LIVE January - March 2013 by Auckland Live

Summer Festivals Issue JANUARY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MARCH 2013

ARTS Explosion festival time in Auckland

TV stars take the stage The NZSO meets martial arts Genre defying ukes

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t h E C thE ACIvIC, vI AUCKLAnD • FrOM 28 MArCh – 7 ShOwS OnLY! I C , U C bOOK At bUY tICKEtS or buytickets.co.nz K orG0800 L u A p B n thE CIvIC, AUCKLAnD • FrOM 28 MArCh – 7 ShOwS OnLY! o o k b i n O + • D 0Group g O s Bookings 12 SAVE! Telephone Group Bookings (09) 357 3354 or email groups@the-edge.co.nz tA K VAS + 21 bOOK At 0800 bUY tICKEtS or buytickets.co.nz 8 0 !E b0 T e l e p www.coroonstage.co.nz h o Bookings 12+ SAVE! Telephone n e Group Group Bookings (09) 357 3354 or email groups@the-edge.co.nz G r uo www.coroonstage.co.nz c.www

live / JANUARY – MARCH 2013

LIVE SHORTS ASB Theatre reopens shortly after the second phase of a major refurbishment. Audiences will be able to enjoy new seating on the circle level, to match the stalls level upgraded last summer. Audiences should notice a greater level of comfort in the theatre with revamps to the air conditioning and acoustics completed. After over 20 years of events, the Aotea Centre’s largest space deserved some TLC – enjoy the new-look space! Stark’s had a makeover late last year and now you can drop by from 7am daily for Caffe L’affare coffee or visit in the evening for Stella Artois on tap or even one of the Freda Stark-inspired cocktails including the delicious Fever of the Fleet (pictured).

Hit Picks Enter the competitions at www.the-edge.co.nz/comps We asked and they answered – read our Q&As at www.the-edge.co.nz/hitpicks Watch videos on our blog at www.the-edge.co.nz/ thereadingroom Find out about upcoming shows for all-ages www.familyevents.co.nz

Reece Mastin – The Beautiful Nightmare Tour 15 February | Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

Garbage 20 February | The Civic

Floral Notes 28 March | ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

Aotea Square will once again be transformed during Auckland Arts Festival with the Festival Club taking over the space with places to relax and have a drink, as well as New Zealand’s own Spiegeltent that will host the festival’s most sophisticated and sexy shows. Our neighbours at Auckland Art Gallery have the Who Shot Rock & Roll photography exhibition on until 3 March. There are three more late-night events before the exhibition wraps up with DJs, live music and speakers Don McGlashan, DJ Sir-Vere and Otis Frizzell.

Editor Josie Campbell – media@the-edge.co.nz Advertising & listing enquiries Jane Pickering – live@the-edge.co.nz Designer Angela Lynskey Theatre Marketing Manager Angela Gourdie Cover credit Photo of Circolombia’s Urban. Image by Yan Pellegrino.

BUY TICKETS MOBILE BUY TICKETS MOBILE is a super quick, streamlined web experience designed specifically for mobile devices. Download the free app for your Android or iPhone, or use the mobile-optimised version of our website. Buy tickets for any event at our venue before 31 March and be in to win one of two $100 gift vouchers from THE EDGE.

Director’s pick Robbie Macrae is Director of THE EDGE and has a finely tuned palate when it comes to performing arts and entertainment because he sees more events than anyone. For this issue, Robbie’s pick of the shows is Cantina at the Festival Club in Aotea Square. “Cantina features performers from Auckland Arts Festival favourites La Clique as well as Circus Oz and Circa, so I know we are in for a treat. If you haven’t seen a cabaret show in a Spiegeltent, you haven’t yet had the true arts festival experience.”

Cantina

6 – 24 March | Festival Club, Aotea Square

live / january – march 2013

Auckland’s ARTS

celebration One Man, Two Guvnors

It’s a big world made smaller when artists from New Zealand and the world gather for the Auckland Arts Festival 2013, immersing us in a cultural celebration of our city, and its place in the wider world, as we revel in the creativity of numerous artists who come to entertain, provoke and enlighten. By Dionne Christian.

nlike those who dream of running away to join the circus, Australian performer David Carberry initially resisted his parents’ attempts to enrol him in a children’s circus school and hightailed it from auditions for the Flying Fruit Circus.

Celebrated choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, the son of a Moroccan father and Belgium mother, straddles two cultures while his work has introduced him to many more. He has lived and worked in Southern China with the monks of the Shaolin Monastery and recently explored the world of Russian classical dance to choreograph the film Anna Karenina with Jude Law and Keira Knightley. Actor Owain Arthur grew up in a small North Wales village speaking Welsh as his first language and realised just last year he now knows enough English to use it to make an audience laugh. Three different performers who share a common bond: a passion for the arts as a means to bring people together – that art, visual and performance is for everyone – will be part of the sixth Auckland Arts Festival from 6 to 24 March. While they come from other parts of the world, Festival Artistic Director Carla van Zon sought performers and artists whose work reflects aspects of life in Auckland: a multicultural and geographically widespread city with a rich history and stunning environment. New Zealand’s very own Spiegeltent is once again at the heart of the Festival Club in Aotea Square. It is the base for Cantina, a 1930s-style underground circus-cabaret which Carla describes as “just a little bit naughty”. Featuring performers from Circus Oz, Tom Tom Crew and Circa, it’s a seductive show which, says performer David Carberry, enthrals audiences as it blurs the boundaries between fantasy and reality to ask: who is actually being entertained? Co-directed by Scott Maidment and Chelsea McGuffin (Smoke & Mirrors), Cantina has sold out around the world in countries as diverse as The Netherlands and Colombia, Germany and Australia.

But comedy, particularly slapstick and farce, seems to have universal appeal – and the National Theatre of Great Britain’s One Man, Two Guvnors has plenty of it. “Usually you create a new show, you market it, perform it, refine it and build it up again but this has been in demand since its premiere,” says David. “I think it is dynamic; it offers variety and a glimpse into a world which is darker and edgier than the one we normally inhabit.” Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, one of Europe’s leading choreographers, has made more than 15 fully-fledged choreographic pieces and picked up numerous awards. Created with long-time artistic collaborator Damin Jalet, Babel revolves around Sidi’s fascination with the power of language to unite and divide. This extends to body language and the ways in which gestures can be both universal and very specific. He says a contemporary dance work, like Babel, is an ideal way to explore how we use and manipulate language; indeed, the 18 dancers speak 15 languages between them. “The thing with dance, especially contemporary dance which is always a little bit abstract, is that you have to go with it. You can smile or be intrigued or dazzled by the physicality but you never really know what’s coming next. So I want to use that suspense to transmit a message which invades the soul, which says ‘think about being human and trying to connect with other humans; consider the bigger picture’.” Set beneath a towering set of aluminium cubes designed by artist Antony Gormley, Babel challenges the notion that

people are divided by different languages, proposing instead that rhythm and music are universal languages. With five musicians on stage, the score combines Hindi beats, Japanese drumming and melancholic, medieval flute and harp. With Auckland becoming more diverse by the day, Carla says a fiercely beautiful production like Babel speaks to us about the importance of recognising the richness of cultural diversity but finding common ground. “Art can be unifying and artistic experiences can enrich the lives of all people at any age or stage.” But comedy, particularly slapstick and farce, seems to have universal appeal – and the National Theatre of Great Britain’s One Man, Two Guvnors has plenty of it. It pays homage to British comedy but writer Richard Bean found inspiration from the 18th-century commedia dell’ arte plot of A Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. Owain Arthur is Francis Henshall who, unemployed and hungry for a decent meal, finds himself working for two ‘guvnors’. They’re desperate to find one another, but Francis is determined to keep them apart lest they discover his deception. Owain, who was a Welsh TV soap star, has been in the role for 18 months and delights in using his talent to make people laugh. He describes the show as very physical and says it’s simply good fun. “I grew up speaking Welsh and I was always a little nervous about whether I really knew English, but there’s sections in the show where I banter with the audience and improvise a bit. The other night, I suddenly realised I was doing it: making jokes in English and not thinking about it – so now I know I can speak it! I also know laughter sounds joyous no matter what language you speak.” If One Man, Two Guvnors will have audiences laughing long after the curtain falls, then Urban by Circolombia will have them catching their breath and wondering about the daredevil exploits of the young performers. It is described as a “revolutionary circus experience” which incorporates gravity-defying stunts, astonishing acrobatics and frightening feats of physicality to tell a story about life on the streets of Colombian city Cali.

live / JANUARY – MARCH 2013

Workers in song Auckland Arts Festival boasts an expansive array of musical acts, from heart-worn Irish troubadours to iconic indigenous fare. Luke Oram previews the artists bringing their songs to our shores.

Urban Photo: Miky Calero

O WIN

One of three double passes to Urban. Enter at www.the-edge.co.nz/comps

Most remarkable, though, are the stories of the young performers who come from Circo Para Todos (Circus For All), Colombia’s national circus school and one of the world’s first professional circus schools for disadvantaged young people. It was established by Felicity Simpson, a former circus performer from Britain, who set up the school in 1997 to allow street kids and disadvantaged youth to soar as worldclass artists on stage. “It was time to unleash the force of youth, an energy field touching the whole theatre, to the last seats and back,” says Felicity. “All the energy from the street explodes: a mix of what they have learned in the school and lived in their lives.” The Latin rap and hip-hop soundtrack adds to the attitude and atmosphere which, says Carla, will surely appeal to Auckland’s young people: “I watched parts of it through my fingers, wondering when someone would fall but no one ever did. It is simply inspiring and I think it has an important message for Auckland.”

Auckland Arts Festival

When you ask Glen if he sees his music as art, his answer is eloquent to the point of being pre-meditated. His language is from another, more poetic era; he speaks of music as a prophetic thing, a gift from within. “You’re a servant. You have to get out of your own way.” Glen remarks down a patchy phone line, “If you’re serving your work, then you’re in a good spot. Essentially, you’re serving the muse.” Most of us first discovered Glen’s raw, heartbroken folk on the streets of Dublin in the indie hit Once. The film propelled Glen and his long-standing band The Frames into the forefront of the modern folk movement. He was the last of the troubadours; a melancholic songsmith who dropped out of school at age 13 to busk on the Dublin streets, a man who, at age 42, still considers himself one of Cohen’s ‘Workers in song’, a man just blessed to have an audience. “I just feel incredibly lucky that I get to tour and that people will show up and hear me play. That is the greatest gift… the greatest joy.” Glen joins a stellar cast at next year’s Auckland Arts Festival, complementing a roster of musical acts from around the globe. Six-piece British group The Magnets bring their genre-bending act to the festival, tackling the whole gamut of modern pop, with a cappela workovers from the likes of Kraftwerk, Beyoncé, Led Zeppelin and Tears for Fears.

IMAGE: JACK BODY

6 – 24 March | See calendar on page 9

scar Wilde once said, “Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory.” Were it not uttered a century ago, you could have almost imagined it to be directed specifically at fellow patriot Glen Hansard. Perhaps it’s Glen who’s in the wrong century; a bleeding folk troubadour thrust into a world of modern disposable pop music, a true artist still taking his cues from his childhood ‘Holy Trinity’ of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Van Morrison.

Last seen here supporting blues legend BB King at a packed Civic Theatre, Grammy-nominated soul songstress Ruthie Foster makes her return to our shores, complete with all-female backing band and the promise of a night of fiery roots and blues. The festival also boasts Afro-beat royalty Hugh Masekela, the man whose musical voice spoke so aptly of South Africa’s agony during the ’50s and ’60s. Telling the story of his country’s violent struggle against apartheid and slavery through the vibrant emotions of jazz, Hugh was an important collaborator on Paul Simon’s iconic African love letter Graceland and his infectious rhythms continue to trace a map back to his nation. International acts aside, the festival features a nostalgic airing of Aotearoa’s own songs, as classic Maori anthems from Tu-tira Mai Nga Iwi to Blue Smoke get a modern workover in Everything Is Ka Pai. Ka Pai sees the classic waiata of Howard Morrison, Prince Tui Teka and Billy T James revisited by their contemporaries, from Annie Crummer and Seth Haapu and national treasure John Rowles. Ten Guitars in psychedelic splendour, even. Now there’s a song that’s nigh to memory if ever I heard one. Read more of our interview with Glen Hansard at www.the-edge.co.nz/thereadingroom

Glen Hansard with The Frames 13 March | Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

8pm Friday 8 March Auckland Town Hall Composer Jack Body Dedicated to Carmen Rupe, a production that celebrates the colourful life and fearless personality of one of this country’s most original icons. Part concert, part performance work, this is a stunning evocation of lives lived theatrically and defiantly, a performance as flamboyant as Carmen herself. apo.co.nz

Book now at buytickets.co.nz | 09-357 3355

In Memoriam Carmen Rupe

live / january – march 2013

Alan Davies on life Life is Pain. It doesn’t exactly sound like a stand-up comedy show, but that’s exactly what it is. After a 10-year hiatus from stand-up, Alan Davies is back on stage doing what he does best: being funny. By David Farrier. lan Davies has a round face with an almost childlike smile. He’s one of those men who’s both a very good actor and a very good comedian. More often than not, the two cross over.

There’s always one or two audience members expecting Jonathan Creek on stage – not a world-class comedian. “It takes a few minutes to adjust. Sometimes they can’t adjust and they sit there with their mouth hanging open.”

You’ll know Alan from either QI or Jonathan Creek. The former is a quiz show hosted by Stephen Fry, where Alan is a regular panellist. It’s a quiz show, but the questions are so difficult and obscure that the show boils down to who gives the most interesting answer. Stephen and Alan are the stars – and anyone watching can tell that Alan started life as a stand-up comic.

The show is about his life – from growing up, to becoming a father. He didn’t have the easiest upbringing, but says enough time has gone by. Sometimes things get funnier with time. “I’m older now so there’s some distance between me and one or two things in my childhood that were a bit difficult but I can touch on now without it being a problem for me. It’s maturity for me, and wisdom.”

Jonathan Creek is a very different beast. As the main character, Alan’s humour shines through, but primarily it’s a crime-drama – albeit a wacky one.

Life is Pain has been getting great reviews, but stand-up wasn’t always an easy path. Like any comedian starting out, he struggled. “I’d do any gig at all, and I remember driving down to a gig in Wales at a student union bar, and in the middle of the room – where the audience was meant to be – there was a pool table. And I thought they’d cover that up, but they just kept on playing pool throughout the show.” He pauses and laughs. “At one point a man came on stage carrying a pool cue and grabbed the microphone from me – that’s the first rule of stand-up: don’t let anyone get the microphone – and started berating

Now returning to the stage, Alan is giving audiences another side to his personality. “It’s funny touring now, because I am doing some stuff in my show about the differences between now and the 1980s – that’s when I started doing stand-up – so I bridged this long gap. Lots of people see me now and only know me from TV, and the live show is an eye-opener. But it’s what I do best. It felt familiar and a nice place to be.”

everybody for talking during the show. And then he went back and kept playing pool.” 2012 was a great year for Alan. The only drama was when he re-tweeted a comment about Lord McAlpine being a paedophile. Now, with 20 other high-profile tweeters, he’s on McAlpine’s defamation legal hitlist. “I am waiting to hear. I feel so foolish over that because I hit the re-tweet button by mistake. I didn’t even know I’d done it. It was on the iPhone: a tiny little icon sits there. I am forever ‘favouriting’ things by mistake. So I’ve deleted the app from the iPhone and given money to a children’s charity.” Apart from a rogue tweet, life is good. I can hear his two year old playing in the

background. It’s 8am in London, and he’s getting ready for the day. I imagine it will involve laughing with Stephen Fry, and packing his bags for New Zealand. In fact, he says he was the first international comedian to perform at the Auckland Comedy Festival in the ‘90s. He says he went jet-boating. He wants to go again. “If anyone’s got a jetboat, pipe up!”

Alan Davies – Life is Pain 1 February Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

The New Zealand Herald

Premier Series 2013 Twelve premier concerts at Auckland Town Hall that present the power and passion of classical and contemporary orchestral music. Conductor Garry Walker First concert 21 February. Details at apo.co.nz Violin James Ehnes To subscribe or receive a brochure

call 09 623 1052 Individual concert bookings at

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live / JANUARY – MARCH 2013

A state of Ken-fusion One of television’s most unlikely sex symbols reveals how he’s made the most of his five decades with Coronation Street – and how he’ll be taking the ultimate busman’s holiday: taking leave to appear in a comedy stage play about our favourite moments from the show. By Diana Balham.

en Barlow – 52 years, four wives, 28 torrid encounters. However, when actor William Roache revealed last year that he had slept with … gulp! … 1000 women, it was hard to argue that Coronation Street’s oldest lothario could hold a candle to the durable smoothie behind the character. But romantic accomplishments aside, William insists his similarity to Ken is what has kept him sane all these years. “I don’t have any confusion,” he reasons down the line from the UK, in the infuriatingly measured tones of his alter ego. In those five words I can hear the comfortable resignation of a man who knows it’s far too late to reinvent himself – or Ken, who just can’t seem to leave Coronation Street, in spite of his early aspirations. “If I was playing an obscure character like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, if I’d done that for 50 years, I think I’d be in a pretty sorry state but Ken is close to me in many ways. I obviously live a different life to him, but he’s a nice guy, trying to keep the peace with his dysfunctional family, and I like him. It’s all worked out really well.”

“I obviously live a different life to him, but he’s a nice guy, trying to keep the peace with his dysfunctional family, and I like him.” Worked out really well? What happened to the young firebrand Ken who kicked against the Establishment in the ‘60s? Why didn’t he just get off his idealistic bum and go? And why, William, are you the only character to have withstood over 50 years of Betty’s hotpots? “The problem with Ken in the early days was the fact that he was a university graduate, an intellectual from this little working-class street. Why did he stay there? They gave him this incredible inability to hold onto his girlfriends, because he’s had so many, so his love life has really been the main thing. And the fact that he always loved the street and he wanted to be the voice of Weatherfield. He ran the newspaper. He tried to do things. It just sort of happened that he’s still there and I’m so glad he is.” Quite so. Coronation Street has given William the sort of fame and fortune a lad from the sooty back streets of Manchester could only fantasise about, even with one of them fancy degrees from t’university. But it is only a story, after all. In real life, even a bedhopper of William’s prowess wouldn’t forget the name of a woman he fathered a kid with, would he? “I had a child by the hairdresser …” “Denise?” I prompt. “Denise! Well done!” William bellows amiably, in Weatherfield Comprehensive teacher mode. (I’ve just noticed he said “I” when he meant “Ken”.) “She went off to Scotland with her boyfriend and Ken had the son and said he would do everything he could to keep him. Then just in one episode, they descended and he let him go and I couldn’t get my head around it. The writers agreed they hadn’t handled it very well but they just wanted more stories later on. As an actor, that was difficult to play.” Now we’ll get to see if William can do funny. Jonathan Harvey’s stage comedy, Coronation Street on Stage, is a romp through 50 years of births, deaths, crimes of passion and floral pinnies. Wiliam will narrate and play “bits and pieces”. A sort of Reduced Shakespeare with pints of bitter, it features half a dozen actors playing 40 or 50 parts. Although the only genuine Street person, William says fans will have no trouble working out who’s who. I, on the other hand, am completely confused. I don’t know if I’ve just interviewed an actor or slipped through a cobblestoned portal into a world of terraced houses and chip butties. Eee, Ken, you’ve gorra lot to answer for.

