The Aucklander's pick of what's on this Easter, and beyond.
CHEAPER EASTER SHOW
They're pitching it as the all-new Coca-Cola Easter Show, which is a good thing if you've experienced the crowds and prices in recent years. It opens Thursday, April 5 and runs to Monday, April 9 at
the ASB Showgrounds. The price has finally become family friendly at $25 for adults and children under 12 free (one adult can bring three kids).
The show's layout this year will make parents happy. Previously, you entered the show and were bombarded by all the rides, which meant spending money, money, money. This year, the entrance is at Puriri Drive so you arrive straight among the free stuff, like the Zirca circus and animals. There's an interactive farm zone where you can get up close to real - and virtual - animals. There's also the chance to try shearing sheep and milking a cow.
Next door, at Alexandra Park, there's an equestrian competition with displays of many horse breeds ranging from Arabian, Connemara, Pinto to Shetland ponies and miniature horses. Your Easter show ticket includes entry to that.
Each night there's a fireworks display and plenty for teenagers, too, including Lucy Holmes' hugely popular 100 per cent Kylie Show (see www.100per centkylie.com) over from Aussie, and the Strong Man on Friday and Saturday.
Paul Blomfield, who is helping to promote the event, says organisers have responded to the public's criticism of prices.
"So, basically, this year the show has more, for less. On one side you have all the free stuff, and on the other side is the theme park-style entertainment. It's really two shows in one."
WHAT Coca-Cola Easter Show
WHERE ASB Showgrounds
WHEN Thursday, April 5 to Monday, April 9; Thurs-Sunday, 10am-10pm; Monday, 10am-6pm
HOW MUCH $25 adults; $10 teens, pensioners; under 12s free with adult. Carnival and sideshow rides extra. Various pack prices give you coupons for rides ($45 for 40 coupons; rides cost 1 to 7 coupons)
LOONS LOOSE IN AUCKLAND
Christchurch Theatre Company The Loons brings its genre-bending play Hanussen - The Palace of Burlesque to Q Theatre from April 11 to 14.
Producer Darryl Cribb says The Loons have had a less than ideal year after their Christchurch space was closed for a month after February's quake. It reopened last April, only to close again after June's earthquake. The group's now trying to raise money to complete the repairs needed to make their venue safe again. In July, they presented a season of Macbeth for the Christchurch Arts Festival, performed to full houses in the rubble of Lyttelton's demolished buildings.
"It was quite an amazing experience," says Mr Cribb.
Since then The Loons have taken their theatre all over the country, and now to Auckland.
"It is exciting bringing our theatre to new audiences but, at the same time, we miss the stability of having a 'home base' to create new work and perform longer seasons," admits Mr Cribb.
The performance combines live music and circus tricks with a narrative on the life of a mentalist theatre director living in Nazi Germany.
"It's actually very difficult to fuse circus skills with a storyline yet, in Hanussen, everything fits within the context of the story."
The Loons theatre director, Mike Friend, The Graduate Choir.describes the process of putting together the play as trying to find a "harmonic balance" between the different artistic skills involved.
"You take the skills of the company; musicians, actors and circus performers, and you weave a narrative around them so the performance doesn't seem gratuitous.
"We started off with a burlesque show and then adapted the material we had into a clever narrative," says Mr Friend. - By Karina Abadia
WHAT Hanussen - The Palace of the Burlesque
WHEN April 11-14
WHERE Q Theatre, 305 Queen St
HOW MUCH $45-$67. Students $35
WEB qtheatre.co.nz
SCULPTURES ON SHOW
At Easter weekend the Waiheke Community Art Gallery's national award for small sculpture opens its exhibition.
It will run from April 5 to May 7.
The award is the only national award exhibition for small sculpture held in New Zealand and is for an original free-standing or wall sculpture up to 800mm in any dimension.
The $3000 prize has attracted more than 100 entries and 33 works have been selected by the judges for the finalists' exhibition.
Two of Waiheke's well-known artists, Kiya Nancarrow and Sally Smith ("Kina", pictured below), have made the final, with mainland Aucklanders who include Meiling Lee and Clyde Scott.
