Anika Moa on making her theatre debut: ‘I wanted to take a risk’

Nothing was going to stop Anika Moa from auditioning for a role in Auckland Theatre Company’s production of Peter Pan. Photo / Michelle Hyslop, Mark Leedom

Anika Moa may be a busy mother of four but nothing was going to stop her from auditioning for the new production of Peter Pan.

“I wanted to take a risk,” explains the award-winning singer, children’s entertainer, TV presenter and podcast host. “I didn’t want to sit down and be the person who didn’t do it. It’s so easy to sit back and be a reviewer, but why not actually do it?

“You never know, Taika Waititi might be in the audience on opening night and be like, ‘She’s my next star for my next movie!’ Then I can move to Hollywood with the kids, marry Leo DiCaprio even though I’m too old and buy a mansion with a pool.”

Moa, 44, may be known first and foremost as a musician but it’s arguably her sense of humour that has made her a beloved Kiwi icon. She’ll be making her theatrical debut in Auckland Theatre Company’s production of Peter Pan, adapted from the JM Barrie story by local playwright Carl Bland.

The show features characters from the original story, such as Tinker Bell, Wendy, Mrs Darling and Captain Hook, the latter played by former Shortland Street actress Jennifer Ludlam, but it also introduces some new characters, including the Mermaid Queen, which is Moa’s role.

Anika Moa's sense of humour has made her a Kiwi icon. Photo / Michelle Hyslop, Mark Leedom

“I showed up at the auditions and, even though I knew I wasn’t a great actor, I got a bit cocky and read for Mrs Darling,” she laughs. “Then they asked me to audition for the Mermaid Queen – I think because I was so bad at Mrs Darling!”

The next day, she got a call from the director telling her she had the part of the royal mermaid. “He was being so diplomatic about it because I clearly couldn’t act, but I was cool because I don’t care if I can’t do a role – I’m not going to cry about it!”

The Mermaid Queen, she says, does a lot of singing and is a bit grumpy. “She’s in charge of all the mermaids and is an entertainer, so I’m just perfect for the job.”

However, she admits she has problems memorising her lines. “I freak out when I have to learn a script, but I love acting and I love entertaining, so the role’s perfect and she hardly has any lines.”

The Mermaid Queen spends a lot of time doing backing vocals for the band and Moa has been working on them with musical director Claire Cowan.

The Mermaid Queen does a lot of singing and is a bit grumpy, says Moa. Photo / Michelle Hyslop, Mark Leedom

“There’s five or six songs in the production and she’s written all of them, which are really amazing. I come on for a couple of scenes, but they have to wheel me out because I can’t walk. Have you ever heard of a walking mermaid? I don’t think so!”

Committing to the production was a significant step for multitasker Moa, who has recently released a second series of her hit RNZ podcast It’s Personal With Anika Moa and has just published her children’s book, The Witch of Maketu and The Bleating Lambs.

“I have the energy,” she says. “The best thing about being a performer is you just go to sleep in between the shows. The best days for me are show days because you don’t have to do anything all day – you just preserve your energy. Although in saying that, I’m also dropping kids off, picking kids up and doing grocery shopping.”

To make things easier, her brother has come to stay to help look after the kids – 13-year-old twin boys Taane and Barry, son Soren, 10, and daughter Marigold, 5 – for the four-week Peter Pan run.

Five-year-old Marigold has been joining her mother to promote her book. Photo / Michelle Hyslop, Mark Leedom

Marigold has been joining her mother at some recent events to promote her book, which is based on characters from the singer’s Songs For Bubbas children’s albums. “She comes and acts out the story as I read it. She’s actually a mini-me – she loves to entertain as well. She’s going to be a star!”

Her four children spend time with their other parents when they aren’t with Anika. “It’s going really well and all of my kids are very happy,” she says. “We’ve had some ups and downs in the past few years with a couple of them, but we’re all just on a really good roll at the moment. My whole world revolves around them.

“I want to be the kind of mum who, when they’re at a party and can’t get home, they think of me to call first. I want them to know they’re safe and I won’t growl at them.”

After previously chatting to actors Robyn Malcolm, Tom Sainsbury and Claire Chitham, her interview subjects for the second season of It’s Personal include The White Lotus actress Morgana O’Reilly and Shihad’s Jon Toogood.

Anika says her life right now is where she wants it to be. Photo / Michelle Hyslop, Mark Leedom

“I get great guests and I really enjoy it.

“I ask the questions that I genuinely want to know and I love connecting with people. I think humans are interesting and we’re all fallible. We’ve all got a story to tell.”

She works hard on the podcast to get her guests to be honest with her. “Nobody knows what people are going through and if they’re holding something back. I want to get that something out because I want them to have a release.”

She says her life at the moment is just where she wants it to be. After leaving her job on Flava’s breakfast radio show – which she co-hosted with Stacey Morrison and Mike Puru – in late 2022, she has felt more in control.

“I like working for myself and filling my days with jobs that make me happy. It’s nice to do what I want to do now.”

For most of the time, she is just keeping her head above water because everything will be going well, but then the kids get sick and she has to cancel jobs.

“I’m not getting a weekly wage, so sometimes I go three months without money, but the payoff is not having to deal with a boss.

“I’ve always been like that, just living on the edge of what’s going to happen. I just live day to day and try not to book too far in advance, so I can work around my kids’ schedules. I’m a badass b****!”

Peter Pan opens Tuesday at Auckland’s ASB Waterfront Theatre. Visit atc.co.nz for tickets. Check out the podcast It’s Personal With Anika Moa at rnz.co.nz. The Witch of Maketu And The Bleating Lambs ($21, Penguin) is on shelves now.