LIVE August - September 2012 by Auckland Live

AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

ANNA LEESE INTERNATIONAL STAR IN THE MAKING

BILL BAILEY‘S

ROAD TO WHIMSY

MNOZIL BRASS

NO ORDINARY BAND

CHOREOGRAPHER

SHONA Mc CULLAGH‘S BOLD NEW PROJECT

LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

HIT Picks

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT 21 September | The Civic Rufus Wainwright returns to The Civic with his full band for a concert showcasing his critically acclaimed seventh studio album Out of the Game. The album was produced by Mark Ronson and features an astonishing array of talented musicians and the live show promises to recreate the magic of the studio experience. Visit www.the-edge.co.nz/hitpicks to watch a webisode where Rufus and Mark discuss the inspirations behind the album, and go in the draw to win one of two copies of the album.

CINDERELLA 5 – 9 September | ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre It is one of the most famous tales and Royal New Zealand Ballet is bringing back its popular production of Cinderella, which was last seen in New Zealand five years ago before touring to China. The sets and costumes created by designer Tracy Grant Lord are designed to create a lavish fairytale – the costumes feature over 100,000 Swarovski crystals, especially made in Austria. The role of Cinderella is said to be the one every ballerina dreams of. Visit www.the-edge.co.nz/hitpicks for a Q&A with one of the dancers who will play Cinderella, Lucy Green.

BARRY HUMPHRIES‘ FAREWELL TOUR – EAT PRAY LAUGH! 11 – 18 August | The Civic Barry Humphries’ most famous creation, Dame Edna, is ready to retire her high heels and tend to her gladioli, but first she’s popping across the ditch for some final shows. The performance will include appearances by some of Barry’s other alteregos, before act two when the Dame herself will make an eye-popping appearance. “You will see me at the height of my powers, taking you on a wonderful spiritual journey you’ll never forget,” she promises. “I’m not saying my show will heal you, but you’ll certainly leave the theatre feeling considerably better for the experience.”

Visit www.the-edge.co.nz/comps to win two tickets to the opening night of Eat Pray Laugh!

EDITOR Josie Campbell – media@the-edge.co.nz or 09 309 2677 DESIGNER Angela Lynskey THEATRE MARKETING MANAGER Angela Gourdie LIVE ENQUIRIES Jane Pickering – live@the-edge.co.nz or 09 309 2677

VERDI’S NABUCCO 17 August | Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra brings Verdi’s dramatic and moving Nabucco to the Great Hall for its 2012 Opera in Concert – a New Zealand first. The APO will be joined by an excellent line-up of singers directed by John Rosser, and the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus. Visit www.the-edge.co.nz/hitpicks to watch a performance of Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves and read a Q&A with Ben Makisi who will sing the role of Abdallo.

STORYLINES FREE FAMILY DAY 26 August | Aotea Centre Every year, the Aotea Centre is taken over by families, fun and books for the Storylines Free Family Day. The event features authors and illustrators alongside performers and storytellers and there are heaps of hands-on activities like creating comic books and bookmarks. The international guest is Sally Rippin, creator of the Billie B Brown and Hey Jack series. Visit www.the-edge.co.nz/hitpicks to read a Q&A with festival Chair, Dr Libby Limbrick.

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LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

Shining Star ANNA LEESE As a child, Anna Leese was too shy to sing on stage. Fast-forward some 25 years and the vivacious soprano is a multi-award-winning opera singer who has performed with some of the greatest singers of our time and is recognised internationally as a star in the making. Dionne Christian chats with the inspiring Anna Leese.

t could have been the experience that ended Anna Leese’s singing career before she’d sung a note in concert. Aged around seven, the youngster from a family of performers and musicians stood on the church-hall stage in her home town of Woodville ready to sing The Rainbow Connection but no words came out. Anna stood, staring at the expectant faces before her and swallowing mouthfuls of air, and then ‘sort of ‘ hummed the tune before mum, Carolyn, came and escorted her gently off-stage.

It took Anna, now 31, several years to build up the confidence to sing solo again and it’s just as well she did. Had she chosen silence over singing, New Zealand – indeed the world – might have missed out on hearing the ‘diamond clear‘ voice that critics have been raving about for the past decade or so. Although Anna was too shy to sing solo on stage, coming from a musical family kept her involved with music and she gradually developed confidence by singing with choirs, including the New Zealand Secondary Schools Choir and the New Zealand Youth Choir, and working with inspiring music and singing teachers. It meant that by the time she was in her teens, she had conquered her fears and could sing in front of large crowds. Since graduating from the University of Otago in 2003, with a first-class honours degree in music, Anna has blazed a bright trail across concert-hall stages around the world and is recognised as one of our most promising opera singers. She has sung with a number of the world’s most-loved singers including Andrea Bocelli, José Carreras and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. The performance with Dame Kiri – “I knew her from the covers of all my CDs” – was a special highlight; not only was Anna singing with one of the women who inspired her, it was at Twickenham Stadium for the 2005 rugby sevens and Anna is a huge rugby and All Blacks fan. Now, she’s returning to New Zealand from her base near Florence, Italy, to perform in two operas. First, on Friday 17 August, is Verdi’s Nabucco, described as a mix of romance and political drama, for Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s Westpac Opera in Concert series. APO’s manager of artistic planning Ronan Tighe says Anna was cast in Nabucco because she has a good working relationship with the orchestra and a terrific voice. “When she sang with us in Wagner’s Das Rheingold last year, she impressed not only our audience but also Eckehard Stier, our music director; there was never any question whether we’d ask her back. It’s great to see how well she’s doing overseas.”

The highly acclaimed Opera North version of Smetana’s worldwide and enduring hit is sung in English but also includes spoken dialogue, which means Anna has to act as well as sing. It will involve her using a different range of skills but she’s excited to be testing herself and looks forward to performing a comedy.

Then Anna joins The NBR New Zealand Opera for the comic opera The Bartered Bride with performances in Auckland and Wellington. While she has been based in Europe since 2006, after leaving to study at the Benjamin Britten International Opera School at the Royal College of Music in London, she returns annually to spend time with family. She looks forward to coming home for work because audience reaction is always so positive and she’ll get to touch base with colleagues. “New Zealanders are really good at showing their own that they are proud of them,” says Anna, “and I just feel good when I am here.”

LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

on heading home THE EDGE now has an initiative called SIGNAL, which offers sign-language-interpreted performances for the deaf and audio-described ones for the blind or vision impaired. The 27 September performance of The Bartered Bride will be audio described, with vision impaired patrons receiving descriptions of what’s happening on stage during the opera through an earpiece.

to discover rather than “long and boring arias about clouds and love” that opera is “fun, saucy and really intelligent”.

Appearing in The Bartered Bride presents Anna with a fresh challenge. Written by Czech Bedrˇ ich Smetana and first performed in 1866, this production sets the work in 1972, four years after the Prague Spring political uprisings. Anna plays one half of a star-crossed young couple who find the path to true love anything but smooth as they deal with a scheming marriage broker and social-climbing parents.

She credits her success to a ‘can do’ Kiwi attitude as well as hard work. Anna spends hours each day on her craft doing vocal exercises and, when an opera is in a foreign language, as they frequently are, studying and practising so she can sing with understanding and conviction.

Her love for the art form grew and it wasn’t long before Anna was winning singing competitions, including the 2002 Mobile Song Contest, around New Zealand and Australia. In fact, she won enough money to pay for her studies in London and has been in continuous employment ever since 2006.

Having travelled extensively in Britain, Europe and Asia, she’d like to spend more time in North America – she has sung in Canada – as well as perform in Paris, sing at the world-renowned La Scala in Milan and have a family. “I’m not going to lie. I want to have a family and I’m determined to combine it with professional singing. I’ve got at least another 30 years to look forward to so there’s time.”

“It’s always great to make people laugh.” Anna says she enjoys opera because it moves audiences. “It’s not about me or my voice; it’s about making the audience feel something and, at the end of the day, wanting opera to grow, to be exciting, to move people in a way they can relate to. I really, really try to put across a character in a way that I would understand. I believe that if you don’t move someone or take them on a journey then I haven’t done my job and there’s no point in them or me being there.” Anna is candid enough to admit that opera wasn’t her first love; as a teenager, she didn’t really like it and wanted to perform smaller-scale, Baroque-era music. However, singing teachers kept saying her voice was better suited to opera so she began listening to more and learning. She was surprised

Audio Described performance, 27 September, 7.30pm. For more info go to www.the-edge.co.nz/signal or phone 09 357 3354.

THE BARTERED BRIDE 22 – 29 September ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

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LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

Gathering a storm of

TALENT

Experience the enormous power of dance this August when Aotearoa’s freshest performance company, The New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC), premieres on stage at the Aotea Centre’s ASB Theatre. Kerry Engelbrecht talks to celebrated choreographer Shona McCullagh about her new venture. The NZDC’s premiere season, Language of Living, is a five-part work inspired by the belief that dance is the most beautifully truthful language of living. It is rich in compelling works that will not only entertain but resonate emotionally with the audience. “Audiences can expect an incredible experience with stunning and surprising design, live music, astounding dancers and dynamic, engaging choreography that will make you feel something,” says NZDC Executive/Artistic Director Shona McCullagh. “Nothing beats the power of live performance and the magic of a moment that will never be repeated but can be indelibly imprinted in your memory.” According to the New Zealand Arts Laureate, the contemporary dance company

was born from ”a desire to create a strong structure to support the enormous dance talent we have in this country.” And the premiere season is just the start of what is likely to be an incredible journey that aims to tap into Aotearoa’s remarkable talent and keep it on our shores.

along with the NZDC Youth Company, The New Zealand Dance Company dancers and special guests from Auckland secondary schools. It will be a diverse, high-energy performance inspiring our youth to be courageous in their individuality through the transformative power of dance.

“There are currently no ‘All Blacks‘ opportunities for contemporary dancers,” says Shona. “The NZDC will eventually be able to provide full-time jobs to the country’s finest dancers so they aren’t forced to leave New Zealand.”

So why the big emphasis on youth? “They are our future, not just for the art form but the planet,” says Shona. “Young people are at an incredibly special place in their lives where their physicality is a readily available means of communicating their identity, their passion and their individuality. Their bodies already carry wisdom which they are eager to share. Their dances have important messages for the global population.”

Also to look forward to is Liftoff!, a unique youth engagement programme with a special matinee Saturday 11 August. The partnership with Kowhai Intermediate School will see 20 children take to the stage

Shona, in partnership with NZDC General Manager Frances Turner, launched NZDC earlier this year. The pair met when Frances was a Cheesy Native dancer in the New York scene of King Kong which Shona choreographed. “The beginning of a beautiful relationship!” says Shona. Shona is a widely respected cross-platform artist and New Zealand’s most versatile choreographer, director, filmmaker, educator and installation artist. For more than 30 years she has created work with and for theatre companies, films (King Kong, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe), television (Xena, Hercules, Legend of the Seeker) and for numerous writers, actors, composers and designers. And she was the Head Choreographer of the Rugby World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony, an experience she describes as “amazing and quite humbling”.

Language of Living

“The scale was massive but the epiphany for me was no matter how big or small a show you work on, the process is exactly the same. And you create magic from what you

TAKAPUNA Bruce Mason Centre 1 – 2 September

AUCKLAND ASB Theatre 5 – 9 September

Book at TicketMaster (09) 970 9700 / 0800 111 999 www.ticketmaster.co.nz

Book at THE EDGE (09) 357 3355 www.buytickets.co.nz

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have. The volunteer cast of nearly 1000 were utterly incredible and I now have way more Facebook friends!” And although her involvement with NZDC means audiences will see less of her work elsewhere, Shona is deeply passionate about the future of dance in New Zealand and is quick to point out that “We’re not only about creating work for the proscenium arch. I’ve always been interested in working with different genres – theatre, film, installation and the creative alchemic vision for the company may well still embrace those other forms as well.” Recognised by Creative New Zealand, the company has also developed dynamic and significant partnerships with Designworks and THE EDGE, along with a threeyear sponsorship association with Westpac – a solid foundation for the company to launch from. “For me, it’s all about making something happen. Filling a gap. Contributing the best I can to an art form that I champion,” says Shona. “Gathering an extraordinary storm of talent and seeing them all fly.”

WIN

two tickets to the first performance of Language of Living! Visit www.the-edge.co.nz/comps to enter.

