Our reviewers reflect on what they saw during the second and final week of the Auckland Fringe.
With the Summer Shakespeare struggling to stay afloat, it is heartening to see Auckland University's student company, Stray Theatre, presenting one of Shakespeare's earliest and least known works in Aotea Square. The plot of Two Gentlemen of Verona is something like Married at First Sight Australia with characters falling in and out of love faster than Dean & Davina but instead of the brash Aussie colloquialisms you get sparkling iambic pentameter, delivered with admirable clarity by the cast of nine young women and two well-trained dogs. The staging wasn't entirely suited to the street theatre setting but some strong performances drew audiences into the play's emotional roller-coaster. Meanwhile, Question Time Blues is a poetic memoir of ex-Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty's nine years in Parliament and the show hits all the right buttons for the Party faithful. There's sneering put-downs of the patriarchy, nostalgic recollections of sixties counter-culture, earnest solidarity with Maori seeking Tino Rangatiratanga, self-conscious anxiety about white privilege, contempt for the frivolity of social media, giddy celebration of the "gay rainbow rising over the Beehive", sarcastic mockery of Parliament's old-boys club and cynical disdain for the bureaucratic processes of parliamentary democracy
– Paul Simei-Barton, theatre reviewer
Whose hand in cookie jar?
Judge, Jury & Cookie Monster is a tantalising title - and when you're sifting through the Fringe programme and have sweet childhood memories of Sesame Street it's tempting to pick a show that might offer some nostalgic indulgence. Alas, this show didn't feature my beloved furry blue friend (aside from an introductory voice) but unquestionably focused on cookies - and that can never be a bad thing. The actual show itself wanders between a TV game show, a law revue (except it's not a spoof) and stand-up comedy. Written by Will Moffatt (who also plays Chuck Wheaten) and the six-strong ensemble cast, it was a non-stop sugar-laden extravaganza where audiences determined the nefarious cookie thief that stole Simon Shrewsbury's (Eli Matthewson) beloved Valentine cookie. The three suspects are broad stroke stereotypes which renders them unfortunately quite bland, particularly Kirsty Bruce's French kitten and Sneha Shetty's IT professional, but Kyle Sheilds had surprising moments of authenticity and truth (despite his blokey stereotype) and the drama unfolded at an engaging, if haphazard, pace. High levels of audience interaction, singing and lots of pointed fingers, and with different guests every night, the show was never the same. If you still walked out disappointed at the absence of your favourite telly character, at least, you know, there were cookies!
