Month: July 2025

It’s school holidays in Wellington, and Tom Knowles and Jeff Parsons (performing as ‘Jeff Parsnips’) take to the Circa Theatre stage with its latest children’s offering, All The Things I Wish I Could Be: a 45-minute musical adventure that is a celebration of possibility, identity and good old-fashioned silliness. The premise is simple but engaging: two… Continue reading All The Things I Wish I Could Be

It’s been 23 years since I last saw Puccini’s La Bohème performed live, but the memory of Mimi introducing herself to Rodolfo has lingered with me ever since. There’s something ghostly and tender in that moment – so intimate, it almost feels like the audience is eavesdropping. Seeing NZ Opera’s new production brings that same ache back… Continue reading La bohème

In a state of unfettered evolution, what shape do you take? The Shedding of Velvet by by Janina Smolira & Yaga Arts was developed in residency last year at the inaugural Poneke Contemporary Dance Festival 2024 and is debuting this year at Te Auaha’s smaller theatre of the two Tapere Nui, which feels very fitting for this intimate solo… Continue reading The Shedding of Velvet

KidzStuff’s latest school holiday offering, The Heidi and Sean Show, is a lively, expert display of circus skills. The highly talented international duo Heidi Jean Lougher and Sean Kaata Dwen perform a 35-minute showcase of their expertise – wrapped in a family-friendly package. Set in the intimate space of the Tararua Tramping Club on Mt Victoria,… Continue reading The Heidi & Sean Show

Aotearoa Ballet Collective’s Koolish Zein is a generous and compelling evening of dance, offering audiences a rare chance to witness fresh choreographic works shaped by classical technique. Five distinct pieces make up the programme, curated around a selection of compositions from renowned Wellington composer John Psathas. The night opens with Mentacide, a taut piece grappling with psychological captivity.… Continue reading Koolish Zein

As the audience enters, the performers settle and place themselves and the props in the space, moving fake grass and office chairs, testing, making themselves comfortable, then rearranging, realigning objects with one another, adding and resettling as they go, with obvious considerations and importance on the specific placement.  Zoë McNicholas’ abstract, corporate style costumes are… Continue reading Get Your Sandwich Out Of My Inbox

Te Auaha – the performing arts jewel in the heart of Te Whanganui-a-Tara has been groaning over the past week, not from effort but from the sheer weight of talent creating magical dance moments.  Wow!! Tautoko the Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance – Rere ana te whakamiharo. What a way to cap it all off,… Continue reading Outliers

The Sound Inside premiered at The Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts in 2018. Adam Rapp’s 27th play, it was the first to transfer to Broadway, playing Studio 54 with the same cast and creative team. Now director Stella Reid and her (yes) stellar creative team have mounted a riveting production in Wellington, at Circa One. In her… Continue reading The Sound Inside

Quiet Rituals, while modest in scale, is rich in feeling, intricately exploring the thresholds of human grief, transformation, and sleep. The “triptych” of solo performances by Stella Grace Seawright, Jake Starrs, and Grace Ella Lewis made a valuable contribution to the 2025 Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance. The intimacy of the Te Auaha theatre and… Continue reading Quiet Rituals

Review by Ellen Murray The Neurospice Girls, written by and starring the dynamic Lizzie Tollemache, braves complex issues with humour and heart but not always enough clarity.  The show premiered to a full house, an engaged audience laughing and murmuring affirmatively throughout. A Greek chorus supports Tollemache, featuring Mārama Grant, Lexie Tomlinson, Ellie Swann, and… Continue reading THE NEUROSPICE GIRLS