Singing competitions open theatre’s feast of music

June will be a month of music for the PumpHouse Theatre, which is hosting a prestigious singing competition followed by a series of musical shows.

The North Shore Performing Arts Society’s 69th annual Senior Vocal Competitions will be held on King’s Birthday weekend, culminating in the Becroft Aria final on Monday 5 June.

This will be the 21st year of Becroft-family sponsorship of the aria competition.

Twenty singers will compete for eight spots in the aria final, with the chance to win a $5000 prize for first place, $3000 for second or $1000 for third.

Event organisers hope to have internationally known helden-tenor Simon O’Neill present the awards.

After the Becroft weekend, a Tunes in June festival kicks off at the PumpHouse, which hosts a range of musical acts and shows from 8 to 11 June.

“There is something for everyone,” promises PumpHouse business manager James Bell.

The idea for a festival stems from a push by promoter Peter Thomas from Orchestrated Events to have more musical shows at the theatre.

“We wanted to build on [the Becroft Aria] and kick off June with a strong musical element,” Bell says.

The vocalist for prog band Outside In,

Seeing double… A screenshot from the music video The Strangest Dream, for the debut single of Mikey Videotape (above) which shows two different versions of the artist crossing paths

Mikey Videotape (pictured above), will be debuting his first solo works with a show on 8 June. Some feature all-electronic production while others are built on more traditional arrangements.

A tribute to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby and Michael Bublé will be held on 10 June. Called Hits of the Crooners, it features vocal talent Elijah Taula and the

Blue Smoke String Quartet covering classic songs with their own bespoke arrangements.

Other shows include a Kiwi-Italian duo performing polonaises and folk songs by Frederic Chopin, and a Taylor Swift tribute featuring string quartet and piano instrumental covers of her biggest hits.

For more information and tickets, visit pumphouse.co.nz

Doggy diary date in Takapuna

Now Showing

57min

Meet Me in the Bathroom (E) 105min

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen (E) 118min

Fast X (M) 141min

Beau is Afraid (R16) 179min

Book Club 2: The Next Chapter (M) 108min

Close (M) 104min

Bank of Dave (M) 107min

The Big Bike Film Night 2023

Special Event

26-28

Encore screening 28 MAY

Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse (TBA) 120min

COMING SOON Bank of Dave (TBA) 107min

Dog lovers are invited to lead their favourite four-legged friend to Takapuna on Saturday 10 June for the return of the Dog Day Out Market.

From workshops to stalls, plenty of attractions are promised on Hurstmere Green between 9am and 3pm.

Last year’s event attracted dogs and owners from all over, with its main attraction being the Dog Runway pageant show. For details, go to the I Love Takapuna website.