WHAT Small sculpture exhibition and awards
WHERE Waiheke Community Art Gallery
WHEN Gala Opening Thursday, April 5, 6pm; exhibition from April 5 to May 7
HOW MUCH Gala opening $60; exhibition free
OCEANIA U17 AND U20 WOMEN'S SOCCER
New Zealand's Young (U17) Football Ferns and Junior (U20) Football Ferns take on other Oceania teams in a bid to qualify for the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup in Azeribaijan and U20 Women's World Cup in Japan this year.
Go along and make some noise for the girls. All games are at Centre Park, Mangere.
GAMES
April 9 NZ U17 v Cook Islands 3pm
April 10 NZ U20 vs Papua New Guinea 3pm
April 11 NZ U17 vs New Caledonia 1pm
April 12 NZ U20 vs New Caledonia 1pm
April 13 NZ U17 vs PNG 3pm
April 14 NZ U20 vs Samoa 3pm
SERVING UP A CLASSIC
Glen Eden's Playhouse Theatre is putting on a stage version of the classic British TV comedy series Are You Being Served? by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft.
Hundreds of hours have been put in by Playhouse Theatre's enthusiastic team to recreate the show's characters and the Grace Brothers Department Store set.
WHAT Are You Being Served?
WHERE Glen Eden's Playhouse Theatre, 15 Glendale Rd
WHEN April 14-28, 8pm with 2pm matinees on April 21 and 28
HOW MUCH $25. Students and seniors $20. iticket.co.nz
WEB www.playhousetheatre.org.nz
CHORAL SPECTACULAR
The Graduate Choir NZ's Ex Resurrexit is a showcase for Easter, after Easter. It features the rarely performed Bach Easter Oratorio, complete with choir, soloists and a baroque orchestra.
The concert will be staged in Parnell's Holy Trinity Cathedral on April 15. The Graduate Choir NZ began life in 2001 as a group of former Aorere College students and is now one of the best and most diverse mix-voiced choirs in the country. It will be supported by AK Barok, a premier baroque ensemble.
WHAT Easter Oratorio
WHEN April 15, 7.30pm
WHERE Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell
HOW MUCH From $15 to $50. See iticket.co.nz
VINTAGE STYLE
A Very Vintage Day Out will transform Alexandra Park into a veritable vintage op shop with entertainment. There'll be market stalls selling vintage garments, jewellery and items to add an antique touch to homes and gardens, while outside a parade ring of authentic vintage automobiles will keep car enthusiasts happy.
Musical performers cover the gamut of genres from the 1920s-60s including Charleston, rock'n roll, burlesque, rockabilly and close harmony singing. Spot prizes for the best dressed ticket holders.
The day culminates in the crowning of Miss Vintage 2012 with finals between 4.15pm and 5.30pm, the first pageant of its kind in New Zealand.
WHAT Very Vintage Day Out
WHEN Saturday, April 14, 10am-6pm
WHERE Alexandra Park
HOW MUCH $25 from www.iticket.co.nz
FARMERS' MARKETS
There are farmers' markets all over town over Easter, so get some real eggs there. Here's a few of them:
Saturday, April 7
City Farmers' Market: 8.30am-12.30pm, cnr Gore and Galway Sts, Britomart precinct
Parnell Farmers' Market: 8.am-midday, Parnell Community Centre, 545 Parnell Rd
Oratia Farmers' Market: 9am-midday, Artisan Wines, 99 Parrs Cross Rd, Oratia
Matakana Farmers' Market: 8am-1pm, Matakana Country Park
Alfriston Country Market: 9am-midday, 300 Mill Rd, Alfriston, Manurewa
Sunday, April 8
Hobsonville Point Farmers' Market: 9am-1pm, No 5 Store, cnr Buckley Ave and Hastings Cres, Hobsonville
Gulf Harbour Village Market: 10am-2pm, Town Centre, Harbour Village Drive, Gulf Harbour, Whangaparaoa
Even in our biggest city, there are still ways to get away from it all.