LANGUAGE OF LIVING 10 & 11 August | ASB Theatre

LIFTOFF! 11 August | ASB Theatre

LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

Animal MAGNETISM Comedian Bill Bailey is returning to New Zealand with his new show Qualmpeddler, in which he’ll riff about his recent trip to China, saying the right thing and finding unspeakable things on the menu. By Diana Balham. ‘Whimsy‘ might just be one of Bill Bailey’s favourite words. The wild-eyed British national treasure – who looks like a freshly surprised koala crossed with a hair metal hero – opines on YouTube that it’s “the journey which we travel upon – the road to whimsy”. He’s famously fond of woodland creatures (his website is a cornucopia of slightly warped wildlife) and auditioned for a part in The Hobbit last time he was in Wellington. (He was unsuccessful: “I’m going to write a musical based on The Hobbit and perform that while the film is being shown around the world, in protest,” he says. “It ought to be called ’The Non-Hobbit’s Revenge’.”) “Maybe I’m subliminally, subconsciously fashioning myself into a squirrel or some sort of a nocturnal creature. I’m quite nocturnal. It would have to be a quoll or something,” Bill muses, as if he’s just thought of this for the first time. But not an owl if you’re going to China. Bill recently took his family there for a holiday and although he found it “stunningly beautiful”, there were things that touched a nerve. His love of animals is real: he champions sanctuaries for retired dancing bears in India, the Sumatran Orangutan Society and London’s Battersea Dogs’ Home and he was keen to know if we’d got our panda yet. He reckons a proposed international kiwi-panda swap is a bit of a swizz. “There are all these kids at Auckland Zoo going, ‘Oh, look at these pandas! Aren’t they cute?’ Then there are people queuing up in Beijing Zoo to look at a kiwi. Well, where is it then? It’s somewhere there; it’s that chicken with a straw! But knowing the Chinese as I do now, the kiwi wouldn’t have made it past the Customs’ wok.” In China, they eat everything with a pulse, he reckons. “I was served an owl in a restaurant. That’s quite a jump from prawns and lobsters.”

“Maybe I’m subliminally, subconsciously fashioning myself into a squirrel or some sort of a nocturnal creature.“

New Zealand should be a doddle in comparison, although fear of exotic menus might be replaced by the thing that scares him the most – losing his marbles. They temporarily departed when he was here once before – the only time it has happened – after he ruptured a disc in his back. “I was performing in Hong Kong two days later and by the time I got there I couldn’t walk,” Bill says. “I came out of the plane walking sideways like a crab. I got to New Zealand and I was in such a bad way.” Really powerful painkillers were prescribed. “After a gig in Auckland, my wife said, ’Why did you tell the same joke twice?’ I’d had no idea I did that. I think the audience thought it was some clever sort of postmodern repetition but clearly I was absolutely ripped to the tits. So now I’ve got a ban on those.” Pity. The comic possibilities would be endless.

BILL BAILEY 3 & 4 October ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

“Razor sharp brilliance”

- THE AUSTRALIAN • 25 JUNE 2012

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GORGEO US & SPECTAC TALENTED CAST!

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LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

LIVE calendar THEATRE READ RAW Become part of a developing script by sharing our thoughts at Read Raw, a series of rehearsed readings by new and emerging Auckland playwrights. 5 August & 2 September, 7pm | FREE Various venues

Aotea Square Ice Rink

SILO: THE PRIDE

PICK & MIX: Samba de Roda

AOTEA SQUARE ICE RINK Don’t miss your chance to ice skate amongst the buzz of Auckland city and experience winter like never before! Until 5 August, 10am – 10pm daily | $15 – $20 including skate hire, tickets available at the ice rink Aotea Square

PICK & MIX: Auckland Gamelan Come watch an enchanting story told through shadow puppetry and gamelan instruments. Then learn of the history of the art forms, perform on gamelan instruments and try your hand at shadow puppetry. 4 August, Performance: 11am, Workshop: 12 noon | FREE Aotea Centre

PICK & MIX: Mhara Marimba Playing a mix of contemporary and traditional music from Zimbabwe, the Mhara Marimba band create music for raising the spirits and dancing. The audience also gets the chance to learn to play on African marimbas from these exceptional musicians! 11 August, Performance: 11am Workshop: 12 noon | FREE Aotea Centre

This performance and workshop will be a collaboration of two groups: the Brazilian Divas performing Samba de Roda, and Capoeira Mandinga Aotearoa who will be demonstrating Capoeira Angola. 1 September, Performance: 11am Workshop: 12 noon | FREE Aotea Centre

PICK & MIX: Madang Hannuri With an aim to promote Korean culture in New Zealand, this group will do a performance based on the rhythms of traditional Korean folk percussion music. After the show learn about the history of the art form in a workshop. 8 September, Performance: 11am Workshop: 12 noon | FREE Aotea Centre

PICK & MIX: Tanya Batt Exercise your imagination with fabulous stories and music. Learn the art of stories from Tanya, integrating music, song and dance into your storytelling! 15 September, Performance: 11am Workshop: 12 noon | FREE Aotea Centre Sign Language Interpreted Performance

COMEDY EAT PRAY LAUGH! BARRY HUMPHRIES’ FAREWELL TOUR

For the first time in New Zealand, the ‘Monty Pythons of Music’ – seven insanely-cool world-class musicians from Austria – play brass like you’ve never heard before. 24 September, 8pm | $69.90 – $89.90* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

DANCE THE NEW ZEALAND DANCE COMPANY: LANGUAGE OF LIVING Witness the birth of Aotearoa’s freshest new dance company with a programme of exquisite works by some of NZ’s finest and internationally acclaimed dance artists. 10 & 11 August, 7.30pm | $29.95 – $69.95* ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

THE NEW ZEALAND DANCE COMPANY: LIFTOFF! Local schoolchildren and youth share the stage with some of New Zealand’s finest dancers in this dynamic, high-energy matinee programme of short dance works. 11 August, 2pm | $10 – $35* ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

Iconic performer, satirist, artist and comedian Barry Humphries, is taking his final bow during his farewell tour, Eat Pray Laugh! Hailed by critics as ‘undisputed comic genius, a master of biting satire and quick wit’ the Barry Humphries Farewell tour is ‘side splittingly funny’. Be there for the final bow, Auckland! 11 – 18 August, various times | $99 – $199* The Civic