COROnation Street on Stage 28 March – 1 April | The Civic

MEET William RoachE Tell us why you love Coronation Street and go in the draw for four tickets to the opening night of COROnation Street on Stage and we’ll make sure you get the chance to meet ‘Our Ken’ himself, William Roache. Visit www.the-edge.co.nz/comps to enter.

live / january – march 2013

The Manhattan Transfer The Waterboys

THE Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain The Ukes are back with their foot-stomping, all-singing, all-plucking show: playing covers from Lady Gaga to Michael Jackson, plus quirky originals and all the old favourites. 22 & 23 February, 8pm | $59 – $79* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

THEATRE

Shen Yun Shen Yun brings to life over 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation through classical Chinese dance and music in an exhilarating show you will never forget. 8 – 9 February, 7.30pm | $50 – $120* The Civic

Garbage The Frontier Touring Company proudly presents 1990’s rock icons Garbage at the beautiful Civic Theatre in Auckland this February. 20 February, 8pm | $86.50* The Civic

Alan Davies – Life Is Pain One of the UK’s best-loved comedians and actors – star of QI and Jonathan Creek – makes a longawaited return to New Zealand. ****The Age 1 February, 8pm | $59.90* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

CLASSICAL NZSO: TAN DUN Martial Arts Trilogy (with film) A multimedia event dedicated to Hollywood grandeur. Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun and the NZSO perform scores from The Banquet, Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. 15 February, 7.30pm | $57 – $140* The Civic APO: New Zealand Herald Premier Series – Zarathustra Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra opens its 2013 season in style with Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra and Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor performed by Gunilla Süssmann. 21 February, 8pm | $23 – $110* On sale 21 January Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

Auckland Fringe: One By One An enchanting silent theatre show accompanied by live music that tells the tragi-comic love story of modern-day clowns Bonnie and Marty. 26 February – 2 March, 7pm | $20 – $25* Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre

One By One

COROnation Street On Stage! COROnation Street On Stage! – the hysterical new comedy by award-winning playwright and Coronation Street scriptwriter Jonathan Harvey. The programme’s 50-year history of births, deaths, marriages and other dramatic events is condensed into one action-packed two-hour show. 28 March – 1 April, various times | From $59* The Civic Floral Notes This micro musical bounces into town with laughter, tears and garden trowels. $10 from every ticket goes to Breast Cancer New Zealand. 28 March, 7.30pm | $69* ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

APO: New Zealand Herald Premier Series – The Trumpet Sounds Experience a night of drama and bravado as Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Principal Trumpet Brent Grapes takes centre stage to perform Alexander Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto. 28 February, 8pm | $23 – $110* On sale 21 January Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

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FESTIVAL Auckland Fringe 2013 The open-access world of Fringe returns to Auckland for three weeks in February and March. With over 115 events abetted by 40-something similar venues, strap in, get immersed and sample Another Original Fringe show. 15 February – 10 March | Various prices. Visit aucklandfringe.co.nz for more info. Various venues Auckland wide Auckland Fringe: Sal Valentine & The BabyShakes vs Fringe As undercard of the Fringe, Sal will be dancing toe to toe with select Fringe performers, giving away tickets and generally just laying it down. Centre stage. Aotea Square. BOOM. In his corner will be No.1 band The Babyshakes. 15 February, 5.30pm, 18 – 23 February, 5.30pm | FREE Aotea Square

Auckland Fringe: Fringe in the Park The gateway event of the Auckland Fringe. Myers Park runneth over with activities for the kids, grins, eye-openings, lost islands and 40+ Fringe acts sharing their spoils. Bring the family for live instagram of the Fringe to come. 16 February, 12noon – 4pm | FREE Myers Park, via St Kevin’s Arcade, K’Rd

Gunilla Süssmann

REECE MASTIN: The Beautiful Nightmare Tour Brent Eccles Entertainment and The Edge are proud to present The Beautiful Nightmare Tour from Australia’s hottest rocker of the moment, Reece Mastin. To celebrate the release of Reece’s sophomore album, Beautiful Nightmare, Reece is heading out on the road to share the songs that he has created over the past year with all his Lil Rockers. 15 February, 8pm | $66.50* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall Auckland Fringe: Craig Hallen – Piano and the Song Craig Hallen opens his catalogue of original songs and serves up a delicious music selection ranging from laid-back ballads through to raunchy rock songs – live at the piano. 16 & 23 February, 3 March, 6pm | FREE Blues Bar, BNZ Foyer, Level 3, Aotea Centre

COMEDY

Auckland Arts Festival 2013 Experience theatre, music, dance and art by some of New Zealand and the world’s best performers and artists, at Auckland Arts Festival 2013. 6 – 24 March | Various prices. See calendar opposite page. Various venues Auckland wide

Babel

The Waterboys Performing cult classics and their greatest hits, The Waterboys will make their first-ever visit to Auckland this January. 21 January, 8pm | $89.90* The Civic

THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER Stewart and Tricia Macpherson excitedly present the return of the hit line-up of The Manhattan Transfer, performing the entire concert. They are absolutely the top of the class. 22 February, 8pm | $80 – $95* The Civic

Brent Grapes

MUSIC

January – March 2013

Sal Valentine & The BabyShakes

LIVE calendar

Craig Hallen

*Service/booking fees will be applied when purchasing tickets. All sales are final and there are no refunds or exchanges, except as required by law. Ticket prices include GST. Every effort has been taken to ensure details in LIVE are accurate at time of publication but may be subject to change. Individual companies reserve the right to add, withdraw or substitute artists or vary programmes should the need arise. THE EDGE takes no responsibility for any incorrect event information in this publication.

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live / JANUARY – MARCH 2013

Auckland arts festival 6 – 24 March

Visit aaf.co.nz for more information VISUAL ARTS Digital Art Live Emerging Pixels #2 Digital Art Live offers the opportunity for young digital and interactive artists to present their works. Emerging Pixels #2 showcases emerging talents from AUT University. Until 5 February | FREE Level 3, Aotea Centre Who Shot Rock & Roll – Open Lates Enjoy special ticketed events to the Who Shot Rock & Roll exhibition with Open Lates. Open Lates offer the opportunity to visit the exhibition from 6 – 9pm and to enjoy performances by live acts, DJs and short talks by guest speakers. 22 January, 6pm Dear Time’s Waste, DJ Aroha and guest speaker Don McGlashan 5 February, 6pm The Eversons, DJ Sir-Vere and guest speaker Murray Cammick 19 February, 6pm SJD, DJ Leonie Hayden and guest speaker Otis Frizzell From $10 –$15 | FREE for children 12 years and under. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Ta-maki

THEATRE The Colenso BBDO Season of Cantina Strut & Fret Production House (Australia) 6 – 24 March Festival Club, Aotea Square En Route one step at a time like this – Richard Jordan Productions Ltd (Australia) 6 – 24 March Central Auckland I Heart Alice Heart I HotforTheatre (Ireland) 7 – 11 March Q theatre Rhinoceros in Love National Theatre of China (China) 8 – 12 March Maidment Theatre I, George Nepia Tawata Productions (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 8 – 23 March Various venues – see aaf.co.nz for more information The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart National Theatre of Scotland (Scotland) 13 – 24 March The Bluestone Room, CBD The Westpac Season of One Man, Two Guvnors National Theatre of Great Britain 14 – 23 March Aotea Centre Dominion Road Stories Auckland Theatre Company (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 16 & 17 March Multiple locations along Dominion Road, near Potters Park

Don McGlashan

Hui Mitch Tawhi Thomas (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 16 – 23 March Q theatre

Family

Digital Art Live: Wandering Creatures by Kim Newall Wandering Creatures is an interactive exhibition in which digital creatures roosted at Auckland Zoo respond to passersby with calls and actions. 13 February – 20 March | Normal Zoo admission applies Auckland Zoo Prelude for Turntable And Graphic Cards by Robert Carter With care, and intuition, the audience manipulates visual equipment made with circuit bending and improvises a visual response to music replayed by a turntable. 15 February – 10 March | FREE Level 3, Aotea Centre Snake The Planet by MPU Snake The Planet takes the classic game Snake and adopts it to the urban canvas. Auckland’s windows, doorframes and signs become boundaries and obstacles in the game. Fridays & Saturdays, 15 February – 9 March, 8.30pm | FREE Various venues in Auckland CBD

MORE Summer Zoo Auckland Zoo’s Summer experience is full of fun ways to discover wildlife, including a photography competition, late nights, long weekend celebrations and the WotWots. 22 December – 20 March, 9.30am – 5.30pm daily | Normal Zoo admission applies Auckland Zoo, Motions Road, Western Springs

The Breath of the Volcano Groupe F (France) 7 – 9 March Upper Field, Auckland Domain The Man Who Planted Trees Puppet State Theatre Company (Scotland) 9 March Auckland Town Hall The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk Catherine Wheels Theatre Company (Scotland) 9 – 24 March Various venues – see aaf.co.nz for more information Leo Circle of Eleven (Germany) 19 – 24 March Maidment Theatre Family Day/Whanau Whanui 24 March Aotea Square

DANCE/Circus Urban Circolombia (Colombia) 13 – 17 March The Civic Hou 2013 Atamira Dance Company (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 8 & 9 March Corban Estate Arts Centre Made to Move Royal New Zealand Ballet (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 8 – 14 March Aotea Centre and Bruce Mason Centre

Virtuosi Sue Healey (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 20 – 22 March Q theatre Babel (words) Eastman VZW and Theatre Royal de la Monnaie (Belgium) 21 – 23 March The Civic Moko – In Rehearsal Atamira Dance Company (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 23 March Q theatre

MUSIC Ruthie Foster (USA) 6 March Auckland Town Hall Stochelo Rosenberg Trio (The Netherlands) 7 – 9 March Festival Club, Aotea Square Songs and Dances of Desire Composer Jack Body and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 8 March Auckland Town Hall Kronos Quartet & Wu Man (USA/China) 9 March The Civic Wu Man – Solo Recital (China/USA) 10 March Auckland Town Hall Sounds Aotearoa Tihi Productions (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 10 & 11 March Aotea Centre Glen Hansard with The Frames Supported by Lisa Hannigan (Ireland) 13 March Auckland Town Hall Hugh Masekela (South Africa) 14 March Auckland Town Hall Novalima (Peru) 14 & 15 March Festival Club, Aotea Square LA-33 (Colombia) 16 March Festival Club, Aotea Square Everything is Ka Pai (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 16 March Auckland Town Hall Coffee with Mr Bach Age of Discovery (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 17 March Auckland Town Hall Little Britten Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir/ New Zealand Youth Choir (Aotearoa/ New Zealand) 20 March Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell

Britten War Requiem Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 23 March Auckland Town Hall Convergence NZTrio (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 24 March Auckland Town Hall

MUSICAL The Factory Kila Kokonut Krew (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 6 – 11 March Q theatre

VISUAL ARTS Comics, Manga & Co. (Germany) 1 March – 12 April | FREE ST PAUL St Gallery, AUT University NgAPakiwaituhi: New Zealand Comics (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 1 March – 12 April | FREE ST PAUL St Gallery, AUT University Fly Me Up to Where You Are: Te Waharoa (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 2 – 24 March | FREE Artstation More Than We Know Jeremy Leatinu’u & Kalisolaite ‘Uhila with Guests (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 8 February – 6 April | FREE The Gus Fisher Gallery Fly Me Up to Where You Are Tiffany Singh (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 6 – 24 March | FREE Aotea Square When the Gods Came Down to Earth Srinivas Krishna (India/Canada) 6 – 24 March | FREE Aotea Square and Mangere Arts Centre – Nga- Tohu o Uenuku The Garden Beneath the Street Lights Liu Dao/island6 (China) 6 – 30 March | FREE Bath Street Gallery Ko E Hala Hangatonu: The Straight Path Robin White with Ruha Fifita (New Zealand and Tonga) 8 March – 6 April | FREE Two Rooms Rules of Nature Jin Jiangbo (China) 7 March – 6 April | FREE Starkwhite The Curry Bunch Bepen Bhana (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 8 March – 28 April | FREE - Tohu o Uenuku Mangere Arts Centre – Nga Islanders (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 9 March – 27 April | FREE Objectspace Destroyed Word Santiago Sierra (Spain) 9 March – 14 July | FREE Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts

The Magnets (Great Britain) 20 – 23 March Festival Club, Aotea Square

White Night 16 March | FREE Art galleries and museums around Auckland from 6pm – midnight TA MOKO – Between the Lines Derek Lardelli (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 22 – 24 March | FREE Blues Bar, Aotea Centre

Whaka-Aria Mai: Opera in Te Reo (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 22 March Auckland Town Hall

Rosebank (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 23 & 24 March | FREE Rosebank Road, Avondale

live / january – march 2013

The good, the bad and the

Ukulele

The ukulele is soaring in the hands of eight British musicians who are set to enthral Auckland audiences with their irresistibly entertaining score at Auckland Town Hall in February. Kerry Engelbrecht caught up with George Hinchliffe, one of the founding members of this remarkable ‘orchestra’.

he Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain returns to Auckland for the third time, this time with a show that’s been described by the New York Times as being “one of the best five concerts of the year”.

“Our audiences often have preconceived ideas of what they are going to find at one of our concerts,” says George. “They often think that it will be old swinging music…” It’s not. George admits the orchestra does like to set the toes of the audience tapping so they usually include a few jazz pieces, but there’s also rock, grunge, classical and some music which defies classification. Think Lady Gaga, Black Sabbath, Kate Bush, Michael Jackson along with triumphant war-horses and poignant lollipops of classical music, and some surprising original and quirky pieces. “I don’t have favourites,” says George. “I like music though. And I quite liked playing an arrangement of Henry Purcell which Benjamin Britten used. We called our version: The Young Person’s Guide to the Ukulele Orchestra. And our arrangement brought out the sounds of all the different instrumental groups: the ukuleles, and... er... the ukuleles and... er... the ukuleles.” The group produces a sound that is hard to explain. The Independent reckons they are “worth travelling a thousand miles to hear”. Watch The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on YouTube to understand. “It has everything we do in one song,” says George. It does. It’s extraordinary. “We are often told by our audience that they are surprised at how diverse our set is and that the ukulele is capable of so many different genres of music,” says George. “But actually the ukulele is just another instrument; anything can be played on the ukulele, just as it can on the church organ or the string quartet.

ability of these musicians on instruments literally bought with spare change. “Part of the amusement in the early days was that the title ‘orchestra’ seemed very pompous,” says George, “but now it seems a perfectly normal label for the organisation. “Part of the appeal is that the group, some of the time, play pieces of rock music and classical music but that the performance conventions are not really related to either of those genres.”

“It is fully chromatic, it can play melodic lines, riffs, polyphony, chords and it can be used as an accompaniment to singing. Of course, we play with the fact that people sometimes make the mistake of thinking that the ukulele is a toy or a joke, but in, fact we simply try to present our music in an entertaining way.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is remarkable not only for its entertainment factor and musical brilliance, but also for its longevity. Four of the founding members from back in 1985 are still with the group, and the current line-up has been playing together since 1991.

And they certainly do. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is one of those rare performance wonders that will leave you marvelling at the uniqueness and enormous

“We have been working and touring together for so long now that we are like a family with everything that that entails,” says George.

STAR OF

They will be joined in New Zealand by Leisa Rea, who toured the country with them in 2010, as Will Grove-White can’t make this leg of their world tour, which has seen sell-out concerts at Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall in New York. George says the show really doesn’t have much to do with ukuleles and everything to do with a great entertainment and a rapport with the audience. “After all, while we all like ukuleles, we like music more, and we like to have fun. And if we have fun then the audience can have fun with us, and they usually do.”

THE Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain 22 & 23 February Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

AND

JONATHAN CREEK

“Had the audience in stitches... hilarious” THe Age, AusTrAliA

“Heart-tugging and deeply funny” THe Big issue, uK

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A wONDERFul RETuRN TO STAND-up

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live / JANUARY – MARCH 2013

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra 2013 programme has been announced, and the season promises to be one of the company’s best yet. Sarah Illingworth spoke to NZSO Musical Director Pietari Inkinen about what’s in store.

Phto: Tomasz Wiech

Film score

he NZSO kicks off its 2013 season in February with the Tan Dun Martial Arts Trilogy. The 15 February concert will be the orchestra’s first Auckland show for the year, and will be conducted by Academy Award-winning conductor and composer Tan Dun himself. Marking the Year of the Snake and the Chinese New Year, the performance comprises Tan Dun’s scores from three classic martial arts films – The Banquet, Hero, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – and will be held in The Civic, against what promises to be a stunning backdrop of footage from the films. Tan Dun has made an indelible mark on the world’s music scene, bridging the gap between classical music and popular culture, without sacrificing any measure of calibre. As well as having made an obvious impact within the film world, his music has also been played internationally in top opera houses and by leading orchestras. A gregarious and engaging personality, Tan Dun’s New Zealand appearances promise to hold appeal for both committed NZSO audiences, and newcomers to the world of classical performance. NZSO musical director Pietari Inkinen expressed his excitement at the conductor’s visit, calling him “one of the superstars in

“Alongside each of my programmes [will be] a New Zealand piece – some already existing ones, and also newly commissioned work from different Kiwi composers.”

his field. It’s going to be very exciting and thrilling for audiences, I know.”

gave him his start as a conductor – saying it’s still one of his favourite places to perform.

Pietari himself is somewhat of a superstar. A Finn by birth, the 32-year-old was appointed to his current position with the NZSO in 2008, and splits his time between the role and globetrotting, guest conducting the many international orchestras that have enlisted him to appear.

“Helsinki Philharmonic was the first top orchestra to give me my break, 10 years ago, and I return to them every year. Helsinki has now built a fabulous new concert hall, where they play now. I was there last May for the first time in the new hall. After all these things that have happened in between, it’s really nice to go back to my home country, to a great orchestra and a phenomenal concert hall. It’s really nice to go back to my roots on a regular basis.”

“I come [to New Zealand], on average, three times a year. So I spend a few months a year with the orchestra. I’ll usually always open the season, come in the middle, and close the season.” Despite his demanding performance schedule, Pietari makes a point of returning annually to Helsinki, Finland – the city that

This cherishing of one’s roots is reflected in the inclusion of a number of original local compositions alongside the NZSO’s classic repertoire in 2013, and exciting international contributions like Tan Dun’s Trilogy.

