"This Rugged Beauty is a deliberately curious little number. You never quite know what is going on with the love story, When you close your eyes, as instructed, you may end up a bit damp or wind blown or even holding a plant. Hugely original and the last scene with the whales is strangely affecting." Lynn Freeman
"Inspired by a visit to Te Papa and thoughts of what it is to be a New Zealander, the cast have created a stimulating 80 minutes in which the best moments are spoken ones: New Zealanders’ propensity to be positive (we’ll pull through), the inability to fully express an emotional response, and the need to be bossed about a bit which is brilliantly shown when the director tells the actors playing Judy and David to pull up their socks and act better after the oranges at half-time." Laurie Atkinson
"Inspired by a visit to Te Papa and thoughts of what it is to be a New Zealander, the cast have created a stimulating 80 minutes in which the best moments are spoken ones: New Zealanders’ propensity to be positive (we’ll pull through), the inability to fully express an emotional response, and the need to be bossed about a bit which is brilliantly shown when the director tells the actors playing Judy and David to pull up their socks and act better after the oranges at half-time." Laurie Atkinson