Arts and culture in Ōtautahi Christchurch
Erin Harrington reviews Feeling Afraid as if Something Terrible is Going to Happen, written by Marcelo Dos Santos, directed by Tim Bain, at the Court Theatre, Saturday 14 March 2026. The one-man show Feeling Afraid as if Something Terrible is Going to Happen is a one act black comedy framed as a stand-up set that’s… Continue reading Review: Feeling Afraid as if Something Terrible is Going to Happen – self-loathing, vulnerability, and debasement, but for laughs
Karen Healey reviews Someone In This Crowd Will Betray Me: A Reuben Solo Mystery, at Little Andromeda, Thursday 12 March 2026. Australian comedian Reuben Solo’s kinetic, surrealistic stand-up show is a truth within a lie within an existential crisis that’s no less affecting for also being (maybe?) entirely performative. It starts with the setting. We… Continue reading Review: Someone In This Crowd Will Betray Me – A Reuben Solo Mystery – a kinetic and surreal search for the truth (but what is truth actually?)
Charlotte Thornton reviews The Gigantic Gay Late Night Game Show, at the Court Theatre, Saturday 8 March 2026. The Gigantic Gay Late Night Game Show is the rowdiest entry in the Court Theatre’s 2026 Rainbow Festival calendar. In an interview with Flat City Field Notes back in February, Festival organiser Tim Bain said the 2026… Continue reading Review: The Gigantic Gay Late Night Game Show – a winning format with a winning audience
Erin Harrington reviews The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde, directed by Kathleen Burns, at the Stewart Family Theatre at the Court Theatre, Saturday 21 February, 2026. The first mainstage show of the Court Theatre’s 2026 season sets a very high bar for the year. Oscar Wilde’s 1895 play The Importance of Being Earnest,… Continue reading Review: The Importance of Being Earnest – a sparkling production that’s very serious about being silly
Ruth Agnew reviews The Merry Wives of Windsor, produced by Top Dog Theatre Company as their annual Open Air Summer Shakespeare production, at Mona Vale, Friday 6 February 2026. While I am a lifelong fangirl of William Shakespeare and his works, I must be honest and admit The Merry Wives of Windsor has never tickled… Continue reading Review: The Merry Wives of Windsor – a smart and funny take on a flawed comedy
Charlotte Thrornton reviews Doomsday Comedy, at A Rolling Stone, Friday 6 February 2026. Legacy stand-ups love to tell us that comedy is about taking risks and being unafraid to offend. Doomsday Comedy bravely takes on a completely uncontroversial topic: religion. All of the performers, and much of the crowd, once adhered to some form of… Continue reading Review: Doomsday Comedy – comedy is tragedy plus freedom
Erin Harrington reviews The Feast, directed by Fleur de Thier and Renee Ryan and created with the cast, at Lyttelton Arts Factory, Friday 6 February, 2026. The return season of Fleur de Thier and Renee Ryan’s stunning 75-minute performance work The Feast is set at a long black banquet table, which is backed by a… Continue reading Review: The Feast – sumptuous, emotional storytelling through dance, monologue and music
Erin Harrington reviews the Anthony Harper Summer Theatre production of The Lord of the Rings in 90 Minutes!, produced by Rollicking Entertainment, at the Archery Lawn, Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Friday 9 January 2026. Happy 2026, and happy first major production of the year: the Anthony Harper Summer Theatre production of The Lord of the Rings… Continue reading Review: The Lord of the Rings in 90 Minutes! – quality madcap fantasy comedy and action (picnic optional but recommended)
Erin Harrington reviews A Christchurch Carol, written by Gregory Cooper, directed by Dan Bain, with music from Michael Bell, at Little Andromeda, Thursday 4 December 2025. This year’s Little Andromeda Christmas show, A Christchurch Carol, localises Dickens’ classic, dropping us in the middle of the city and some of the outer suburbs for an uplifting(?)… Continue reading Review: A Christchurch Carol – everything you want for the holiday season (wit, dance sequences, smut, puppets, ghosts)
Daniel Allan reviews The Odyssey, the inaugural graduation project of the One-Year Actor Training Course at Hagley Theatre School, directed Pedro Ilgenfritz and Tane Te Pakeke-Patterson in collaboration with acrobatics tutor Danny Syme, at Altiora, The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, Monday 1 December, 2025. The Odyssey is an ancient Greek poem by Homer… Continue reading Review: The Odyssey – a compelling, impressive hour of non-naturalistic theatre
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