Bats Theatre
Sept 25-Oct 11 | Reviewed by Helen Sims

Mr Marmalade takes the imaginary life of a four year old named Lucy as its subject matter and uses its intersections with her ‘real’ life to provoke thought about the impacts of emotional deprivation and neglect on a mind being shaped by a bombardment of disturbing influences. The surreal world which Lucy inhabits, concocted by young playwright Noah Haidle, populated by friends and foes both real and imaginary, provides a dark comedy for The Moving Theatre Company to play in.

The Basement (fmr. Silo)
Sept 23-Oct 4 | Reviewed by Renee Liang

“BEST not drop the baby!” How many first-time dads have heard this joke and inwardly groaned. After all, in today’s modern world, surely Dads are as well-equipped as Mums to handle the pressures of full-time parenting. It is with this thought that Laurence Dolan’s new play, Daddy’s Home, opens.

Musgrove Theatre (Maidment Studio)
Sept 18-Oct 4 | Reviewed by Renee Liang

TO SAY that Oleanna is about sexual politics is overly simplistic. To say it is about harassment is missing the point. To say it is about a war – both personal and universal – is getting closer to the truth.

Herald Theatre
Sept 13-Oct 4 | Reviewed by Renee Liang

Whero’s New Net is a striking new play which asks those quintessential Kiwi questions: who are we, where do we come from and where do we really belong? And perhaps because I’ve spent my whole life asking those same questions, I found myself immediately captured by its premise.

Downstage Theatre
Sept 12-20 | Reviewed by Kate Blackhurst

A FRIEND asked me if I thought this play was suitable for her interested-in-politics teenager, and I had to say yes. This play is pretty much suitable for everybody as it operates on a variety of levels. The jokes come thick and fast, and if you miss one, you don’t have to wait long until another one comes along. At the same time, it is wonderfully irreverent – someone is bound to be offended by something in here.

The Basement (fmr. Silo)
Sept 16-20 | Reviewed by Renee Liang

SOMETIMES a decision is so life-changing, so irreversible that it resonates down through the family line, affecting everyone who comes after. Such an event happened in Sophie Dingeman's family in 1907 when her great-grandmother Grace Oakeshott decided to fake her own death and flee to New Zealand with her lover Walter Reeve, to start a new life. In doing so she left behind a promising political career as one of the first women elected to the London City Council, a remarkable feat in those times; her whole family including a much loved younger sister; and a husband, Harold.

Gryphon Theatre
Sept 10-20 | Reviewed by Kate Blackhurst

IF CHEKOV had been a Kiwi he might have written The Pohutukawa Tree. All the great themes are present – connection to the land; personal relationships; the dichotomy between preservation and progress; struggles against history and ancestry – but Bruce Mason’s play is regarded as a New Zealand classic and this production by Stagecraft Theatre proves the label is justified.

Circa Theatre
Sept 6-Oct 4 | Reviewed by Melody Nixon

NEIL LABUTE has a reputation for ‘seeing the truth’ in our modern world. In Some Girl(s) I’m not sure I buy his interpretation of the modern values-crisis, or see it as particularly revealing. The characters he presents centre stage are often so borderline in the choices they make that what we are shown ends up more as a representation of LaBute’s own values than an ‘objective’ critique of modern Man (and indeed, despite the presence of female characters, these plays are very much focused on the male psyche). The fact that no realisation on the part of the central character takes place arguably shows LaBute has little issue with the choices of his characters. More pointedly, the playwright sets up menial challenge to those viewers who might share the same values as the protagonist himself.

Opera House
Sept 5-6 | Reviewed by Shruti Navathe

THE Footnote Forte season for 2008 consisted of three dance pieces: The False Waltz, Nest and Mtyland. The False Waltz premiered in April of 2008 and has been included in a previous performance. As such I already knew that I like the choreography and the music for the piece and was prepared to sit back and enjoy. The False Waltz lived up to my expectations entirely. The dancing was sharp, the movement within the piece fluid and emotive. All six dancers performed their parts exceptionally well and worked well together to create an intimate and intense atmosphere. Eden Mulholland’s music had depth and created contrast within the repetition.

Maidment Theatre
Sept 4-27 | Reviewed by Renee Liang (contains spoilers)

‘Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly….’
The stage is dark. Otherworldly strains of the familiar song ‘Blackbird’ permeate the space as glowing figures move along behind a green frosted window. Two figures eventually open a door and tumble into what is revealed as a messy staffroom. The lights come up on a complex and disturbing psychological drama.