Beatrix Potter Must Die! (Writer: Patrick Gabridge; Director: Matt Baker) is a super camp comedic take on what happens when a New Zealand farmer (Ben Van Lier) gets hold of a time machine and decides to exact revenge on a sexy invention of Potter (Britta Brandt). The farmer might be holding the gun, but Brandt is brandishing a ludicrous English accent in addition to her flirtatious charms. 

The appearance of H G Wells (Jamie Linehan) is, well, awesome. It’s a fun start to the show, though I can’t help but wonder why a woman ahead of her time in publishing, art and independence from men is being presented as such a cock-hungry cup-cake. Perhaps that’s just me though. My (white, male, heterosexual) friend leans over and says “wow, she was really SEXY”.

Continuing in the comedic vein is Dhoti Baba (Written and directed by Aman Bajaj). Gopal (Aman Bajaj) has been blessed by a silly guru (Ram Mantry) and believes he now has super hero qualities. This is all very slapstick, yet interspersed with moments that are all too real.

When an old school acquaintance (Aamir Kapasi) looks like he’s planning to date rape a very drunk girl, Gopal steps in.  Just as it’s getting heavy they all break into a Bollywood-inspired dance. Phew.  

I like a good laugh as much as the next girl who escapes date rape and gets to dance, but Leo Rising (Writer: Angie Farrow; Director: James Bell) is quietly harrowing and I love it. Pippiajna Tui Jane is a jilted bride, and she is luminous with grief. She’s also very understanding, because, you know, it’s all written in the stars. 

Encounter (Writer: Renee Boyer-Willisson; Director: Joanna Craig) is the creepy story of an attractive young man invading the personal space of an attractive young woman at a bus stop. It’s okay though, because he’s got great hair and a cheeky grin.

Although both performances are excellent, there’s something disturbing and possibly inauthentic about presenting a woman (Brooke Peterson) as eventually being charmed by this bizarre persistence. She repeatedly tells him her boundaries and he keeps on breaking them down.  She eventually even giggles and seems to think it’s quite adorable the way he’s sliding back towards her again. I would be calling the cops.

The guy (Paul Trimmer) is a complete and total mind rapist (I would use a stronger word, but I’m trying to be a ‘lady’). He nails the whole super charming psychopath with finesse.

Gitboy is a glimpse into the experience of a man (Mohamed Hassan) being held and tortured under the suspicion of terrorism. As a result, he has regressed to being a child again. He’s separated from this moment and residing in the past, but I can’t quite connect to this piece.  

It is an excerpt from Crow/Father, so perhaps it works better in that context, or perhaps it’s because the age he’s regressed to (12) doesn’t ring true to the way children speak and behave at that age. His child like persona seems to be more in keeping with a very young six or seven year old, and even they only use a baby voice occasionally. 

Call of the Sparrows (Writer: Chye-Ling Huang; Director: James Roque) is just … OUT OF IT! I mean this in the best possible sense. It’s over the top, and each of the women on stage is really, really funny. Nasty employer (Amanda Tito) – an old, rich, eccentric bitch with a bizarre swagger – is like the love child of John Cleese and Joanna Lumley. She dominates her housemaid (Amanda Grace Leo) and puts her down at every turn, yet it seems this maid might yet get her winning moment as a replacement in the mah jong game tonight!

Awakened by the possibility of causing some trouble is an impish (visible only to the maid) spirit (Chye-Ling Huang). Huang and Leo have an expert grasp on comedic timing, and the director (James Roque) really has his work cut out to make all of this work so beautifully. I really look forward to seeing what Huang does next!

Storm in a Teacup (Writer: Angela Reading) starts off with promise. Ladies in fabulous raincoats trickle onto the stage and the sound of their quiet chatter starts to sound a bit like the low rumble of an oncoming storm.  The ensuing dance and accompanying poetry look like it’s enjoyed by those on-stage, but lacks cohesion or clear meaning.

It’s hard to know what point is being made, whether the on-coming storm is supposed to signify the onset of old age, or if life itself is actually the storm in a teacup. 

In Here and There (Writer: Anjula Prakash; Director: Rina Patel), Mina (Anjula Prakash) and her Maori boyfriend Hama (Blair Corbett) are engaged and have to break it to her parents.

Totally predictable yet enjoyable, the domineering Indian mother (Melody Mendonza), bulldozed father (Prateek Vadagaonkar) and ignorant brother (Boni Te Rongopai Tukiwaho) are all convincing in their roles. Mina and Hama also seem true to life, and the piece benefits from some light comedic touches. 

Death in 10 Minutes (Writer: Joachim Emilo Antonio; Director: Sarah Daymond) is a philosophical take on what it is to be a player on the stage of life. Or perhaps just on the stage. A highly strung woman (Melody Knapp) attempts to prevent her own death by altering the script. Because she’s annoying we don’t care and are looking forward to this demise. She has gorgeous hair though.  

A relaxed man (Dion Greenstreet) continually points out the futility of her attempt to prevent the inevitable. We are all reminded that death is the one little thing we can’t escape in life. 

Footprints to New Zealand (Writers: Sharu Delikan and Tim Booth). Alvin Maharaj really shines in this one man piece; he takes on the persona of many different people, each one using the line “I consider myself a compassionate person” when patience is pushed to the limits.

The first character ponders digging through the earth and ending up in Christchurch, and ends with the last character coming up on the other side of the world.

The script uses really effective and beautiful imagery. Maharaj’s acting skills show great range – he took me from laughter to tenderness with ease. 

Ok Cupid (Writer: Lana Walters; Director: Thomas Sainsbury) sees a beautifully dressed charmless man (John Bartlett) reject the awkward, sexy girl (Lana Walters).

Is this because she lied, or because she isn’t a Russian online hooker? Maybe it’s because the man is more in love with online gaming? We’ll never quite know, but I’d like to. Well-acted and therefore appropriately painful.

Crossbow Cat (Writer: Abby Howells; Director: Padma Akuia). Wesley (Ben Moore) must face the consequences of accidentally shooting a cat with a crossbow when he was 19. You know it’s silly when someone has a crossbow and it isn’t Joffry from Game of Thrones. It’s totally surreal as the cat is life size, talks, and appears to be inhabited by a clear thinking Eddie Izzard.

I like it when they share a tender moment, the vengeful cat (Mustaq Missouri) forgetting his rage when Wesley gives him a little bit of a rub. It’s quite funny, and evidently a lot of people think it’s very funny because it wins the People’s Choice Award as well as Judges Choice.  

My top picks are Call of the Sparrows and Leo Rising, though I certainly got something from every single ten minute taste.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer