Separation City

The premise

Set in Wellington and Berlin, Separation City is a wry yet insightful dissection of two faltering marriages, and love that was meant to be, yet wasn’t, written by Tom Scott, and directed by Paul Middleditch.

The play

Klaus (Thomas Kretschmann) an artist, and his wife Katrien (Rhona Mitra) a cello player, have recently moved to New Zealand from Germany.

About the time Katrien learns Klaus is having an affair with a young arts student, she meets Simon (Joel Edgerton), a speech writer for a government minister.

Simon is having his share of marital problems however, his wife Pam (Danielle Cormack), once the light of his life, barely seems aware of his presence sometimes. Simon and Katrien soon find themselves overwhelmingly attracted to each other…

The wrap

Thanks to an at times audacious script, “Separation City” almost delivers a laugh a minute, often by way of the biting sarcasm of Simon’s friend, Harry (Les Hill), while still maintaining a serious focus on its weightier sub plots.

And as if the storyline isn’t captivating enough, the locations, especially on the hills and coastlines outside Wellington are also incredible.