“Alongside each of my programmes [will be] a New Zealand piece – some already existing ones, and also newly commissioned work from different Kiwi composers,” says Pietari. “We have an artistic team in the orchestra. It’s a collaboration of ideas, and we try to cover a wide range of things in the season. Of course, the main focus still being on the well-loved classical repertoire – Romantic, late Romantic, repertoire for a full orchestra. But, as always, it’s nice to put in some interesting [new] things.” From the filmic power of the Martial Arts Trilogy to former All Black captain Anton Oliver’s narration of Peter and the Wolf – which plays as part of Tall Tales and Tangos next October – and with a range of classical performances in between, 2013 promises to be an exciting season for the NZSO, one ripe with appeal for those of all backgrounds and ages.

Tan Dun Martial Arts Trilogy 15 February | The Civic

live / january – march 2013

Another Original Fringe Line-up

One by One promises to be a local theatrical highlight, using ancient clowning techniques to tell an ‘almost love story’ with no words. One by One has undergone development since its previous season, and this time will feature a full live soundtrack. Apres Ski is the late-night wind-down with ‘Handsom’ and ‘Jotti’ – Swedes who will be hosting Fringe performers in an on-thecouch-style show on Friday and Saturday nights of the Fringe. These late-night shows traditionally pack out and are a great place to see snippets of upcoming shows. It wouldn’t be a Fringe without shows that raise the eyebrows. Captain Ruin’s One Night Stand is a solo circus with ‘your friendly neighbourhood anarchist’. Right next door in the programme is Salon Mika, a cabaret showcase curated by one of Auckland’s creative icons, promising to embrace everything from “haka to vogue, burlesque to drag, soul to punk” and marking a cross over in the programmes with the Auckland Pride Festival.

From theatres to the backs of taxis, Auckland Fringe will spread across the city like slime from a B-grade monster flick. No genre is safe with a programme packed with every kind of art you can imagine. By Josie Campbell. Auckland Fringe was born out of a desire for Auckland to have a non-curated, artist-driven festival run alongside the city’s arts festival in the tradition of the great Edinburgh Fringe. With the third edition looming, Fringe Co-director Michael Keating says that the open-access Auckland Fringe is living up to the expectations of its founders, The Edge and Auckland Arts Festival, and has become a substantive event on the festival calendar. “When Auckland Fringe began in 2009, we had no idea how many shows the creative community would respond with or what audience support there would be,” Michael says. “Now, receiving registrations from 100+ productions is pretty much a given. We are looking at a Fringe which is properly bedded in. It has become an exciting and eclectic part of Auckland’s cultural landscape.” The 2013 season marks the third edition of Auckland Fringe, looking to build on the success of the first two Fringes. The programme of over 115 shows features emerging theatre companies, one-man

There will also be visual arts, comedy, music, dance and that mysterious section of the programme entitled “other” – perhaps the most fringe of all categories, featuring writers, live-to-air radio with 95bFM’s Charlotte Ryan and Four Days at The Fale at a venue claiming to be one of Auckland’s best-kept secrets.

“We are looking at a Fringe which is properly bedded in. It has become an exciting and eclectic part of Auckland’s cultural landscape.”

shows, live-to-air radio and a growing contingent of international performers coming to Auckland under their own steam. Kicking off the Fringe is China’s Zhangwei & Yugao Art Studio’s Relevance with Kemari, inspired by traditional sports tournaments and combining art, sport and fashion on 15 February. Next up is singing sensation Sal Valentine with his band The Babyshakes, featuring a selection of performers from other shows in Sal Valentine & the Babyshakes vs Fringe.

Theatre works form the backbone of Auckland Fringe, with plays about food, space and truth, by theatre groups from Auckland and far beyond. Just quietly, this writer is really excited about Truth, the new play by Melbournians Slow Clap Productions who created the hilarious and affecting The Hermitude of Angus, Ecstatic. Truth won Outstanding Comedy at the 2012 Melbourne Fringe and comes to Auckland after stints in London and Edinburgh.

If you’re brave enough to join in the theatrics, keep an eye out for one of the Auckland Fringe-branded Alert Taxis and act out one of the scripts in the back of the taxi on the way to your destination – all for the price of a taxi ride! “Auckland Fringe is a 24-day opportunity for Aucklanders to participate in and bear witness to some incredible performances and arts experiences. And it is accessible enough for the people to become punters, take a risk and head along to something they wouldn’t usually see,” Michael says. Something completely different will not be hard to find.

Auckland Fringe 15 February – 10 March All over Auckland www.aucklandfringe.co.nz

Jane Keller and Geraldine Brophy in

Floral Notes A BLOOMING MICRO MUSICAL Written by Geraldine Brophy

Thursday 28th March ASB Theatre, Aotea centre

Book at www.buytickets.co.nz 0800 BUY TICKETS

$10 from every ticket goes to The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation

live / JANUARY – MARCH 2013

When Yes quietly means No The sitcoms Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister had viewers chortling into their teacups for most of the eighties over the naive Rt Hon. Jim Hacker MP and his attempts for governmental policy change – opposed by his secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby with contrasting cunning and clarity. Now Margaret Thatcher’s favourite sitcom has been shifted to the present and turned into a play by the original authors. Here I put a few questions to one of them, Jonathan Lynn. By Charles Moxham. Why do you think Yes, Prime Minister has such lingering and broad appeal?

140

Many reasons. The comic formula is eternal: the servant who is more able than the master. The series dealt with the problems of bureaucracy, which are universal. And it showed the public for the first time what that shadowy civil service machine in Whitehall really did – and it explained why politicians usually don’t keep their promises.