NEW ZEALAND CHORAL FEDERATION’S THE KIDS’ SING A preliminary to The Big Sing, this showcases individual primary and intermediate school choirs performing their selected repertoire including a test piece and a New Zealand piece. 31 July & 1 August, 9.30am – 2.30pm Gala concert 1 August, 6.30pm | $10 – $15* Auckland Town Hall

PICK & MIX: ConArtists

Come and see authors, illustrators and storytellers in action. Create your own book, enter competitions, watch stories brought to life and enjoy all-day arts and crafts. 26 August, 10am – 3pm | FREE Aotea Centre

See some of New Zealand’s best actors – with well known directors and independent theatre companies perform 10 minute plays by local and international writers. 24 September – 7 October, various times | $20 – $25* Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre

MNOZIL BRASS

MUSIC

Come and enjoy fabulous sounds and rhythms from Cuba and Latin America, followed by a session where you can learn to play, dance and feel the rhythm of the music. 18 August, Performance: 11am Workshop: 12 noon | FREE Aotea Centre

19TH ANNUAL STORYLINES FREE FAMILY DAY

SHORT + SWEET THEATRE

Rufus Wainwright, one of the musical world’s truly original contemporary artists, is returning to Auckland to play at the magnificent Civic theatre with his full band! 21 September, 8pm | $114* The Civic

ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

PICK & MIX: Cuban Accent

Classic Kiwi comedy! Your spontaneous suggestions provide the inspiration, they provide the funnies. Then stay for a workshop and discover the creativity you never knew you had. 25 August, Performance: 11am Workshop: 12 noon | FREE Aotea Centre

This is one of those thoroughly grown-up plays, examining changing attitudes to love and sexuality on either side of the sexual revolution. Told with heart, humour and boundless empathy, this is a history of sorts. 10 August – 1 September, various times | $25 – $49* Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT

PICK & MIX: ReQuest with special guests The Royal Family ReQuest, the World Champion all-female dance crew, will show off the skills they use in music videos and even American Idol ! Afterwards, learn some of the moves that made them world champions! 22 September, Performance: 11am Workshop: 12 noon | FREE Aotea Centre

VIVA VOCE: THE RAINBOW COLLECTION Auckland Chamber Choir Viva Voce, under director John Rosser, presents a choral kaleidoscope of part songs – popular and traditional – inspired by colour. 5 August, 5pm | $10 – $45* Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall

Liftoff!

FAMILY

Tanya Batt

RNZB: THE TOWER SEASON OF CINDERELLA Royal New Zealand Ballet presents their blockbuster production of The TOWER Season of Cinderella. Choreographed by Christopher Hampson and with sets and costumes by Tracy Grant Lord. 5 – 9 September, various times | $30 – $98* ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

CLASSICAL

ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN

APO: UNWRAP THE MUSIC – MENDELSSOHN

Since winning Stars in Their Eyes in 2000, Gary Mullen has toured the world with his breathtaking One Night of Queen, a spectacular live concert. 8 August, 8pm | $67 – $77* The Civic

Join presenter Graham Abbott and the APO for an entertaining introduction to Mendelssohn’s ‘Italian’ Symphony, one of the favourite works in the orchestral repertoire. 2 August, 6.30pm | $15 – $25* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

Book online: Phone: Group booking line: Customer service line:

www.buytickets.co.nz 0800 BUY TICKETS (0800 289 842) or 09 357 3355 09 357 3354 or email groups@the-edge.co.nz 09 357 3353

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Level 3, Aotea Centre Monday to Friday 9am – 5.30pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am – 4pm

*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.

LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

August – September 2012

The APO presents percussionist extraordinaire Dame Evelyn Glennie, performing a work specially written for her by American composer Christopher Rouse. 9 August, 8pm | $26 – $122* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

John Chen joins the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra to perform Brahms’s first major orchestral work – his first piano concerto. 30 August, 8pm | $25 – $99* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

Featuring music from movies, musicals and opera, including Star Wars, a Sound of Music singalong, plus other popular orchestra favourites with conductor Peter Thomas. 12 August, 2.30pm | FREE Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

NZSO: CATHEDRAL OF SOUND Experience a mighty Cathedral of Sound when groundbreaking Simone Young conducts Bruckner’s wondrous Fifth Symphony and the equally grand Linz Symphony by Wolfgang Mozart. 18 August, 8pm | $29 – $115* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

Crowd Control presents the audience with the opportunity to interact with a real-time 3D animation of a dynamic group of walking, running, gesticulating and choreographed figures. 4 September – 4 November | FREE Owens Foyer, Level 2, Aotea Centre

New Zealand’s finest woodwind players combine to form Zephyr. Brought to you by Chamber Music NZ, this concert features works by Françaix, Ross Harris and Ibert. 29 September, 8pm | $35 – $65* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

AUCKLAND ART & CRAFT FAIR A selection of New Zealand’s best artists, designers and crafters selling their work under one roof, direct to the public, for one day only. 28 July, 11am – 3pm | Gold coin entry BNZ Foyer, Aotea Centre

DAME EVELYN GLENNIE WORKSHOP Award-winning percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie in a one-off, free percussion workshop focusing on accessing sound and her own personal journey as a musician. 7 August, 2.30pm | FREE | Bookings essential Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall Sign Language Interpreted Performance

FESTIVAL

NZ OPERA: THE BARTERED BRIDE A comic tale of true love prevailing despite the best efforts of a scheming marriage broker, a couple of social-climbing parents and a dancing bear. 22 – 29 September, various times | $49.50 – $189.50* ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre Audio Described Performance 27 September, 7.30pm | From $49.50* and companion seats are half-price.

