Q Theatre:
It might not be the man himself, but Auckland's love affair with David Byrne continues. Hot on the heels of his sold-out and wildly successful Spark Arena show last weekend, Silo Theatre opens the "poperreta" musical based on the concept album Here Lies Love by Byrne and
Fatboy Slim. Based on Byrne's research into the life of former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, it's got to be one of the most novel premises for a theatre show this year with some 26 songs performed by fierce and fabulous divas Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Ria Hall, Colleen Davis, Sarah Nessia and Villette Dasha.
Here Lies Love, Rangatira at Q Theatre, tonight – until Saturday, December 8
Q Theatre:
Dynamotion has been disco-ing down in Auckland for six years, shamelessly parodying classic movie genres with dance routines that are both funny and a lot slicker than images the term "comic dance troupe" may conjure up. Having previously taken the mickey out of dystopian sci-fi, road, spy and dance movies themselves, this year funnyman Tom Sainsbury and his fellow dancers pay homage to horror. When movie monsters Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy are told they must leave Universal Studios because they're not scary enough, they decide to put on a truly spine-tingling horror show to end all horror shows.
Monster Mash, Loft at Q Theatre, until Saturday
Auckland Town Hall:
Even if you're not an orchestral music fan, there are some classics you should see – hear – performed live at least once by a top-flight orchestra. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, written when he was completely deaf, is one of those and the NZ Symphony Orchestra is in town to perform it. Beethoven 9 opens, though, with his First Symphony written when he was a young man making his name in Vienna as a pianist and composer. The concert concludes with Symphony No. 9, demonstrating in one concert the way in which he changed music forever. Four soloists - soprano Madeleine Pierard, mezzo-soprano Kristin Darragh, tenor Simon O'Neill and bass Anthony Robin Schneider - and premier choir Voices New Zealand feature in the fourth movement's 'Ode to Joy'.
NZ Symphony Orchestra – Beethoven 9, Auckland Town Hall, Saturday
Tapapakanga Regional Park:
