ED2014 4/5 Reviews ED2014 Theatre Reviews

On The Upside Down Of The World (New Zealand Season / Auckland Theatre Company)

By | Published on Wednesday 20 August 2014

Adapting Lady Martin’s 1884 memoir, ‘Our Maoris’, into a solo show, ‘On The Upside Down Of The World’ charts the experiences of an English gentlewoman in colonial era New Zealand. Laurel Devenie’s performance as Lady Martin is excellent stiff upper lipped and emotional in just the right amounts while her subtle changes of accent throughout the play are a nice aural measure of Lady Martin’s journey. Drawing from a true story, the play does suffer from a slightly muddled narrative concentrating solely on Martin’s relationship with her foster son may have provided a stronger story arc and the ending is a bit of a damp squib. Despite this, this is a strong performance in good show.

Assembly Roxy, until 25 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Andrew Bell]

READ MORE ABOUT: |