BATS Theatre
August 23-September 1 | Reviewed by Melody Nixon

BOTH THEATRICALLY and in terms of dialogue this Ronald H. Morrison meets Barry Crump meets Lorae Parry piece is pure gold. Its celebration of local and national kiwi bush lore is worthy of the rugged greats, Crump and Morrison; its exploration of the gendered psyche and emotional repression is a Parry-like step in the right direction to counter the “post-colonial stiff upper lip chest out shoulders back bullshit” (in the words of writer Brian Hotter) that still plagues many an aspect of our culture.

At the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival in May, CATHERINE BISLEY drilled Toa Fraser on the rapport between theatre and film, adapting his play No 2 for the screen, and the riches of collaboration.

By Charles Fishman
Penguin, NZ$29.95 | Reviewed by Diane Spodarek

IT IS EASY to blame Wal-Mart for everything after reading this book. Even suicide. Recently the BBC reported that Zhang Shu Heng committed suicide in China following the closing of the factory he managed which manufactured unsafe toys for Mattel, 80% of which are exported around the world. Heng paid the 5,000 employees their final pay, closed the factory and killed himself from shame. The factory is only one of many in China manufacturing un-safe, defective, unregulated, untested and false goods. Pet food, drugs, and tyres from China have caused death; now millions of toys have been recalled. (In July, China executed Zheng Xiaoyu, its former top food and drug regulator, for taking bribes to approve untested medicine.) The Wal-Mart connection lies in the fact that the majority of all Wal-Mart goods are manufactured in China.

By Shonagh Koea
Random House, NZ$35 | Reviewed by Jennifer Wittig

THE NAME Shonagh Koea will undoubtedly not resonate with readers as much as it perhaps should. Indeed Koea’s contribution to New Zealand literature has been notable for its patience; over the past eighteen years she has contributed seven novels, two short story collections and one non-fiction endeavour as part of her growing portfolio.

Te Whaea Theatre; Fortune Theatre
Aug 1-5 (Wgtn); 10-Sept 1 (Dun) | Reviewed by Melody Nixon

King Lear is hailed as one of the most tricky and multi-layered of Shakespeare’s magisterial tragedies: producing it requires great sensitivity to the motives and inflections of each of the characters. It can be argued that aside from the consistently evil Edmund each of the characters has very human and contradictory moments of self-doubt, reflection and sorrow. The most striking aspect of this production from The Bacchanals then is the successful interpretation of the characters and of script. Every nuance, aside and satirical comment seems carefully studied and understood. The result is a confident production which veers into creative interpretation at times but generally works to serve the script.

By Paul Callaghan and Kim Hill
Penguin, $NZ29.95 | Reviewed by Amy Brown

I WAS SORRY to miss many of the conversations on National Radio between Kim Hill and Paul Callaghan about “science, life and the universe”. The snippets I did manage to tune in for, I don’t think I properly absorbed; it’s not easy to do Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle justice while driving to the supermarket. Luckily, the transcripts of these fascinating discussions have now been edited into a book, fittingly illustrated by Dylan Horrocks, which one can dip into at leisure.

SAM GASKIN recalls his American sojourn this year as go-between Victoria University’s Creative Writing Programme and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he visited the midwestern state to meet fellowship recipient and poet Alice Miller.

BATS Theatre
August 21-September 1 | Reviewed by Melody Nixon

The Venetian Bride opens beautifully; atmospheric live piano combines with excellently paced entrances. In the interactions of Richard (Robert Tripe) and Alice (Helen Moulder) there is a theatrical sensitivity which suggests deep understanding of space and tone. Unfortunately, this sensitivity does not always last throughout a play rich with powerful, clever storytelling but at times lacking theatrically, without a cohesive rhythm or fluidity and meter in its scene changes. And while the point of the parable-like centre story is a poignant and valuable one, it is not readily conveyed to the audience.

San Francisco Bathhouse
August 16-25 | Reviewed by Helen Sims

THE DIM lighting, bar setting and music evoke a moody kind of sexiness that is the perfect backdrop for a play about 1970s sexual politics. It is obvious that the design team and director have thought carefully about the use of the space on what (I’m told) was an extremely limited budget. The set is the bar mostly, although we are to imagine it at different points as various abodes, an office and finally the side of a lake. To this end simple props and costumes are used to great effect.

Circa Theatre
August 4-September 1 | Reviewed by Melody Nixon

I NEVER thought I’d be of the age to see a production of a particular era and it would lead me to reminisce about childhood. But here I am, a nineties teenager, and here is a show that finally caters to my culturally broad, grunge-loving generation; when P was just a letter and it was still cool to have morals; a generation that has finally moved from present to past.

Downstage Theatre
August 18-September 22 | Reviewed by Melody Nixon

THOSE who’ve been through the wonderful nightmare of raising a child, and subscribe to the refrain that theirs is ‘The Best Baby in the Whole World,’ may find Who Needs Sleep Anyway? a humorous means of getting in touch with some aspects of New Zealand baby culture. While dealing predominately with white middle-class families, and staying very light on social commentary, the show by Roger Hall and his newly-babied daughter Pip is fun and frivolous, and a good chance to see grown men in nappies.

Civic Theatre
August 16 | Reviewed by Sapna Samant

ONE DAY, in the spirit of camaraderie, I agreed to watch Braveheart with my flatmate James Matheison. We argued about racism, colonialism and the legitimacy of a white man’s fight for independence as opposed to us coloured types doing the same while we watched Mel and the mullet. It is an unequal battle. Freedom and democracy are considered to be a white man’s privilege and prerogative. This is a dialogue we often have and I know that James thinks he is losing when he breaks into his wicked Scottish accent. It is his strategy to shut me up through giggling fits. Or hope that I will choke and never ask questions.

Bodega
August 18 | Reviewed by Brannavan Gnanalingam

MUSIC FANS can be so fickle. There’s nothing like the sense of ownership that people have of a band that they saw and first loved when it appeared that no-one else seemed to. It’s pretty common to think, “man, I wish more people heard this band, they’re so good.” And suddenly, when people start realising just how good that band really is, the hype can build up. And suddenly, that original fan says “man, I liked them when they smaller. I don’t like what they’ve become.” And so the backlash begins. This process annoys the hell out of me. You’ll never hear a musician say that. So if people start badmouthing the likes of So So Modern on silly grounds (e.g. ‘their fans are too indie’, ‘I don’t trust a band that’s hyped’ etc.) they’re just trying too hard. A band like So So Modern is that good.

By Alexander Bisley
Image by Catherine Bisley

“IT’S HAPPENING just for us, like an old story retold,” Ian McKellen explains the power of theatre over film to me. The number one reason to see the RSC’s productions of King Lear and The Seagull is McKellen. As Lear and Sorin, he delivers hilarious, majestic and moving moments. In person, as on stage and screen, McKellen mixes geniality with gravitas. Sporting a Maori greenstone, he is reflective and sometimes enigmatic.

“Where does one go after King Lear?” I ask him. He pauses dramatically. “That sounds like a philosophical question,” before enthusing about having a good break. Lear, he says, is about “important matters of life and death...how to love people.”

“I’m generally an optimistic person,” McKellen is hopeful a Peter Jackson directed film of The Hobbit will happen. He tempers his optimism with a belief that the world is a stage of fools.

“Is there any cause in nature that makes these hard hearts?” Lear exclaims. McKellen has a killer anecdote about performing to an insane asylum alongside Brian Cox’s Lear. He talks fondly about Nick Cuthell’s paintings, the Zen of Gervais (but adds he wouldn’t do a series with Ricky) and fuller biography via McKellen.com.

He muses on fans: “The Japanese are the most enthusiastic...I’ve been to a couple of conventions and I won’t be doing that again. They’re overwhelming.”

ALEXANDER BISLEY’s interview with Ian McKellen can be heard [here] (16 min, MP3, 6.4 MB). At the end he passionately recites a Lear line to note: “I’ve taken too little care of this.”

By Alexander Bisley
Image by Catherine Bisley

Romola Garai has big blue eyes and is tall and willowy. Impressive in Amazing Grace as abolitionist Barbara Wilberforce, she has also won acclaim for I Capture the Castle and her contemporary roles in Angel and Atonement. Angel director Francois Ozon describes her as his muse.

Romola Garai is fiery, with a cool edge. Less keen to talk about her 2000 breakthrough, ingénue role with David Walliams on TV show Attachments, she ardently explains to me why she thinks The Seagull’s Nina is the greatest role there is for a young actress.

