Reviews

Laughing Horse Productions’ The Wizard of Oz is a youth production with a lot of heart, that is playing to some enthusiastic and very excited young audiences at Don Russell Performing Arts Centre.

With a cast of forty, ranging in age from 7 to 18, there is also a great range of experience - from youthful ‘veteran’ performers to those in their first stage appearance. The Wizard of Oz also marks a directorial debut for Rach Gilmour, who has risen to a formidable task.

MAZE is a bit of a puzzle. Its retelling of the Greek myth of the Minotaur has so much potential to offer in its individual elements of striking movement, interesting lighting and engaging sound work. However, in its ambition to be a work with "strong visuals, a killer story and hefty amount of collaboration", on the whole, it gets itself a little lost. Rather than a fresh take on an ancient myth, this script is hampered by the thing it sets out to create – by using everyday Aussie vernacular to tell this tale, it boxes itself in a world of implausible soap opera.

Bernard Slade wrote Same Time, Next Year in 1975 – though the themes are no less relevant nearly forty years on. Two people meet in a hotel, wake up next to each other the next morning, and though both happily married to other people, continue to meet up just once each year, on the anniversary, and in the same hotel room of their first encounter. They become intimate much more than just physically, and over the next twenty-five years, the couple share their many neuroses, struggles and successes, within the context of the ever-changing world they inhabit.

HAMA’s production of The Little Mermaid is a beautifully produced, sumptuous treat of a show. Perfectly timed for the school holidays, it’s a top-notch production with appeal for all ages.

With excellent production values, from the moment the blue shimmery curtain opens on this production, this show has a gorgeous look, with an impressive multilevel set, designed by Maeli Cherel, picturesque costumes and a stunning lighting plot from Max Mackenzie. There is some great makeup and hairstyling from Manuao TeAotonga.