JOHN SCOTT AND MUSICA SACRA John Scott, one of the world’s virtuoso organists, joins leading New Zealand choir Musica Sacra for an evening of masterworks including the Rutter Te Deum and Scott’s joyful new composition Missa Dies Resurrectionis. John will also play solo organ music by Vierne, Mendelssohn, Ives, Widor and others. 22 August, 8pm | $35 – $55* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

Let the NZSO take you on a musical OE. Stephen Hough plays Saint-Saëns’s Egyptian Piano Concerto. Andrew Litton conducts works by Shostakovich and Anthony Ritchie. 28 September, 7pm | $29 – $115* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

CMNZ: ZEPHYR

John Chen

The APO is joined by international and local singers plus the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus for a full concert performance of Verdi’s thrilling and powerful opera Nabucco. 17 August, 7.30pm | $38 – $118* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

Crowd Control by Gregory Bennett in association with Johann Nortje

APO: APN NEWS & MEDIA PREMIER SERIES – CHEN PLAYS BRAHMS

ASO: FREE FAMILY CONCERT – STAGE & SCREEN

APO: WESTPAC OPERA IN CONCERT

NZSO: AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 MINUTES

NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Since 1969 the International Film Festival has been a cultural highlight of the Auckland winter, presenting premiere screenings of the latest and best of features, shorts, documentaries and animated films from around the world. 19 July – 5 August, various times For ticketing information visit www.nzff.co.nz The Civic and various venues around Auckland

KEMP ENGLISH PLAYS THE MIGHTY TOWN HALL ORGAN Kemp English, now resident in New Zealand, will play a selection of the music recently recorded on Norma, the Dunedin Town Hall Organ. With his typical flair and style, he will perform some of the pieces from his recordings that have been widely praised as ‘magical and rip-roaring’. 23 September, 2.30pm | FREE – donation at exit Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

VISUAL ARTS

Dame Evelyn Glennie

APO: SPLENDOUR SERIES – THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

Imbued with influences from Bach and Handel, the music has a sense of pomp and solemnity not apparent in Mozart’s earlier settings of the Mass. Auckland Choral is joined by Pipers Sinfonia and magnificent local and international soloists. 25 August, 7.30pm | $35 – $89* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

NZSO: Around the World in 80 Minutes

NZ’s top young chamber music ensembles compete in the National Finals of the NZ Community Trust Chamber Music Contest run by Chamber Music New Zealand. Semi-Finals 3 August, 11.30am & 4.30pm | $10*, FREE for children Finals 4 August, 7pm | $5 – $20* Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall

MOZART’S GREAT MASS IN C MINOR

The Sapphires

CMNZ: NZ COMMUNITY TRUST CHAMBER MUSIC CONTEST

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INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION: 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDIAN INDEPENDENCE Bhartiya Samaj celebrates the Indian Independence with an honoured flag-hoisting ceremony followed by various cultural programmes representing the vibrant colours and unity in diversity of rich Indian culture. 12 August, 10.30am | FREE

ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre WHAT A WOMAN WANTS, HOSTED BY LISA O'NEILL

In keeping with carnival and video gaming traditions, the interactive exhibition Rollercoaster by Unguarded Intersection is a collective, interactive and playful experience. Until 24 August | FREE Owens Foyer, Level 2, Aotea Centre

JASON BAE – DEBUT PIANO RECITAL

Star New Zealand soprano Madeleine Pierard performs with pianist Terence Dennis and her talented sister Anna. The programme features stunning new Ross Harris commission Songs for Beatrice. 23 August, 8pm | $35 – $65* Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall

Lewis Eady Charitable Trust presents Emerging Artist Jason Bae in his debut Concert Chamber Recital. Programme: Chopin Preludes Op.28, Bach/Busoni Chaconne, Rachmaninov Piano Sonata No.2 Op.36. 25 September, 7.30pm | $10 – $40* Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall

NZFW is a trade event with a public offering of Fashion Weekend on the 8 and 9 September and five Designer Selection shows through the week. 3 – 9 September | From $15* For ticketing information visit iticket.co.nz Viaduct Events Centre Rollercoaster

CMNZ: MADELEINE PIERARD

Hosted by well-known stylist Lisa O’Neill, What A Woman Wants is a fashion event for women to learn about what to wear and how to wear it. A great girls’ night out with prizes, raffles and goodie bags! 14 August, 7.30pm | $30* Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall

NEW ZEALAND FASHION WEEK & WEEKEND

Kemp English

John Scott and Musica Sacra

DIGITAL ART LIVE EXHIBITIONS: Rollercoaster

STAMP: RISING VOICES POETRY SLAM The American Idol of poetry, 15 emerging poets aged 16 to 25 years take the stage in a battle of words to find the audience-voted winner. 22 September, 7pm | $15 – $20* Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

THE EDGE HOME OF THE AOTEA CENTRE, THE CIVIC, AUCKLAND TOWN HALL AND AOTEA SQUARE

LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

BOLD AS BRASS Austrian big band veterans Mnozil Brass have wowed audiences worldwide with their song-and-dance orchestral manoeuvres. Luke Oram talks to tuba player Wilfried Branstotter about the band that’s bringing rock ’n’ roll into the concert hall.

t’s 8am in Denmark. The front desk picks up the phone and I’m greeted with a string of Danish pleasantries. As instructed, I ask for Room 38 and am connected with Wilfried Branstotter, the enigmatic mouthpiece for Austrian brass septet Mnozil Brass.

I ask Wilfried whose barmy idea it was to do press at eight in the morning. Turns out it was his; between last night’s orchestral sparring with the 72-piece Bielefeld Philharmonic Orchestra and today’s jaunt to the Swiss border, this golden hour is the only one he has. He’s very chirpy after a show night. Mind you, I’ve never supposed brass band players to be big on the rock star life. I imagine they’re the types to head straight from the amphitheatre to the hotel, polish their leadpipes and have a quiet night in with the pay-TV. That being said, Mnozil are no ordinary brass band. Now celebrating their 19th year, the group have earned a reputation for their jaw-dropping stage act, a hybrid of physical comedy and virtuosic big-band musicality. Wilfried, one of Mnozil’s founding members and a Viennaeducated tuba player, met the rest of the band over various jam nights at a local tavern. “I think the key to the whole thing was that we never planned to become a group – for the first couple of years we played weddings and funerals; little by little, people started asking us to play concerts here, concerts there… until, 10 years ago, we made the decision to give up our day jobs.” The band – three trumpeters, three trombonists and Wilfried, now spend most of their year travelling from jazz festivals and orchestral halls to fringe comedy festivals – he calls it their “constant world tour”. From the early days, the ensemble had one foot in the orchestra pit and the other on the dance floor. A Mnozil show was brass with irreverent panache; William Tell Overture on trombone, played by a band member’s toes, a slow-motion Laurel and Hardy-esque slapstick piece, soundtracked by a tumbling trumpet player held up by his ankles; and the grand centrepiece: Bohemian Rhapsody given an orchestral song-and-dance work-over. “We learned in the early days that you had to catch an audience,” Wilfried explains; “they are not waiting for you. From the very early days we always sang and we always made some kind of entertainment; it always just felt right for

us. When we decided to make this more serious, we started working with a director and a choreographer – we wanted to bring in elements that were attractive to an audience; for us, that meant acting on stage, making good entertainment, not just playing.” With a show that combines homage to Beethoven with the use of brass as deadly weapons, it’s a wonder Mnozil haven’t spent the last decade defending themselves against a legion of jazz purists. “I think those times are over. What is pure jazz? I think jazz is wide open now. We regularly play at jazz festivals and people always love it. Jazz is a creative genre and what we’re doing is highly creative.” The group are currently touring their new show, Unravelling Blofeld – a tribute to the ever-mysterious James Bond villain.

