This weekend we want to go to...

The Koi Boys join forces with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra

Auckland Town Hall: Danny Faifai, Kevin Keepa and Ngahere "Nuz"Ngatai rose to fame on TV singing competition The Voice Australia. The first trio to perform on the show, they blew the judges away with their rendition of rock n roll classic Shh-Boom. They were knocked out of the competition before the finals but had already won a place in the hearts of music fans. Now the charismatic Kiwi trio, known as The Koi Boys, bring their blend of Motown, funk, R 'n' B and even cabaret home for an evening with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
Shh-Boom! APO and The Koi Boys, Auckland Town Hall, tonight

Shannen Doherty is a guest at Armageddon Pop Culture Expo this weekend

Armageddon Expo:

The geeks may not inherit the earth but they will be taking over Auckland's ASB Showgrounds this long weekend for Armageddon.

If you've never been before, the annual pop culture explosion will truly blow your mind. It's a giant three day celebration of the best parts of fandom that has time for everything from movies, TV, comics and gaming. The biggest event of its kind in New Zealand the vibe is welcoming and there's an almost overwhelming amount of stalls to browse, events to attend, games to play and things to see and do.

And, on top of all that, there's the star power of celebrity guests like Christina Ricci, Michael Shanks and 90s icon Shannen Doherty.

Resistance, as they say, is futile. See you there.

Armageddon Expo, ASB Showgrounds, Friday to Monday

The Merchants of Bollywood brings romance, dance and song to The Civic.

The Civic:

And let's stick with vibrancy for a moment because you can't get more vivid, energetic and dazzling than a Bollywood musical. This one's not at the movies or for streaming; instead it's a musical which pays tribute to the Bollywood greats of yesteryear who started an entire industry and genre. More than three million people have seen The Merchants of Bollywood which packs in all the glitz, glamour, song, dance and romance that Bollywood is renowned for.

The Merchants of Bollywood, The Civic, until Sunday

Q Theatre: Best known as a home for live performance — theatre, dance, comedy — Q is flexible enough to turn itself into a cinema and does so tonight for the premiere screening of the newest NZ feature film, Vermilion. Billed as a "stunningly beautiful meditation on life, death and the strength of family and friends", it stars Jennifer Ward-Lealand as a celebrity composer who sees colours when she plays musical notes. When she starts to see red — or vermilion, to be more precise — she knows all is not as it should be.
Vermilion, Rangatira at Q Theatre, tonight

Basement Theatre: The Watercooler, the Basement's monthly storytelling night, returns this week with a mental-health focused evening pivoting off the back of Mental Health Awareness Week. Named Brain Games, speakers Vanessa Crofskey, Logan Joblin and Keith Paterson will perform stories of the times their brains threw them off the deep end. The Watercooler is hosted by Donna Brookbanks, one of Snort's key members and a regular face on Funny Girls and Jono and Ben.
The Watercooler – Brain Games, Basement Theatre – Studio, tonight