Auckland Theatre Company has opened an undeniable literary classic: Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.
Auckland Theatre Company has opened an undeniable literary classic: Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.
Last weekend was for battening the hatches and eating chocolate, but this weekend is for going out and experiencing Tāmaki Makaurau. For parents, there are a couple of live shows you can take the kids to for the final weekend of the school holidays. For everyone else, there’s live theatre, an anime festival, a local pop princess and an international comedy sensation to see. Plus, next week Auckland is getting all artsy in the lead-up to Aotearoa Art Fair. Here’s our top picks for things to do in Auckland this weekend and beyond.
1) Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express
On Tuesday, Auckland Theatre Company opened an undeniable literary classic: Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. The stage of the ASB Waterfront Theatre has been transformed into an opulent 1930s train on which a passenger has been mysteriously stabbed to death. Conveniently onboard at the time is Detective Hercule Poirot played by theatre heavyweight Cameron Rhodes, alongside Rima Te Wiata as Helen Hubbard, Jennifer Ludlam as Princess Dragomiroff, Mirabai Pease as Mary Debenham, Sophie Henderson as Countess Andrenyi, and Bronwyn Ensor as Greta Ohlsson. It’s a testament to Christie’s writing that this whodunit can still be so compelling more than 90 years after the culprit was first revealed, when the book was published in 1934. Shane Bosher helms ATC’s production of Tony-nominated playwright Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation, and the three-week season is looking to be one of ATC’s most popular productions to date.
Price: Tickets $22-$94 + booking fees from atc.co.nz.
2) Prins
Catch the 'next global pop star' this weekend at the Tuning Fork for her Heaven or Hell tour. Photo / Tam Creative
If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out the artist touted as New Zealand’s “next global pop star”, this weekend is the perfect time to see her in the intimate surroundings of the Tuning Fork for her Heaven or Hell tour. You could have the opportunity to become one of those annoying people who say, “I saw her before she was famous”. “Famous” is a relative term, of course, especially when applied to someone who last year toured and played many of the world’s great cities, including Los Angeles, Stockholm and London. Her music has already accumulated millions of streams, and she’s logged collaborations with some of the biggest names in music. Saturday’s show might just be the last time you can get same-day tickets to a Prins gig.
The stage show is a guaranteed good time for young and old alike.
If you don’t have children, don’t know any children and don’t watch TV, we might forgive you for not yet having booked tickets to the stage show version of the pop cultural phenomenon that is Bluey. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go. This Australian animated television delight is perfect, with its hilarious characters and storylines, distinctly non-saccharine messaging and all-round creative genius. The stage show is a guaranteed good time for young and old alike, based on a new story written by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, and contains music by Bluey composer Joff Bush. Since its debut in Bluey’s hometown of Brisbane, the show has played to more than one million people across the world, including performances at iconic venues including Madison Square Garden in New York and the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Disney classic Mary Poppins is having a two-week season with a relaxed performance. Photo / LK Creative
Most parents are probably wishing that Mary Poppins floated in on her umbrella two weeks ago to manage the children for the holidays, but instead, she’s arriving on Saturday at the Harlequin Musical Theatre, not your place. It’s a magical story with some beloved earworms like Spoonful of Sugar, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Let’s Go Fly a Kite that you and your little people will be humming all the way home and potentially for weeks to come. The Disney classic is having a two-week season with a relaxed performance on Sunday, May 4, for people for whom a live theatre experience might be more challenging, including those with sensory needs, on the autism spectrum, or young children.
Price: Tickets $30-$40 + booking fees from iticket.co.nz.
5) Iliza Shlesinger
Iliza Shlesinger is performing at the NZ International Comedy Festival. Photo / Jen Rosenstein
The NZ International Comedy Festival proper doesn’t officially start until Friday, May 2, but on Saturday, you can catch one of the biggest international performers of the festival at Bruce Mason Centre. Iliza Shlesinger is a pretty big deal. She’s starred in numerous movies, hosted television shows, released six Netflix specials, and has just released a new special on Amazon Prime. She’s made a name for herself making people laugh with what she calls “digestible feminism” and has a popular podcast called AIA (Ask Iliza Anything) where she offers listeners her unique and often blunt advice. It’s a head-scratcher that her show The Get Ready Tour isn’t already sold out, but that means you still have a chance to have a hilariously entertaining Saturday night.
