Oracles and Miracles

A timeless portrait of family life and the sacrifice of aspiration pitched against a prejudiced yet not too distant past... ... full review

This is a real play with a solid plot and good writing and acting. Although it is a period play set in New Zealand with a deceptively homey central story about two sisters, it also delves into family abuse, socio-economic class differences and other issues that are timeless.... full review

Oracles and Miracles offers a bittersweet insight into a fundamental faultline in the New Zealand psyche – the “tall poppy syndrome” - and it’s effect on two sisters growing up in depression-era Christchurch (a regional city in the South Island of New Zealand). The play follows two working-class sisters, nicknamed Ginnie and Fag, from their early childhood in the depression through to motherhood in the baby boom of the early fifties. We journey with them and discover how each sister’s response to their neglectful and abusive mother constantly reminding them not to get “too big for their boots” drives their dreams, hopes, ambitions and need for love and belonging – and the effect this has on their relationship with each other. ... full review

The trope of sisters is a familiar one, and don't let the fact that this one is based in New Zealand from early last century make you think it isn't relevant because it is to sisters everywhere. When you grow up so close together and your lives take a divergent path. Director Leah Patterson has chosen to use an interesting tool to portray the women in their youth and then their later years...a clothesline with a sheet as projection screen and footage of the older women. It is beautifully done, and playwright Norelle Scotts interpretation of Stevan Eldred-Grigg's book Oracles and Miracles is a beautiful transition from book to stage. Amy Waller's 'Fag' brilliantly captures the small town snobbery that results from new money, while I wasn't su... full review

Really good show. Creative use of the minimalist set. Engaging story. ... full review

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