Arts and culture in Ōtautahi Christchurch
Ruth Agnew reviews 9 to 5 The Musical, music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, book by Patricia Resnick, directed by Ben Freeth, with musical direction by Richard Marrett and choreography by Kira Josephson, at the Court Theatre, Friday 21 November, 2025. There’s something that strums the right strings in Dolly Parton songs. Opening the show with… Continue reading Review: 9 to 5 The Musical – an incredible toe-tapping escapist musical powered by the strength of women
Erin Harrington reviews Faust on Trial, by Josiah Morgan, Jonty Coulson and Stella Cheersmith with Pedro Ilgenfritz, created as part of the Hagley Theatre School Six-Month Theatre Creation Course, at Te Wā, Thursday 6 November, 2025. One of the most interesting and energizing things to happen in the performing arts in Ōtautahi recently has been… Continue reading Review: Faust on Trial – a risky and innovative new work about the deals we make
John Armstrong reviews Eat Sleep Dance Repeat, written and performed by Rachel Brebner, at Little Andromeda, Thursday 6 November 2025. I have vague memories of Stage Challenge, having taken part during my first year of high school. I recall dancing to Single Ladies in a shade of red that did no favours to a face… Continue reading Review: Eat, Sleep, Dance, Repeat – nostalgia, grit, and sheer willpower
Lisa Allan reviews Up and Away, presented by Cubbin Theatre at the Cloisters Studio, The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, Wednesday 5 November, 2025. It is a lovely, sunny Ōtautahi morning and the opening day of Cubbin Theatre’s show for babies, Up and Away, directed by the multi-talented Melanie Luckman. I’ve just fed our son, 10-week old Joe,… Continue reading Review: Up and Away – an enchanting and special experience for babies and adults alike
This is the first in an occasional series of guest posts from creatives who see an issue in their field, and want to bring more people into the conversation in the hope of sparking some positive changes. Here, Lizzie Tollemache writes about the dire state of support for theatre for young people in Aotearoa New… Continue reading Ideas for change: Lizzie Tollemache on the bleak state of support for theatre for the young
Erin Harrington reviews Coffin Ship, by Bryn Sparks, directed by Dan Bain, at Little Andromeda, Thursday 30 October, 2025. Making serious horror theatre is really hard. I’d wager it’s the hardest genre to pull off, even more so that other speculative forms like science fiction and fantasy. Overtly demonstrative forms like the grotesque and the… Continue reading Review: Coffin Ship – an immersive new gothic horror about wronged women and the perils of revenge
Erin Harrington reviews Wolf Play, written by Hansol Jung, directed by Kathleen Burns, at the Court Theatre, Saturday 18 October, 2025. Award-winning translator and playwright Hansol Jung’s Wolf Play, first performed in 2019, explores the murky real-life world of unregulated "second chance" adoption, the consequences of white saviourism, and the tangled nature of family. Korean… Continue reading Review: Wolf Play – an affecting but inconsistent play about finding your pack
Creon Upton reviews The Passionate Puritan, devised and directed by Peter Falkenberg, presented by Free Theatre, at The Pumphouse, Thursday 16 October 2025. Every postcolonial people is unhappy in its own way, rent between a present no-one can correct and a past the settlers wouldn’t return to if they could. One feature of the unease… Continue reading Review: The Passionate Puritan – a riveting postcolonial drama unafraid to take risks
Erin Harrington reviews Kitchen Chaos, presented by Rollicking Entertainment, at the Court Theatre, Thursday 2 October 2025. Young audiences are the best to entertain, but they certainly are the toughest to please. No fear: even in the opening minutes of Kitchen Chaos, performers Lizzie Tollemache and David Ladderman clearly have the school holiday audience under… Continue reading Review: Kitchen Chaos – a winning recipe for comedy, clowning, and domestic disaster
Ruth Agnew reviews The Early Early Late Show, presented by the Court Jesters in the Wakefield Family Front Room at the Court Theatre, Tuesday 23 September 2025. The Early Early Late Show (EELS) is something of a school holiday fixture, with the first version performed in 2007 in the Court Theatre at the Christchurch Arts… Continue reading Review: The Early Early Late Show – a beloved, brilliantly executed school holiday fixture
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