dear Stalker – a bloody funny show that works the audience like a pleasure device

Review: At the Wake – A poignant account of love, loss and connection

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Ruth Agnew reviews At the Wake, by Victor Rodger, directed by Tanya Muagututi'a, at the Court Theatre, Satrday 18 July 2026. Recently a friend told me we have reached the age of funerals; we have moved through the era of every weekend being crammed with 21st parties, weddings, christenings, and reached a time in our… Continue reading Review: At the Wake – A poignant account of love, loss and connection

Review: Feminist Clown Posse Annual Gala – changing the world one fail at a time

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A bird's eye shot of lots of women in colourful costumes, looking up at the camera and making faces

Erin Harrington reviews the Feminist Clown Posse Annual Gala, at Lyttelton Arts Factory as part of the Lyttelton Arts Festival, Tuesday 7 July, 2026. The joyful takeaway message from the third annual Feminist Clown Posse gala is hooray for the idiots, and hooray for idiocy - idiocy for freedom, idiocy sprung of anger, idiocy in… Continue reading Review: Feminist Clown Posse Annual Gala – changing the world one fail at a time

Review: Hooves & Chooks – smart comedy by clever people

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Karen Healey reviews Hooves & Chooks, a double bill at the Lyttelton Arts Factory, presented as part of the Lyttelton Arts Festival, Friday 3 July 2026. This joyous double-bill night of comedy dance and cabaret, opens the 2026 Lyttelton Arts Festival on a cold Canterbury night. Hooves, from Rebound Dance, led by Fleur de Thier,… Continue reading Review: Hooves & Chooks – smart comedy by clever people

Review: Oceania’s Eleven – a terrific one-man caper about the true crime at the heart of the arts

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Erin Harrington reviews Oceania's Eleven, performed, produced and designed by Vincent Andrew-Scammell, at Little Andromeda, Thursday 25 June 2026. A few figures before the review: Creative New Zealand, which “encourages, promotes and supports the arts in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders through funding, capability building, our international programme and advocacy”, hasn’t… Continue reading Review: Oceania’s Eleven – a terrific one-man caper about the true crime at the heart of the arts

Review: Stoned N Unfiltered: Pop Divas Unleashed – passionate peformers serve one of the best nights of the year so far

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Hannah Harte reviews Stoned N Unfiltered: Pop Divas Unleashed, at Little Andromeda, Friday 12 June 2026. If you want to radiate joy for a few days, go to a drag show. You’ll encounter the most vocal, enthusiastic audiences that an often painfully stoic Ōtautahi crowd is capable of producing, loudly supporting what will always be… Continue reading Review: Stoned N Unfiltered: Pop Divas Unleashed – passionate peformers serve one of the best nights of the year so far

Review: Friends to the End – not even the apocalypse can bust up this delightful bromance

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Erin Harrington reviews Friends to the End, created and performed by Wiremu Tuhiwai and Brendon Bennetts with Criss Grueber, at Little Andromeda, Friday 12 June 2026. The award-winning improvised theatre show Friends to the End feels like it needs a graphic novel rather than a written review. There’d be a lot of pow and thwop… Continue reading Review: Friends to the End – not even the apocalypse can bust up this delightful bromance

Review: Paul Ego: Stick – appealing, breezy comedy from the dad behind the stick

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A bald white man with glasses in a white buttong up shirt - comedian Paul Ego - against a lilac backdrop

Charlotte Thornton reviews Paul Ego: Stick, at Little Andromeda, Thursday 11 June 2026. You’ve been hearing Paul Ego’s voice for 17 years. Since 2009 he’s been a regular team captain on 7 Days and the voice of Stickman for PAK’nSAVE, bridging a gap between the underfunded arts field and the lucrative advertising industry that most… Continue reading Review: Paul Ego: Stick – appealing, breezy comedy from the dad behind the stick