New Zealand Theater Reviews

Review: THE WIZARD OF OZ at Harlequin Musical Theatre
by Monica Moore - April 26, 2024

A great show for the school holidays- with great values, humour, colour and with the added bonus of a real Toto  dog on stage- what more could you want?...

Review: NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 from WITCH Music Theatre
by Neil Brewer - April 21, 2024

What did our critic think of NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 from Witch Music Theatre?...

Review: THE GOLDEN ASS at Circa Theatre
by Neil Brewer - April 19, 2024

The Golden Ass is the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in it's entirety. In this production, it is given some modern flavour whilst still maintaining the settings and heart of the story....

Review: LION KING JR at Hutt City Musical Theatre
by Neil Brewer - April 22, 2024

Watching the future of theatre here in Wellington, I see we will be well served in the future....

Review: EVERY BRILLIANT THING at Court Theatre
by Neil Brewer - April 17, 2024

Every Brilliant Thing is a one man show about depression and suicide. It is told through the voice of a child growing up through to adulthood finding a mechanism to cope with his mothers repeated attempts to take her life.  ...

Review: SEUSSICAL at Manukau Performing Arts
by Monica Moore - April 16, 2024

What did our critic think of SEUSSICAL at Manukau Performing Arts?...

Review: MATILDA THE MUSICAL by Act Three Productions
by Neil Brewer - April 13, 2024

What did our critic think of MATILDA THE MUSICAL by Act Three Productions?...

Review: RENT by Kauri Theatre
by Neil Brewer - April 11, 2024

A very good production that is most definitely worth seeing if you are lucky enough to have a ticket. Recommended....

Review: TWO GUITARS at Circa Theatre
by Neil Brewer - March 24, 2024

What did our critic think of TWO GUITARS at Circa Theatre?...

Review: MURDERED TO DEATH By Wellington Repertory at Gryphon Theatre
by Neil Brewer - March 20, 2024

Murdered to Death is a play written by Peter Gordon back in 1993. It was originally set in the drawing room of a country manor house in the 1930’s, and begins the first in a trilogy of plays starring Inspector Pratt. They are spoofs of the Agatha Christie whodunnit genre. See what our critic thought...

Review: THE MOTHER at Mana Little Theatre
by Neil Brewer - March 13, 2024

The play is written by French playwright Florian Zeller and is a companion piece to his well known play The Father. While The Father deals with the the decline of the mind of an Alzheimers suffer, The Mother takes on the clinical depression of a woman adrift in middle age. ...

Review: A FAT GIRLS CRY at Te Auaha
by Neil Brewer - March 12, 2024

A Fat Girl’s Cry is billed as a show about the importance of Plus Size Representation and Inclusion in the Musical Theatre Industry by taking a journey through Music, Singing, and Dance. ...

Review: GRAND HORIZONS by Bess Wohl at HOWICK LITTLE THEATRE
by Glenda Pearce - March 01, 2024

What did our critic think of GRAND HORIZONS at HOWICK LITTLE THEATRE? 50 years – it’s a milestone in any marriage! Thousands of meals eaten together, years of dealing with everything marriage, cohabitation and parenthood can throw at you … Superbly directed with expertise by Penel Keegan with her ey...

Review: A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE from Stagecraft at the Gryphon Theatre
by Neil Brewer - February 23, 2024

Superb production that held the audiences attention from start to finish - Arthur Miller is a legendary playwright, having penned classics such as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible....

Review: HYPERSPACE at ASB Waterfront Theatre, Auckland
by Glenda Pearce - February 11, 2024

What did our critic think of HYPERSPACE at ASB Waterfront Theatre, Auckland?...

Review: JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at Lower Hutt Little Theatre
by Neil Brewer - February 04, 2024

A touring show from a new New Zealand theatre company....

Review: LADS ON THE ISLAND at Circa Theatre
by Neil Brewer - February 04, 2024

What did our critic think of LADS ON THE ISLAND at Circa Theatre?...

Review: MEASURE FOR MEASURE at Shoreside Theatre, Pumphouse Theatre
by Glenda Pearce - January 24, 2024

What did our critic think of MEASURE FOR MEASURE at Shoreside Theatre, Pumphouse Theatre? What makes any Shakespeare production superb is the director’s ability to recognise the themes within Shakespeare’s text - his extraordinary ability to bring his characters to life by a turn of phrase, a pun, t...

Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Shoreside Theatre, Pumphouse Theatre
by Glenda Pearce - January 22, 2024

What did our critic think of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Shoreside Theatre, Pumphouse Theatre? It’s the second night of the Shoreside’s 28th Summer Shakespeare in the Park  – and indeed,  it’s an ideally warm midsummer evening with clear skies and stars – and an enthusiastic audience awaits -  fill...

Review: TWAS THE FIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS at Hutt Repertory Theatre
by Monica Moore - December 10, 2023

What did our critic think of TWAS THE FIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS at Hutt Repertory Theatre?...

Review: THE CLAY CART at TAPAC
by Monica Moore - December 06, 2023

A 5th-century Sanskrit playwright who, like Shakespeare and the classical playwrights, wrote about the human condition. The Clay Cart (Mricchakatika) weaves a tale of love, loss, deception, and redemption. The tale is set in the ancient city of Ujjayina, India and focuses on a formerly wealthy Brahm...

Review: REHEARSAL FOR MURDER at DOLPHIN Theatre, Auckland
by Glenda Pearce - December 01, 2023

Superbly and expertly directed by the highly experienced Julia Leathwick, REHEARSAL FOR MURDER  is a deliciously dramatic delight, especially for anyone associated with the real world of theatre. It’s everything we love about the classic WHODUNNIT – a range of possible “theatrical” characters all wi...

Review: HEARTBREAK HOTEL at Q Theatre
by Monica Moore - November 28, 2023

What did our critic think of HEARTBREAK HOTEL at Q Theatre? Where would you find the cure for heartbreak? In a sad song, a mother’s wisdom, a friend’s advice, biological understanding, or the advice of a stranger in a pub....

Review: SOMETHING ROTTEN! at Court Theatre
by Monica Moore - November 27, 2023

What did our critic think of SOMETHING ROTTEN! at Court Theatre? The Bottom brothers set out to write the world’s very first musical, while caught in a bitter battle with Shakespeare (or should we call him Snakespeare?), with hilarious results....

Review: BRIGHT STAR at Te Auaha
by Monica Moore - November 19, 2023

What did our critic think of BRIGHT STAR at Te Auaha?...