Characters

What made you consider turning the series into a stage play, Jonathan? And why now? It was 30 years ago when the series first went on the air. We wondered what had changed and whether the changes were fundamental or cosmetic. Producers had been asking us to do this for years and we had always been inhibited by the loss of Paul Eddington and Nigel Hawthorne [the original television stars]. But then we thought, if you can keep recasting Dr Who or James Bond or Sherlock Holmes, why not Jim and Sir Humphrey? How difficult was it to bring the characters to bear on politics in 2010 and beyond? And if the politics have changed, have the characters? No, we have discovered, to our surprise and pleasure, that the characters are timeless. There was no problem. So do you think similar ‘lampoonable’ types stalk the corridors of power today? I think they do, but their behaviour appears less class-ridden. This may only be a superficial difference. Is the approach different when writing comedy for the stage? Not very, in this case, because our series was all about language. Most plays are about their language. Hamlet lasts for four hours if played in full and there are three or four minutes of action in it – the rest is talk. Writing comedy is not fundamentally different from writing tragedy: the play must still be character based, and the protagonist must be faced with a hideous dilemma or group of dilemmas; these cause him/her to start a sequence of events that will eventually

spin out of control, leading to madness. In tragedy, this is followed by the death of the protagonist. In comedy the status quo is eventually resumed after the protagonist has suffered sufficient humiliation. You can read all about this in my book Comedy Rules. Does an intellectual live comedy show have to work harder with no canned laughter to keep the momentum? We never had canned laughter, so I wouldn’t know. Each episode of our series was performed in front of a live audience of about 300 people, all members of the public who wrote in for tickets. The laughter is genuine. The political scene has obviously changed somewhat since the 1980s. Without giving too much away, what are some of the play’s ripest targets? That would be giving too much away. But we do deal with the crisis in the Eurozone, the problems of a coalition government, the Scottish Nationalists’ demands for independence, and a very awkward request from a foreign diplomat who has been to parties with Dominique Strauss Kahn and to Mr Berlusconi’s ‘bunga-bunga’ parties. Lastly, the New Zealand current affairs comedy 7 Days features a Yes, Minister segment. Has this become a catchphrase for agenda-ridden political shenanigans? Administrative shenanigans, I would say. Don’t forget that ‘Yes, Minister’ frequently means ‘No, Minister’.

With Yes, Prime Minister and COROnation Street On Stage both heading this way, we wondered which other TV shows our Twitter followers would like to see brought to the stage. The responses included everything from old school favourites to the latest comedy hits. @samanthamcqueen: Once Upon A Time (musical), Community (comedic play), The Good Wife (dramatic play). @neumanas: The Big Bang Theory @A_Gaayathri: Skins @AntheaFreyaHill: @DowntonAbbey… blissful sigh. @QAuckland: Arrested Development @adeej: I’d love to see “The Good Life” (with Richard Briars, Penelope Keith etc.) turned into a stage show. @L3AHARRIS76: The Walking Dead Stage Show... I’d pay good money to see that lol :) @SarinMods: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia @neumanas: Cougar Town, Hot in Cleveland and Big Bang Theory! The best! Join in the conversation on Twitter. Tweet us @THE_EDGEevents.

Yes, Prime Minister 5 – 9 July | The Civic

National Tour Partner

TAN DUN

MARTIAL ARTS TRILOGY (with film) ___

Music from the films Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun and the NZSO mark the Year of the Snake with this awe-inspiring

THE BANQUET HERO CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON

concert - A multimedia event dedicated to Hollywood grandeur.

Fri 15 Feb ___ AUCKLAND TOWN HALL Tan Dun Conductor

Scan for more

nzso.co.nz

For ticket details go to

live / january – march 2013

BIG Thing Wilco 6 April If the band’s stunning 2011 concert at The Civic is anything to go by, music lovers are in for a treat when Chicago alt-rock outfit Wilco returns to Auckland in April. This time the band is playing at the intimate Auckland Town Hall’s Great Hall, so fans can choose whether they want to stand downstairs or relax up in the circle as Wilco play tracks from their extensive back-catalogue and latest album The Whole Love.

NZ International Comedy Festival 26 April – 19 May The NZ International Comedy Festival turns 21 this year and will celebrate with much hilarity, starting with the Comedy Gala at The Civic on 26 April. The full festival line-up will be announced on 27 February, but perennial favourite Danny Bhoy has already announced that he’ll be back!

War Horse From 20 August The stage show that has been called “The theatrical event of the decade” by The Times is coming to Auckland for a fourweek season. Media and group bookers were treated to a glimpse of Joey, the star of the show, in November last year, and it’s safe to say that the word ‘puppet’ does not convey the absolute believability of this amazing creation. It’s no wonder that creators the Handspring Puppet Company were awarded a Special Award on top of the five other awards it received at the Tony Awards® 2011.

Madame Butterfly

Bryan Adams

18 – 28 April

23 April

The NBR New Zealand Opera brings Puccini’s heartbreaking tale of love and loss to the stage in April with Australian soprano Antoinette Halloran as Cio-Cio San (Butterfly) and Italian tenor Piero Pretti as Pinkerton. This is one of the most popular of all operas and will be sung in Italian, with English subtitles.

Bryan Adams takes his music back to how it all started with his acoustic Bare Bones tour with simple arrangements of his songs featuring only his voice, guitar and keyboard accompaniment by collaborator Gary Breit. It has been 15 years since his last visit to these shores, and a chance for fans to see him perform without the trappings of a rock show.

Auckland Writers and Readers Festival 15 – 19 May Auckland Writers and Readers Festival celebrated another record year in 2012 with more than 24,000 tickets sold for a broad range of sessions including appearances by international visitors such as children’s author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers, Tony Award®-winning beat poet Lemon Anderson and local favourites Maurice Gee and Emily Perkins. The 2013 line-up will be announced in March.

Reviving 5,000 years of civilisation

FEB 8-9

THE CIVIC, AUCKLAND 0800 289 842 | www.BuyTickets.co.nz

“Absolutely the Best of British.” Monty Python’s Michael Palin

SPIKE MARKETING G PRESENTS

THE UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN

"Worth traveling a thousand miles to hear." The Independent

R U O T D L R O BBATH AND TO NZ ON W DY GAGA, BLACK SA

BACKCIAL UKES TAKE ON SONGS FROM ADEIELEN,CLEAFAVOURITES

THE AUD THE SPE L G L A IN R H U IT T A W E R F E H W T O E H G S TO NEW MICHAEL JACKSON

22 & 23 FEBRUARY 2013 AUCKLAND TOWN HALL 0800 BUY TICKETS www.ukuleleorchestra.co.nz

JIM HACKER & SIR HUMPHREY ARE BACK – LIVE ON STAGE! “Helpless hilarity in the corridors of power”. Daily Telegraph – London

AUCKLAND The Civic

5-13 July 2013 BOOK 0800 BUY TICKETS (289 842) www.buytickets.co.nz

VISIT www.yesprimeminister.co.nz

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NEW ZEALAND EXCLUSIVE

THE MOST FIERCELY RESONANT DANCE THEATRE OF THE DECADE!

‘the funniest show on the planet.’ Daily Mail

★★★★★ THE GUARDIAN

14 - 23 March Aotea Centre

One

THE WESTPAC W SEASON OF

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