Arts and culture in Ōtautahi Christchurch
Erin Harrington reviews contemporary dance work P O O Lside at Waltham Pool, at the 4pm showing on Saturday 19 June 2021. It’s close to dusk on what’s nearly the shortest day of the year, and it’s bloody cold. We’re sitting at picnic tables and deck chairs, wrapped in blankets and clutching hot water bottles,… Continue reading Review: P O O Lside – exploring the geometry of community space through movement and voice
Ruth Agnew reviews Asian Kiwiana from Yugto Productions at Little Andromeda on Friday 18 June 2021. Please note, this review is not impartial; the Asian Kiwiana cast, crew and creatives sang their way into this Chiwi chick’s (Chiwi= Chinese New Zealander) heart. It’s hard to view a show impartially when your eyes are full of… Continue reading Review: Asian Kiwiana – elevating the voices of young Asian New Zealanders
Erin Harrington reviews Once, directed by Melanie Luckman, with musical supervision and direction from Luke Di Somma and Andy Manning, at The Court Theatre, Saturday 19 June 2021. The musical romantic dramedy Once is a demanding production to programme and stage. This multi-award-winning show, based on John Carney’s celebrated 2006 film, is a funny, sweet… Continue reading Review: Once – a yearning, joyous musical about love and home
Erin Harrington reviews Present at Little Andromeda, 18 June 2021. Gift-giving can be wonderful but perilous business that reveals insightful (and awkward) truths about ourselves, our relationships, and social rules that generally go unsaid. Veteran improvisers Laura Irish and Jeff Clark explore some of these points of friction in Present, a gentle and endearing long-form… Continue reading Review: Present – a sweet improv show about giving and receiving
Naomi van den Broek reviews TOAST at Little Andromeda, 3 June 2021. What if women truly loved their bodies? This question is at the heart of physical theatre work TOAST by company Zen Zen Zo NZ. This is a contemporary devised work that utilises material sourced verbatim from the experiences of people during lockdown(s), and… Continue reading Review: TOAST – a compassionate comedy about loving our bodies
Naomi van den Broek and Erin Harrington review Resolve at Space Academy, Thursday 27 May 2021. What would it sound like if we could hear the universe’s improvisations and movements as music? This question is explored in Resolve, which showcases new compositions and arrangements from jazz guitarist Heather Webb, in an evening presented as part… Continue reading Review: Resolve – stellar jazz music inspired by stardust
Erin Harrington reviews Taki Rua's production of Sing to Me at Papa Hou, YMCA Building, on 25 May 2021. Taki Rua’s beautiful touring production Sing to Me takes as its starting point the story of Pania of the Reef, placing it within a contemporary context that acknowledges present-day cultural exchanges, the pressures of relationships and… Continue reading Review: Sing to Me – a powerful love story where land meets sea
Erin Harrington reviews the Court Theatre Youth Company's production of Boys, 12 May 2021. The Court Theatre Youth Company's excellent production of Eleanor Bishop's Boys is a raw and angry show that asks questions about gender, power and tradition. Bishop’s script deconstructs Greg McGee’s landmark play Foreskin’s Lament, a scorching account of the fractious place… Continue reading Review: Boys – a raw and provocative account of gender and power
Erin Harrington reviews The Addams, a short film from Many Hats Theatre Company that screens at Lumière Cinema, 14-15 May 2021. The Addams is a short film that highlights truth in the adage that ‘the show must go on’. The engaging and funny 30-minute short chronicles the work of Many Hats, a theatre company made… Continue reading Review: The Addams – a playful film about the spooky, ooky creative process
Ruth Agnew reviews the breakfast television show parody Brunch at Little Andromeda, 30 April 2021. Brunch is the most comfortable of all meals, free of the formality and nutritional expectations of breakfast, lunch, dinner, brinner, elevenses, and supper. Two of Ōtautahi’s favourite tasty snacks, Ray Shipley and Emma Cusdin are, as their promotional material suggests,… Continue reading Review: Brunch – a comedy show that’s the best meal of the day
Flat City Field Notes 