Auckland Fringe: Theatre and dance reviews from week 1

Game Face shows how international narrow beauty standards are.

What: Game Face
Where & when: Q Theatre, Vault until Saturday
Beauty standards and the societal pressures they create is one of the hot-button issues of our times. It's one that has international reach, as London import Game Face shows. The three performers come from different countries - Lucy Park (South Korea), Katie Paterson (UK) and Lexi Clare (New Zealand) – but during their hour-long show it's apparent that the expectation to stay thin is global. For a show that delivers a lot of harsh truths, it's a lot of fun. All three are talented singers and have produced a number of jaunty but truth-laden tunes that will appeal to fans of The Fan Brigade. It's a little shambolic, verging erratically between song, dance, jump rope and donut eating, but even when at its heaviest, the performers approach their own personal pain with a joyful charm. The show would feel more necessary if there was more of a resolution, but you can't deny the power a mantra as simple as "be yourself" can have. Reviewed by Ethan Sills

What: Deep
Where & when: Q Theatre, Vault until Saturday
In a festival as crowded and diverse as the Fringe, the boldest premises have the best chance of standing out from the densely packed line-up. If there was a best concept award, Deep is a clear winner: a marine archaeologist becomes untethered from her craft and hopelessly adrift with only an hour of oxygen left. If that wasn't intriguing enough, the promise of puppet co-stars only heightens the interest. Yet Deep is too bold for its own good. It throws a dozen different elements into a tight 50 minutes so no element gets a chance to shine. There's no clear plot, with the threat of no oxygen clashing for attention against a mystical ancient discoveries and a cast of judgemental or obnoxious fish. The fish are the sole highlight. Chye-Ling Huang's puppets are beautifully crafted and the performers bring them dazzlingly to life, to the point that they feel more alive than any of the human characters. And that's a problem considering the climax revolves around our hero Rebekah having to decide between two worlds; nothing in the rest of the play provides any grounds for conflict. (ES)

What: Perry
Where & when: Basement Theatre until Saturday
It's been a while now since New Zealand truly had a breakout comedy character, a household name the likes of Fred Dagg or Flight of the Conchords. With Perry, it feels like Tom Clarke is trying to rectify that. This mumbling, befuddled character has quietly been around for a few years; Clarke hopes to take him international this year. Perry has the potential for that. With his muffled voice, multi-layered outfit and oversized glasses, he seems like Mr Bean lost at a Northland retirement village. There's a lot of appeal there, and when Perry first walks on stage, shocked by the audience and riffing with imaginary apples, this very Kiwi character works wonders. But what begins harmlessly enough quickly becomes more surreal and pointless. Clarke deserves props for utterly committing to his bizarre creation; he never once lets up, selling Perry until there is literally spit dousing the front row, but the character's potential fades in a set that becomes increasingly reliant on immature humour and cringe-worthy gags that stumble towards an uninspired finish. (ES)

Burning Opinion represents a new stage in Pacific New Zealand theatre.

What: Burning Opinion
Where: Auckland Town Hall
Burning Opinion, by Suli Moa, is a powerful piece of political theatre that takes audiences on an emotional roller coaster. A celebration of culture and tradition, it offered a poignant look into the conflict of Tonga's changing government. There are valuable insights into the untold story of the 2006 democracy protests and the fateful riots known as "Black Thursday" with the monumental events backgrounding personal stories revealed through a range of skilfully drawn characters. The multifaceted nature of Tongan society is shown with striking portraits of hard-working parents dealing with intergenerational differences, and the engaging drama of the complex relationships between locals, deportees and migrants returning to their motherland. Tongan and English were spoken with so much ease and fluidity that I almost forgot I can't actually understand Tongan. The audience's familiarity, reactions and laughter at Tongan punch lines told all you needed to know. Burning Opinion is filled with romance, heart ache, sacrifice, violence, love and joy; masterful changes in tone are carried with sharp Pacific humour while expert drumming adds dramatic tension and singing builds deeper emotional connection to the stories. A beautifully powerful piece of Pacific theatre. Reviewed by Kolopa Simei-Barton

This Fragile Planet, a collaboration between two exciting New Zealand dance/theatre companies. Photo / John McDermott

What: I Know What I'm Doing – Melody Rachel
Where: Q Theatre, Loft
Life's big questions came into focus during Week 1 of Auckland Fringe in two hybrid performances which provided plenty to think about. In I Know What I'm Doing, solo performer Melody Rachel steadily drew the audience into her inner world of doubts and fears, self-talk coping strategies and motivating Big Questions. Combined with a series of social encounters which presented alternate personas to match her internal commentary, she got us thinking about what it is to be human and beset by irrational thinking, but also how craftily the performer develops a relationship with the audience. Brilliantly done. Reviewed by Raewyn Whyte

What: This Fragile Planet - NZ Dance Company with The Conch
Where: Auckland Town Hall
Also brilliant on a much larger scale, This Fragile Planet magically created a sense of the passing centuries of life on Planet Earth and the way things have changed during time. A collaboration between The Conch and the NZ Dance Company, choreographed by Ross McCormack with an evocative sound score by John Gibson, six extraordinary performers, a sheet, some fur coats and a small rock, this gently raised the question of what it is to be human in today's world, faced with the daunting challenge of survival and regeneration of Earth itself. We were left with a feeling that resolution lies with people joining together. (RW)