Blofeld continues along the lines of grand Mnozil tradition – Wilfried says the show is influenced by “Spike Jonze, City Slickers, Danny Kaye, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Richard Strauss, Bruchner and all the heavy brass.” Heavy brass? Good God. Are we to expect a flugelhorn rendition of Enter Sandman? With Mnozil, of course, absolutely anything is possible.

MNOZIL BRASS 24 September | Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

Double act

A BOX

Silo’s production of The Pride has in its cast one of the country’s hardest-working actors. Kip Chapman doesn’t just work hard at his job, he eats it whole and spits out the bones. By José Barbosa.

The cabinet selection has had a makeover, with new pastries, tramazzino sandwiches and sweet treats added to the menu. Grey Lynn bakery Whoopie is now on the supplier list, providing a range of brightly coloured and deliciously flavoured Whoopie Cakes and Pops to brighten up a cold winter’s day or be enjoyed at night with a real hot chocolate.

They’re currently preparing to take the show on a North American tour which may, all going well, propel them into the big time. Kip attributes the success they’ve had to a confluence of disciplines.

If savoury flavours are what your palate prefers, you could match a cheese platter with some mulled wine, perfect for winter evenings.

“I’m an actor, I write and direct. I’m really interested in improvisation. The other cocreator of Hackman is Brad Knewstub who is an industrial designer who really doesn’t have experience in the theatre. He’s never going ‘how should I do this?’ He’s always asking ‘what could I do?’ And because of that, exciting results happen.”

“I was like, my life is going to suck in July,” he says.”I’ve pre-learnt my Pride lines before starting Black Confetti, so when I go into rehearsal on Monday I’ll at least know the lines in my gut, if not in my head. Rehearsals are mysterious beasts. It’s like being a sportsman: you time to get a move into your body. So hopefully these lines have settled because I’ve lived with them for the last three months or so.”

of treats

BOX Café & Bar is a favourite place to gather for Friday night drinks, popular for drinks and nibbles before shows, and award-winning coffee artist Gerry impresses weekday patrons with his beautifully presented Altezano coffees.

he most cursory glance at Kip Chapman’s CV is enough to confirm the actor is all over the show. Since graduating from Unitec in 2002 he’s bounced back and forth between theatre and television, been named Actor of the Year at the Chapman Tripp Awards and is one of the co-founders of Hackman, the company behind the commercial and critical success of Apollo 13.

Kip is clearly not a man who mucks about, a trait which does help if you’re a freelance actor. A full slate of work does occasionally throw up challenges. I’m talking to Kip while Auckland Theatre Company’s production of Black Confetti, in which he is performing, is enjoying a run at the Herald Theatre and rehearsals are about to start on The Pride, Silo’s production of the play by Alexi Kaye Campbell. In effect, Kip will be living with two plays at the same time.

WIN “It’s about how society evolves. Evolution doesn’t necessarily mean better; all it means is there’s change.“

In The Pride three actors portray two sets of characters divided by five decades, but sharing the same names. In the 1950s Philip and his wife Sylvia entertain their guest Oliver; the two men eventually embark on a guilt-laden affair. The 2008 Philip is a journalist who is consoled by his friend Sylvia after his partner Oliver leaves. The

play alternates between the restrictive ’50s and the sexually unfettered 21st century. According to Kip, though, The Pride goes beyond making simple comparisons between the way society treated homosexual relationships then and now.

Taste-test the goodies at BOX for yourself with a $50 voucher. To enter, visit www.the-edge.co.nz/comps

“It’s about how society evolves. Evolution doesn’t necessarily mean better; all it means is there’s change. In 2008 we see how things have changed for the better in terms of the law and sexuality being less of a taboo, but we see that for homosexuals there are some unforeseen challenges. Society still has a way to go.” BOX Café & Bar | Aotea Centre Terrace

THE PRIDE 9 August – 1 September Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre

www.the-box.co.nz www.facebook.com/boxaoteacentre www.twitter.com/box_tweets

8PM, THURSDAY 18 OCTOBER AUCKLAND TOWN HALL

One of Western music’s great choral masterpieces. Conductor Stephen Layton Soprano Sara Macliver Mezzo-Soprano Kate Spence Tenor James Oxley Bass Jared Holt University of Auckland Chamber Choir, Director Karen Grylls

APO.CO.NZ

BOOK NOW buytickets.co.nz or 09-357 3355

Written as a setting for the complete mass, Bach’s B Minor Mass transcends religion and speaks to us on the most emotional level of sadness, pain, joy and celebration, in a journey that is awe-inspiring in its breadth and depth.

LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

Meet Mr and Mrs Banks

of CherryTree Lane

Come October, New Zealand audiences will finally have the chance to see the practically perfect theatrical adaptation of MARY POPPINS. Sarah Illingworth caught the show as it wound down in Perth, ready to make its way across the Tasman.

ractically perfect, in every way. It’s a big call, but the runaway success of the stage-show spectacular that is MARY POPPINS has been living up to the hype. From the set to the costumes, to the perfectly-turnedout toes of Mary Poppins’ perfectly polished boots, the production really is a delight to behold. Attracting audiences that range from wee to silver fox, the curtain first rose on the stage version of Pamela Travers’ timeless classic in London’s West End eight years ago. Since, it’s been seen by almost 10 million people and grossed more than US$679 million ($875 million) worldwide – and won 44 major theatre awards. Adapted for the stage by Academy Awardwinning screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey, Gosford Park) and acclaimed producers Cameron Mackintosh (Les Misérables, Cats, Miss Saigon) and Thomas Schumacher (The Lion King, Beauty and The Beast), the show tells the tale of the not-so-perfect Banks family and their nononsense yet magical conundrum of a nanny Mary Poppins. The New Zealand lead is yet to be announced (although rumour has it the actress will be a very special surprise), but the other key cast members will travel with the show when it arrives in October. Australian dance personality Matt Lee is impeccable as the toe-tapping, chimney-sweeping, unrequited Bert, while Simon Burke and Pippa Grandison are equally brilliant in the roles of Mr and Mrs Banks. Having most recently starred as Captain von Trapp in the West End version of The Sound of Music, Simon captures

From the set to the costumes, to the perfectly turned out toes of Mary Poppins’ perfectly polished boots, the production really is a delight to behold. another quintessential ‘father’ role as the ever-perturbed George Banks. While Mary is obviously the show’s central character, the story really follows George’s journey from uptight father who never has time for his family to a man reborn when he almost loses his career – only to rediscover the sweetness of the simpler things in life. “From Winifred’s perspective, it’s a great relief,” says Pippa, who plays the Winifred Banks to Simon’s George, “because the man who she fell in love with, and the man that she knows is still in there, is finally coming out. I think it’s a great joy for her when he finally starts seeing the children and communicating with them. Not only for them, but for the happiness that it brings to him as well.” Winifred has her own complexities. A “modern-thinking woman who’s stuck in an old-fashioned world,” as Pippa describes her, she abandoned her career as an

actress to be a mother and a wife, only to be constrained in both roles by a husband who prefers her to hand over the reins to a nanny and a housekeeper, in the interests of keeping up with the ‘best’ people. “It’s great that Mary Poppins does come along,” elaborates Pippa, “because they’re a dysfunctional family, and they need help, they need guidance, but Winifred doesn’t want to do all that stuffy stuff – having to be seen to be the ‘best’ person, and have tea parties with people [she doesn’t] know. She just wants to be a mum, and love her family and have a good time, and nurture her children’s imaginative games.” The children themselves are jaw-dropping in their ability to tap, twirl, sing and act. True triple threats, it’s impressive that the Australian run of the show found eight child actors in every centre capable of handling the demanding roles of Jane and Michael.

“I suppose the great thing about the kids is, because we have such a great creative team, it’s a default position that they’ve been very well cast,” offers Simon. “Every single one of our kids has a vulnerability and a truth to them, which is really nice. But they’re all hilarious. They’re all in pairs, and you do end up having different jokes with different pairs, and of course there’s a bit of rivalry between them, which is hilarious to watch. It’s like a battle of the midgets sometimes.” “The Sound of Music was even worse,” he continues, “because we had seven von Trapp kids, and we had a lot of changeovers; so in one year I worked with 96 kids, and it’s just such a special thing for them. They’re so excited, but when they leave they’re so sad. It really kills ya.” The cast also boasts renowned cabaret singer Natalie Gamsu as the formidable Miss Andrews, and New Zealander Delia Hannah (Les Misérables, Cats, Chicago) in the role of bird woman. When a cast this good join with Disney’s unmistakable flair and pop to tell a vintage tale it’s fair to expect there will be magic. MARY POPPINS doesn’t disappoint.

WIN ONE LUCKY READER

will win a MARY POPPINS merchandise pack including a MARY POPPINS umbrella and hard-cover book Anything Can Happen If You Let It which takes you behind the scenes of the journey from P L Travers’ books to a Broadway Musical. Visit www.the-edge.co.nz/comps to enter!

MARY POPPINS From 18 October | The Civic

LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

AUDIENCES

Sampling the arts

TAKE CONTROL

Lori Dungey is a member of Auckland improvisation group ConArtists who perform on 25 August. She is convinced that theatresports is great for all ages. “It’s fantastic for learning to think on your feet and boost your confidence in delivering an entertaining comedy show.

ConArtists

“At the Pick & Mix performance you may very well laugh yourself silly,” Lori says.

Following on from the performance comes a 45-minute workshop which Lori promises will be a gentle introduction to improvisation. “It will involve some of the basics like listening, responding spontaneously in the moment and always saying yes to every offer that comes your way. It’s designed to boost your confidence, hone your presentation skills and challenge your creativity.”

different perspectives and the wide diversity of cultures.” The final Pick & Mix on 22 September is a programming coup, featuring the return of World Champion dance crew ReQuest, following their thrilling performance with Jennifer Lopez on American Idol. Choreographer and Dancer Parris Goebel says dance is great for kids. “It allows you to express yourself and gain an appreciation for sound and movement.” As well as a performance by ReQuest and guests The Royal Family, there’ll be a workshop that Parris says will involve “learning hip hop and having fun. ReQuest will bring you all the elements you need to be a dancer.” Sounds like an opportunity not to be missed.

If making people laugh isn’t your thing, the 14-week programme also covers cultural performances, music and dance. Auckland Gamelan Group will take the stage on 4 August with a performance that introduces traditional Indonesian instruments and shadow puppets, before the audience gets the chance to play the instruments and learn about the puppet characters. Auckland Gamelan Group member Maman Baboe says experiencing the arts “gives a foundation to understand the world from

Digital Art Live has turned the Aotea Centre’s Owens Foyer into an interactive art space. Located next to Door A of the ASB Theatre, visitors not only get to look at freshly created digital art, they can make it move, initiate sounds, or make images on the screen explode. Digital Art Live (DAL) is a joint project between THE EDGE and AUT’s creative technology centre CoLab, created to bring the world of creative technology into the public domain by providing a space that encourages interactivity, collaboration and experimentation. The permanent exhibition space opened in February 2011 with group exhibition Screenplay. The 14th exhibition Rollercoaster is currently on show, with people using their bodies to control the speed and direction of an on-screen rollercoaster, using a camera to detect motion. Next up is respected 3D artist Gregory Bennett’s first interactive work Crowd Control, the first DAL exhibition to use floor sensors to detect movement. Gregory says Crowd Control will invite the audience to become active participants, forming and re-forming groups of figures into patterns. He’s excited by what the audience will bring to the work in unanticipated ways. “How they become active participants in the shaping of an artwork and hopefully reveal aspects and responses that I will have not expected.

