The Fringe Festival is almost upon us once again. Running from the 6th of Feb to the 1st of March it promises to be, as it is every year, a veritable cornucopia of theatre, art, comedy, music and dance. Always a little homemade, always a little alternative, always a little amazing. There are upwards of one hundred events crammed into four weeks, so we are truly spoiled for choice. With a view to hook you up with a cool hit of this years Fringe, we present you with our Picks of the Fringe 2009.
For more info on the shows, click the links in their titles.
In order of occurrence —
Two Day Plays
1/8/15/22 7pm.
$18/$15/$12.
At Capital E.
18 teams have two days to create and present a new play, then the top six do it all over again in the grand final, competing for a host of prizes. Don’t miss the sleep-deprived results!
The Wellington Comedy Club
5/12/17 Feb 8pm, 19 Feb 9pm.
$15/$10. Feb 17th show is only $5!.
At the San Francisco Bath House.
You’re always guaranteed a chuckle at the comedy club.
Colony! and Grimm
6 – 9 Feb Colony! 6.30pm, Grimm 8.30pm.
$16/$12/$10 Double ticket for both Colony! and Grimm only $20.
There are also matinees on Sun 8 February at 2pm (Colony!) and 4pm (Grimm).
At Wellington Performing Arts Centre, 36 Vivian Street.
This return-due-to-widespread-demand season of Long Cloud Youth Theatre Company’s two devised works under the direction of acclaimed theatre maven Willem Wassenaar, will no doubt be full of quirk and dark humour.
The Skyrocketeers of Justice vs. The Zombie Apocalypse
8 – 12 Feb 6.30pm.
$15/$12/$10.
At Bats Theatre.
They had us at ‘Zombie Apocalypse’.
Lies and Other Stories Before Bed
9 – 13 Feb 7pm.
$16/$14/$12.
At the Southern Cross.
An uproarious, risky and rousing threesome of theatre, film and animation.
Comedy Unplugged
9/16/23 Feb 7pm.
$12/$10.
At the Fringe Bar, 191 Cuba Street.
Become a comedy guinea pig! Comedy Unplugged is the preview season for the NZ International Comedy Festival. Every night four local comedians try out new gags, new premises & new show concepts in preparation for their Comedy Festival show in May – be the first to see what sinks or swims!
Boomerang Lean and the She-Devil from Outer Space
10 – 14 Feb, 7pm.
$15/$12/$10.
At Happy, Cnr Tory and Vivian Street.
Every year, there is always one show in the Fringe that will either be the best thing ever created or worst than Satan. Boomerangs, She-Devils and musical extravaganza mark this out as that show.
The Intricate Art of Actually Caring
10 – 15, 17 – 22 Feb 7.30pm & 9pm.
$12/$10.
In Eli’s Bedroom.
Two young poets and their journey to James K. Baxter’s grave. A comedy about apathy by Eli Kent.
The Six O’Clock Swill
11/12/14 Feb 6pm.
$10/$7.
At Mighty Mighty.
The Six O’clock Swill is an exciting seasonal series of short plays held at The Mighty Mighty, where two fresh and exciting one act plays are presented for your entertainment.
POLY-ZYGOTIC
13 – 17 Feb 6.30pm.
$16/$12.
At Bats.
Following the lives of a set of polyzgotic Samoan triplets as they attempt to find their own uniqueness in a family packed out with tradition, rules, structure and KFC.
The Piradicals
13 – 15, 17 – 21 Feb 8.30pm.
$16/$14/$12.
At The Moorings, 31 Glenbervie Tce, Thorndon.
There is nothing quite like ‘Not suitable for minors’ to make a show awesome.
Words Apart
14 – 18 Feb 8pm.
$16/$12/$10.
At Bats.
As high concepts go Romeo and Juliet with deaf and hearing people is pretty sweet.
A Most Outrageous Humbug
20 – 22, 24 – 28 Feb 8pm.
$15/$12/$10.
At Waimapihi Reserve, end of Holloway Rd, Aro Valley. A “walking bus” (a guided walk up to the venue) will be meeting at the Monument on the corner of Aro Street and Holloway road from 7.30 to leave at 7.40 sharp.
Three Spoon Theatre winners of multiple Fringe awards last year, including Best of the Fringe, return with this gothic look at the life of Edgar Allen Poe.
Awesome? Nah, Bro.
24 – 28 Feb 5.30pm.
$16/$12/$10.
At the Fringe Bar, 191 Cuba Street.
Billy T Award winning comedian and C4 presenter Cori Gonzalez-Macuer hates a lot of things. Listen to him talk about them for an hour.
Wolf’s Lair
26 – 28 Feb, 3 – 7 Mar 6.30pm.
$16/$12/$10.
At Bats.
Traudl Junge was a young woman with dreams of being a ballerina, at 22 years old she became Hitler’s private secretary. She served him right until the bitter end. A glimpse of an ordinary woman caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Performed by Sophie Roberts, directed by Willem Wassenaar.
The Rodwell Monologues
28 Feb, 3 – 7 Mar 8pm.
$16/$12/$10.
At Bats.
Five women interpret Sally Rodwell’s iconic characters.
And in the conflicts of interest corner —
Drowning Bird, Plummeting Fish
11 – 19 Feb 9.30pm.
$16/$12/$10.
At Bats.
Produced by Arts Editor Fiona, Drowning Bird is devised drama freak out tearing apart everything you thought you knew abut going to the theatre. Trapped at a party where the beer is warm, the music is crap and the world is ending tonight (like your mate who’s had too much to drink), we’ll be ourselves but not ourselves: funnier, less predictable, more vulnerable.
The Many Other Lives of Maria Madness and The Pragmatic
14/15/21/22 Feb Maria Madness at 6.30pm, The Pragmatic at 8pm.
$9/$7/$6. See both shows for just $15, that two Fringe shows for the price of one.
At the Wellington Performing Arts Centre, 36 Vivian Street.
Produced and written by other Arts Editor Uther, The Many Other Lives of Maria Madness is a riotous devised comedy about imagination and everyone who has ever felt like a guest star in their own life story. It plays in a double bill with the quick witted The Pragmatic from Grub Street Theatre, a painfully accurate satire on both global politics and alchoholism. Both shows are sure to split your sides.