The Selecta-Basement Theatre
If you are looking for variety during this winter’s entertainment offerings, then the Basement Theatre is the place to be. Now showing is The Selecta, a three show extravaganza that has something for all tastes and tendencies, and showcases some wonderful emerging talent from our young kiwis. The Auckland Theatre Company has put on a truly multi-faceted production and can be experienced as individual performances or the entire ‘marathon’ option.
The night began with Skin a gathering of spoken word performances from exceptional emerging poets and performers. We noticed that a lot of the performers had also competed against each other in last year’s Rising Voices Poetry Slam, which probably contributed to their onstage cohesion and brilliant word interaction. Written by Grace Taylor, Skin is an attempt to address some of the issues that are important, and confronting to youth culture.
Giant Teeth was next up, and next level in terms of theatrical colour and energy. Laurel Devenie and Katy Maudlin, from Company of Giants, have put together a gem of a show that is both bizarre and adorable; with a fantastic array of costumes and characters. The audience are treated to a warm and lively mash-up of music, mayhem and shenanigans. If you can’t make the marathon experience, then this is the pick of the bunch.
The last show of the night was DNA, a tale of a group of high school kids who find themselves in a sticky situation after a incident of bullying that goes too far. To begin with the performances were intense, and the story interesting, but somewhere along the way lost its dynamism and direction. I would recommend watching DNA in isolation, and not immediately after Giant Teeth, as it has some great young acting talent that is worth a look-see.
The Selecta will be playing at the Basement Theatre until July 26th.
Reviewed By Ben Blackman