Pride Festival wows and may have cult classic in making
Night of the Queer TAPAC Night of the Queer is guaranteed to become a calendar event. Curated by James Luck (performer, choreographer and director) this hour-long extravaganza was bold, risque and deliciously satisfying. Intimate tables, fairylights and simmering acts by talented performers who took the stage by storm.
Ringmaster of a consummate troupe (including circus acts, soul singers, pole performers and burlesque artists) Luck curated a night of variety, levity and soul music.
Bryony Skillington and Rebekkah Schoonbeek crooned, swaggered and bounced their way through the night while Kyle Holland on the pole and Ellyce Bisson on the hoop added to the show’s sophisticated menu.
However, the show stealer was stage-manager-turned-performer Hamish McGregor. From helping performers with costume changes to quietly wishing he could be a ballerino, McGregor’s character and choice of songs had us singing along to yesteryear’s classics.
The simple set (Grecian columns and trailing vines) came alive under Tim Williams’ vibrant lighting design and the attention to detail set this show apart.
Take in as many shows in the Auckland Pride Festival as possible, but whatever you do, make sure you book your table for next year!
— Dione Joseph The Legacy Project 5 Loft at Q Theatre, until Feb 16
A festival staple, The Legacy Project offers six short plays with fresh takes on the queer experience.
From artistic director Bruce Brown, The project has consistently acted as a space for emerging theatrical talent in Auckland. This year is no exception, with six plays that are hilarious, moving and confronting. Highlights include Clean Up in Aisle 3, an examination of the breakdown of a once-perfect relationship, where Ashleigh Ogden’s writing carefully balances the two voices and finds neat drama in the moment they diverge; Sherry Zhang and Lee-Ann Dirks give strong performances. Whole, the following play, puts the anxieties of gay sexuality under a microscope with delicate writing by Danny Lam. The final play, Mud Maids, is a winner. Written and starring Holly Hudson alongside Ava Diakhaby, it follows two best friends making courtesy phone calls after Hudson’s character contracts HPV. The two received the biggest laughs of the night. The Legacy Project has topped itself again, with a fine selection of dynamic, rule-breaking stories told with unflinching honesty. — George Fenwick Gays in Space Loft at Q Theatre, until Feb 16
Three hapless homosexuals on their way to probe Uranus; rarely has a play synopsis summed up a work so well. Everything you need to know about Gays in Space can be found in that sentence: it's camp, lewd, a tad on the nose and undeniably gay.
The latest from playwright Tom Sainsbury features many of his trademarks — bitchy characters, puns, dialogue that pushes the extremes — along with memorable musical numbers. Brilliant performances by Daryl Wrightson, Zak Enayat and Chris Parker, with Blaise Clotworthy a standout as SexBot. This feels like a cult classic in the making.
— Ethan Sills