ReQuest

Pick & Mix is now a key fixture in the calendar every winter Saturday, attracting hundreds of children, grandparents and everyone in between to watch performances and then take part in workshops where they can give various art forms a go. But it’s not just the audiences who are flocking to be part of the programme: the performers see it as a chance to get more people involved in their discipline, and test their mettle against the toughest audience – children.

“You get to shout out suggestions which the actors take and create stories, poems, songs and maybe an opera out of. It’s all very onthe-spot, right before your eyes.”

Auckland Gamelan Group

Pick & Mix burst onto the arts scene three years ago, offering a free opportunity for families to get a taste of the performing arts. Like getting a 50-cent lolly mixture (based on 1980s’ prices), the performance styles were a mixed bag of flavours – from comedians to orchestras, and even a circus.

Growth

Engaging in the arts is not just about sitting in a seat and watching someone perform or looking at a picture – these days there are more and more opportunities for audiences to interact, respond and even join in the creation of brand new performance pieces. By Josie Campbell.

“I hope that the work gives them the opportunity to have a more actively engaged experience beyond that of a passive viewer – and a sense of play!”

PICK & MIX Every Saturday until 22 September Aotea Centre

CROWD CONTROL 4 September – 4 November Owens Foyer, Aotea Centre

E E R

WE’RE BRINGING ART TO LIFE

COME ON DOWN & PLAY!

AOTEA CENTRE

LEVEL 2, NEXT TO DOOR A

LIVE / AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2012

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BIG THING

CHARACTERS

As we look forward to MARY POPPINS arriving in October, we asked our Twitter followers for their favourite show, moment or memory at The Civic.

THE TROCKS 26 & 27 October They wear tutus, they have talent and technical precision and they’re… men. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo come to the ASB Theatre direct from New York to impress and amuse in a show that ‘dances the line between high art and high camp’.

VIENNA BOYS CHOIR 6 October

FORBIDDEN LOVE

AUCKLAND FRINGE

19 October

15 February – 10 March

Experience the drama of forbidden love with the NZSO in this concert featuring Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major – a work originally considered unplayable, and now a test for any violinist. The concert will also include Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and closes with Francesca da Rimini, also by Tchaikovsky.

Auckland Fringe is back for its third edition in 2013 and artist registrations open on 1 August and close on 28 September. If you’ve been sitting on an idea for a show, this is your chance to get it before an audience. In 2011 the fringe involved nearly 1300 people in 99 shows that were seen by over 50,000 people. It’s safe to say we’ve got a festival on our hands! If you want to be a part of it, visit www.aucklandfringe.co.nz

For more than five centuries – that’s right, centuries – the Vienna Boys Choir has been one of the world’s most active musical ensembles, performing in the world’s greatest concert halls. In October, the latest group of choristers will take the stage at Auckland Town Hall’s Great Hall for a concert featuring choral works by Mozart, Schubert, Johannes and Josef Strauss and a brand new work by Elena Kats-Chernin.

@Connor_Cowley: Jersey Boys…, obviously! #OhWhatANight! @JTClassic: My favourite memory was a 2003 Counting Crows concert. Stripped back acoustic show in that beautiful theatre. Amazing. @RebsGuy: Rufus Wainwright singing Zebulon last year! Breathless silence filling the cracks betwixt the audience members! SWOON x10! @taytaymills: The moment i heard Oh What A night start playing in my favourite musical of all time #JerseyBoys @MansNz: Singalong Sound of Music: so many nuns, so much lederhosen, so many brown paper packages tied up with string, sooo much fun! @faithashw: Fave show is now Jersey Boys but fave memory is experiencing Jason Mraz live & acoustic – pure magic. The wait was worth it! @filmguidenz: the first time you go and you realise there are clouds moving across the starry night above you.... #magic @sopheerose: We Will Rock You, being like 3 or 4 rows from the front! Then a couple of days later walking past Burger Fuel & meeting Mig!

DIWALI FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

@wendywings: Doing the Time Warp with Richard O'Brien leading the audience, amazing :)

13 & 14 October Join in the fun and Auckland’s most colourful cultural festival as Aotea Square gets dressed up to celebrate ancient Hindu festival Diwali and the triumph of light over darkness.

@caanz: Absolutely loved Phantom of the Opera. Was truly brilliant - and really suited the theatre!

THE BOOTLEG BEATLES 18 – 21 October Fifty years since the songs were written, they continue to resonate across generations. In October old-school fans of The Beatles can relive the magic all over again – and young fans can experience the sounds that changed music forever. The Bootleg Beatles have played almost 5000 shows at venues including London’s Wembley Stadium and Royal Albert Hall. This is as close as you can get to the real thing!

@geekboy73: The unexpected emotional response I felt watching Young@heart live...truly humbling and inspiring. @nanawintour: Tough question, I'd have to say Priscilla in 2008. My first proper musical, it was amazing seeing that show come to life

EVERYONE’S INVITED! NZFW FASHION WEEKEND SEPT 8-9, 2012 VIADUCT EVENTS CENTRE, AUCKLAND DISCOUNTED DESIGNER SHOPPING AT THE DESIGNER GARAGE SALE, LIFESTYLE SEMINARS, BEAUTY TREATS, DJ’S & STYLISH BARS, EXCLUSIVE VIP AREA, FREE SAMPLING & GIVEAWAYS

ANDREW KAY AND ASSOCIATES PRESENTS

“THE GREATEST ENSEMBLE IN THE BLOWN WORLD”

unravels“BLOFELD”

Commissioned by Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele

Directed by Ferdinando Chefalo

MON 24 SEPTEMBER AOTEA CENTRE, THE EDGE 0800 buy tickets (289 842) buytickets.co.nz

www.akaaustralia.com.au

www.mnozilbrass.at

ANDREW KAY AND ASSOCIATES PRESENTS

THE WORLD’S FOREMOST ALL MALE BALLET COMPANY

TROCKS THE Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

“THE FUNNIEST NIGHT YOU WILL EVER HAVE AT THE THEATRE” SUNDAY TIMES UK

26 & 27 OCTOBER • AOTEA CENTRE, THE EDGE Book 0800 BUY TICKETS (289 842) www.buytickets.co.nz