KEY POINTS:
New Zealand director Andrew Adamson would not run away to join the circus if given the chance.
"It's because I'm already in a circus," he laughs.
The director, who has found international mega-stardom with movie hits such as Shrek and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was one of dozens of celebrities who last night trod the green carpet at the New Zealand premiere of Cirque du Soleil's Varekai at the Auckland Showgrounds.
Adamson said there were similarities between his job and that of Cirque du Soleil. "If you see the stuff we have to haul around and the amount of travelling we do, we basically are a circus."
Adamson was back in the country for a few weeks to continue the filming of Prince Caspian, which "despite reports to the contrary" is still going ahead before filming finishes in England and parts of Europe.
Ex-Shortland Street star and now bona fide Hollywood celeb Martin Henderson was also among the A-listers at last night's premiere.
The Kiwi heart-throb, who has been working on a political drama with Charlize Theron and Woody Harrelson, said he was back home for "about a month" to hang out with friends and family.
He said he was about to sell his home in Los Angeles to move to New York.
Cirque du Soleil's Varekai is the story of Icarus, a young man who falls from the sky and begins a journey in a magical forest inhabited by fantastic creatures.
The show, which takes place under the Grand Chapiteau - a massive circus tent - runs until February 4.
