21 Feb 2025

This Weekend: Death, Ray; the strange story of Victor Penny

From Nights, 8:30 pm on 21 February 2025

Every Friday we check in with what weird and wonderful things Kiwis are getting up to this weekend.

And Wellington is putting together something very weird indeed, a play based on the true story of Victor Penny.

In 1935, Auckland man Victor Penny was spirited away to Somes Island by the New Zealand government to build a death ray, or so the story goes.

The play, Death Ray, is playing at Wellington Fringe at Bats Theatre with the last show being tomorrow night at 8:30pm.

Zachary Klein wrote the play joined Emile Donovan.

A photo taken of the theatre show 'Death, Ray'. Ray is cowering while an actress animates a death ray machine to speak to Ray.

'Death, Ray' by Zachary Klein is playing at BATS Theatre in Wellington as part of Wellington Fringe in February 2025. Photo: Michael van Echten