Mar 6, 2013 Art
Metro arts editor Frances Morton’s don’t-miss shows.When the festival programme was first released, the Metro staffers got together and picked the shows we’re most excited about seeing. They include Colombian street circus Circolombia, Pasifika musical The Factory, boundary-pushing dance piece Babel (Words), Jack Body’s new performance piece based on the life of Carmen Rupe, Silo Theatre’s new play Hui, and community theatre project Dominion Road Stories. Here’s some shows well worth checking out, from arts editor Frances Morton.
The Breath of the Volcano “Monumental light theatre.” That’s how Groupe F artistic director Christophe Berthonneau describes the spine-tingling spectacular taking over Auckland Domain. The French fireworks experts recruited traditional Maori music maestro Richard Nunns and local performers from Red Leap Theatre to create a show crafted just for us about our home, Auckland. Auckland Domain, March 7-9.
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart My favourite local Scot built a pub in his West Auckland backyard so he never had to go out to go out. No wonder his countrymen have come up with a way to go to the theatre without leaving your bar stool — stage a play about a pub in a pub. Fortunately, the last show I saw from this excellent company wasn’t staged in its real setting. The gripping Black Watch, about a Scottish battalion fighting in Iraq, was so good I won’t miss the National Theatre of Scotland this visit. The Bluestone Room, March 13-24.
LA-33 Because, alas, there are just too few dance floors for shameless abandonment in Auckland. And, let’s face it, those Latinos can show us shuffle-prone Kiwis a move or two. Cue Colombian 12-piece LA-33 and their stonking horns playing a spicy mix of hard salsa, ska and New York Boogaloo that’s guaranteed to get the crowd flinging extremities. Festival Club, Aotea Square, March 16.
White Night What could be more thrilling than roaming the galleries and museums after dark? It’s an idea that started in Paris and has caught on with art-loving insomniacs worldwide. I’ll be jumping on the bus and enjoying a chauffeured tour to our suburban gems, Mangere Arts Centre, Te Tui and Pah Homestead. 6pm-12am, March 16.
Ta Moko The closest I came to getting a tattoo was walking into a Las Vegas parlour, picking a white tiger design then fleeing. On the other end of the spectrum is the masterwork that moko artist Derek Lardelli is carrying out and discussing during moko sessions at Aotea Centre. The art form inspires another in Atamira’s Moko. It’ll be a sneak peek of a new work from one of my favourite dance companies. Moko – In Rehearsal, Q Theatre Loft, March 23. Ta Moko, Between The lines, Blues Bar, Aotea Centre, March 22-24.