Like Ian McKellen, there’s a glint in her eye when she discusses King Lear. “I have two sisters,” she laughs, this Cordelia can relate to Goneril and Regan: “The intimacy, the closeness, how they use it against each other.”

The Bacchanals’ recent production of Lear emphasised Goneril’s sex-violence nexus. Romola believes this relationship is notable throughout Shakespeare.

Romola enthuses about the power of theatre: “It’s about intimacy... you build a relationship very specific to the audience you’re having.” And Scar Jo, who she worked alongside on Woody Allen’s Scoop: “Absolutely charming”.

ALEXANDER BISLEY’s full interview with Romola Garai can be heard [here] (MP3, 13 min, 5.4 MB).

By Haruki Murakami
Penguin, $NZ35 | Reviewed by Jennifer Wittig

HARUKI MURAKAMI’s latest novel, After Dark, is simply a delight to read. Written in a Kafkaesque style, with Beckett-like settings and characters, Murakami returns to a form in which he’s previously succeeded. He is known to create humorous and surreal stories with touches of humanity in them (love, loneliness, alienation) and this has enabled him to reach a wider audience outside of Japan.

By Reina James
Portobello Books, $NZ28 | Reviewed by Jennifer Wittig

THE 1918 flu pandemic, commonly known as the Spanish flu, killed some 50 to 100 million people worldwide in just 18 months, which was estimated to be 2.5-5% of the human population. In contrast to most influenza outbreaks, many of its victims were healthy young adults. This is the focus of the debut novel by Reina James This Time of Dying. James writes a touching historical novel that is dedicated to her grandparents, both victims of the Spanish flu.

TSB Arena
August 10 | Reviewed by Brannavan Gnanalingam

WELLINGTON was on tenterhooks on Friday. Everywhere I went businessmen were talking on their cellphones about it, students were futilely trying to score tickets, shops were blaring the music. After all, we did have a bona fide legend in our midst. This was the third time he’s played here in recent times as part of his never-ending world tour. But as the relative youth of the crowd was a testament, he seems to be speaking to more and more people as the years pass.

San Francisco Bathhouse
August 10 | Reviewed by Brannavan Gnanalingam

UNFORTUNATELY clashing with Bob Dylan (which even had lead singer Jonathan Bree admit that “I’d like to have gone, but I should probably go to my own concert”), The Brunettes played a one-off show in Wellington to coincide with the release of their excellent third album Structure and Cosmetics. They are playing a few gigs around New Zealand before embarking on a headlining US tour, and are having their myspace page reportedly going crazy with hits from overseas, and are receiving rave reviews from some of the internet bigwigs for the new album.

Media Release/Advertisement
A popular and signature cultural event which celebrates and explores the journeys of local and overseas born Chinese through personal storytelling returns to Auckland on Saturday 18 and 19 August at The University of Auckland Business School.

Organised by the New Zealand Chinese Association (Auckland Branch) Inc., the Bananas NZ Going Global International Conference continues to push the boundaries and offer a fresh way for all New Zealanders to examine and understand this country’s changing identity, culture and face.

BRANNAVAN GNANALINGAM talks to Pitch Black’s Paddy Free on the eve of embarking on a nationwide tour along with Module and Tom COSM, followed by a global tour incorporating Europe, Japan and the United States.

By Jenny Bornholdt
Godwit/Random House, $NZ37 | Reviewed by Andy Armitage

JENNY BORNHOLDT was named as the fifth Te Mata Estate Poet Laureate in 2005 and Mrs Winter’s Jump is the result of her two-year tenure. As with the four previous Te Mata Estate books, Mrs Winter’s Jump is currently available in a limited hardback edition of 2000 copies.

San Francisco Bathhouse
August 9 | Reviewed by Brannavan Gnanalingam

SOMETIMES I wonder when I survey the frequently paltry crowds at indie gigs, whether this gig will be Wellington’s equivalent of the Sex Pistols’ Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall gig back in ’76, where everyone who went, went on to form a killer band. Although, it’d be fair to say last night’s crowd was basically Wellington’s bands, and a few other startled onlookers. Last night was lunacy. Inspired and brilliant, but sheer lunacy. If the audience weren’t in a band themselves, after last night they probably would consider getting a computer and dancing around on stage.

Wellington’s Randell Cottage Writers’ Trust, established in September 2001, promotes the development of literature by providing a six month residency each year to one French and one New Zealand writer. Over the past six years, Peter Wells, Nadine Ribault, Tim Corballis, Charles Juliet, Michael Harlow, Pierre Furlan (whose latest book is reviewed here), Renée, Dominique Mainard, Beryl Fletcher, Annie Saumont, and current resident, Whiti Hereaka, have benefited from the residency.

BRANNAVAN GNANALINGAM talks to Jonathan Bree, one half of The Brunettes, about the band, science fiction movies, the American experiences, and the problem of being pigeonholed as twee pop.

By Mary McCallum
Penguin, NZ$28 | Reviewed by Amy Brown

THIS DEBUT novel has been generously endorsed by two of New Zealand’s premiere fiction writers. Damien Wilkins calls it “an involving, rewarding book made with skill and care and gusto.” Dame Fiona Kidman describes it as “a fine piece of work”. The fact that Mary McCallum was Wilkins’ student in the 2005 creative writing master class at Victoria University’s International Institute of Modern Letters could lead one to question the unbiased sincerity of these commendations. However, in this case scepticism is unwarranted; McCallum’s book is every bit as satisfying as its back cover suggests.

Downstage Theatre
July 27-August 4 | Reviewed by Helen Sims

I HAVE TO admit that despite the general praise that has been heaped in its direction (and I have to wonder now how much of this is publicity generated) I came away from Falling In Love Again feeling underwhelmed and unmoved – sort of like I had seen a really upmarket Elvis impersonator. Blame it on my age if you will – all my prior experience with Marlene Dietrich is via still or motion pictures, but I always thought her to be incredibly glamorous, sexy and mysterious. I was really looking forward to learning a bit more. While she hits the glamour on the head, and goes a far way toward being a sex symbol, Jennifer Ward-Lealand just didn’t seem to capture or unravel any of that mystery for me.

Leila Josefowicz
July 28 | Reviewed by Mark Dryburgh

IT WAS the second of two concerts under the new Music Director, Pietari Inkinen. My immediate feeling was that he may provide a youthful intention to the orchestra’s approach that would be an interesting direction for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. The first piece in the program was by Southland composer Antony Ritchie. Whalesong depicts a whale’s slaughter. There was a palpable air of grief as Peter Nisbet, former General Manager of the NZSO died very recently. The composition is based on a recording of a whale. The double bass, played by the departing Dale Gould, begins in a startling accurate imitation. There is a primal mourning quality to whalesong that is carried through the music. Sliding harmonics on the bass move back to the orchestra and draw aviarian associations.

BRANNAVAN GNANALINGAM trawls the music calendar to bring us the month’s best gigs. This August: Pitch Black, Amnesty International Gig, YACHT with Panther, Bob Dylan with the Frames, Tilly and the Wall, The Brunettes, Magnolia Electric Co, The Cure.

BATS Theatre
July 26-August 11 | Reviewed by Melody Nixon

Part of Me, written by IIML (script) graduate Kelly Kilgour and directed by Danny Mulheron, is an interesting show to review. Unusual casting choices, the portrayal of disempowered women, and the unnatural life choices of unnatural characters, make Kilgour’s claim that he’s “not making any statements. It’s impossible to,” a little difficult to swallow. And besides, does art not require a certain level of responsibility from the producer? Often social statements are inherent in art works, or unconsciously laid there by the creator; wouldn’t removing oneself from such statements be risking a lack of critical self-reflection?

The Opera House
August 1-4 | Reviewed by Kate Blackhurst

LIGHTS, music, action! Tonight Matthew, I’m going to be... absolutely fabulous, darling! Knowing very little about him, I didn’t know what to expect from Ennio Marchetto. What I, and a very appreciate audience got was an hour of fast-paced, high-energy performance that left me amused, impressed, and above all, entertained.

San Francisco Bathhouse
July 31 | Reviewed by Brannavan Gnanalingam

THIS WAS the type of gig people in two months will go, “did they play in Wellington? Damn, I wish I went.” And in two years, those same people will probably say, “yeah I was there, it was awesome”. Fools. And while the shitty weather will probably have kept a number of people away, they missed a gig that warmed the soul and treated the small crowd who did go with some wonderful indie pop.