What's On This Week

Cuban Carousel is on tour. Photo / Supplied

DANCE

There's more to Cuba than cigars and Fidel Castro, and a new dance show will fill you in. Cuban Carousel is on tour now, and it tells the story of Cuba through music and dance. Choreographers and principal dancers Isbert Ramos and Greydis Montero settled in New Zealand seven years ago after moving from their native Cuba. They have roped in another four dancers to join them on this tour.

Municipal Theatre, Napier, April 30; SkyCity Theatre, May 1

INDIE/DANCE

Trendy Brooklyn-born dance-punk duo Matt and Kim play K Rd's Whammy Bar next Wednesday. Fresh from an American tour supporting Australian stars Cut Copy, they know how to get a hip dance floor sweaty. Oh, and if you ever wondered what it would be like to take all your clothes off and run around New York's Times Square, check out the video for their song Lessons Learned.

Matt & Kim - Whammy Bar, St Kevin's Arcade, May 6

HIP-HOP

Their hit song is all over our radios, iPods and TVs, and now South Auckland hip-hop trio Smashproof are heading out on their first tour. The song Brother, featuring Gin Wigmore, has spent a ridiculous number of weeks in New Zealand's number one spot, and that popularity will no doubt translate to busy gigs. The boys will kick off New Zealand Music Month with a bang at Studio tomorrow night.

Smashproof - Studio, K Rd, May 1

THEATRE
The latest production from the Auckland Theatre Company is the classic 18th-century Oliver Goldsmith comedy She Stoops To Conquer. Featuring Outrageous Fortune's Antonia Prebble as a busty barmaid and directed by Michael Hurst, the play also stars a mix of new and old faces including Ellie Smith, Arthur Meek, Cameron Rhodes, Esther Stephens, Paul Barrett and Paul Ellis.

She Stoops To Conquer - Auckland Theatre Company, Maidment, April 30 to May 23

COMEDY

And so it begins again - it's launch weekend for the International Comedy Festival with a couple of package shows tonight (the five-star comedy preview at SkyCity Theatre) and tomorrow (the Comedy Gala at the Aotea Centre). But one show we recommend you catch in this first week is Australia's Kransky Sisters. You think Flight of the Conchords is deadpan musical comedy? Wait until you experience Mourne, Eve and Dawn as pop pall-bearers.

Comedy Chamber, Auckland Town Hall, 7pm May 2, 5-9

COMEDY/FAMILY

Most of the shows in the Comedy Festival this year might not be suitable for children (or are far too childish). But the kids aren't missing out because there are daytime shows for the next four weekends, starting with Potted Potter (condensing all seven Harry Potter books into 70 minutes), which is followed by Standup For Kids and Theatre Beating's Piled Piper of Hamilton.

Nickelodeon Kids Comedy Season - Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, May 2-24, see www.comedyfestival.co.nz

COMEDY

If you like a laugh but get a bit uncomfortable with ripe language or dubious topics, then this particular Comedy Festival show will interest you. The Clean Comedy Show is on this Saturday in Papakura, and features squeaky-clean comedians Dave Wiggins, Simon McKinney and the rather handsomely named musical comedy duo Dash Ambrose. The show does come with a warning: content may not offend.

The Clean Comedy Show - Hawkins Theatre, 13 Ray Small Drive, Papakura, May 2, 7pm

TRIBUTE

The Androidss , one of the legendary bands of the late-70s and early-80s local punk scene are re-forming to pay tribute to their guitarist, Steve Marsden, who died last month. Steve's twin brother, Eric, was the drummer in the band that started out in Christchurch. The show also features re-formed line-ups of AK79 /Class of '81-ers The Newmatics, and Spelling Mistakes.

The Bacco Room 51-53 Nelson St (underneath Montecristo Room), Saturday May 2, 8pm