Even if you’re not deep in the fandom, there’s so much to admire and enjoy about the Overload festival, celebrating anime and manga artists.
A group of dedicated anime enthusiasts spend all year organising Overload, a two-day convention celebrating anime and manga artists at The Cloud. Even if you’re not deep in the fandom, there’s so much to admire and enjoy about this festival. There’s a large artists’ market where you can meet some of the artists and purchase their work, an arts and craft area, a daily cosplay parade, an Overload anime art competition, anime exhibitions, anime trivia, Q&As with notable anime artists, and more. The Maid Cafe, where you get served by “cat-inspired” maids, is particularly intriguing, as is the Itasha zone full of creatively painted vehicles. The event started in 2006 with just 30 artists and 150 visitors, and has been steadily growing to the massive two-day festival it is now.
When: April 26, 10am-6pm and April 27, 10am-5pm.
Where: Shed 10 and The Cloud, 89 Quay St, Auckland Central.
Price: Tickets start at $17.50 if you buy them online or from $20 on the door. Visit overload.co.nz for the full programme and tickets.
7) Plan ahead: Public Record at Silo 6
Public Record at Silo 6 showcases the work of nine local and international artists. Photo / Public Record
In the lead-up to Aotearoa Art Fair next week, there are several adjunct exhibitions opening up around the city, including this standout by contemporary art gallery Public Record. Opening on Wednesday, Public Record at Silo 6 showcases the work of nine local and international artists installed in the specific and unique setting of Silo 6 in Wynyard Quarter. Among the artists are two Japanese ceramicists, Namika Nakai and Hitoshi Marimoto, local textile artist Rachel Long, and flax weaver Kiriana O’Connell. On Friday evening, there will be a live performance or “immersive experience” combining sound, fashion, and dance, directed by the gallery’s own Eve and Yuka O’Shannessy. The exhibition is free to attend, but you’ll need to book a ticket for Hau, the live performance, as space is limited.
When: Public Record at Silo 6: April 30-May 4. Hau, May 2, 7pm.
It’s a no-brainer to stick around after work and head to the Strand Arcade to listen to some of Aotearoa’s most exciting young opera. Photo / Auckland Council
Auckland Council is kicking off its New Zealand Music Month slate of events with Opera in the Strand on Thursday. If you work in the city, it’s an absolute no-brainer to stick around after work and head to the Strand Arcade to listen to some of Aotearoa’s most exciting young opera singers selected by the New Zealand Opera School. There’s a lot of development happening in Midtown, especially with the building of the new Waihoritiu Station, but the Strand Arcade remains an important and beloved piece of Auckland’s history and an ideal setting for a public opera performance. The inaugural Opera in the Strand was an enormous success last year, and hopefully, this year will cement the event in Auckland’s New Zealand Music Month calendar. You’ll need to bus, train to downtown, Uber, or drive this year, but next year you’ll be able to hop on the City Rail Link and be delivered to the doorstep of Midtown.
Where: The Strand Arcade, Queen St, Auckland Central.
Price: Free.
9) Plan ahead: Emma Bass, Floratopia
Floratopia features a selection of prints that Emma Bass is selling to raise money for Breast Cancer Cure. Photo / Emma Bass
It’s unlikely the first adjective that comes to mind when you think of Britomart is “floratopia,” but next week Emma Bass is changing that. She’s holding a pop-up exhibition that opens on Tuesday on Tyler St, with her signature floral still life works. If you haven’t seen Bass’s stunning images before, they’re a blooming delight. Floratopia features a selection of prints along with a printed wool/silk scarf that she’s selling to raise money for Breast Cancer Cure. If you’ve got the kind of mother who fancies floral, then this could be the perfect pre-Mother’s Day stop.
