They still made it down under despite suffering a pyro accident just days ago. But could 5 Seconds of Summer still bring the heat? Rachel Bache was there.

The dancing ‘soldier boys’ perfectly translate human strength and fragility in the war, writes Bernadette Rae.

There was a palpable sense of celebration as the eleven musicians of the Turnovsky Jubilee Ensemble took the town hall stage on Friday evening.

The biennial Michael Hill International Violin Competition is a much-appreciated cultural buffer as winter envelops the city.

As the cast go about their work it is clear that Hamlet is in the hands of seasoned professionals deeply committed to their craft and passionate in their engagement with Shakespeare’s language.

Death and the Maiden steers away from specific political considerations and takes on the more difficult issue of how to respond to the dehumanising effects of sanctioned cruelty.

There are many different forms of Enlightenment and in the hands of award-winning British playwright Shelagh Stephenson it becomes a cool, sophisticated piece of theatre.

William dart writes: Director Lindy Hume described Rossini as a genius who didn't muck around. Nor has she with her vivid take on his 1817 fairytale La Cenerentola.

In 37 years of Karlheinz Company concerts, none has managed the chutzpah and zesty provocation of Sunday's From Dylan to Xenakis.

With 104 Haydn symphonies to choose from, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra picked one of the lesser-known specimens to launch its Town Hall concert on Wednesday.

A Bunch of Fives, Helen Medlyn and Rosemary Barnes' Opera Factory recital, came with the byline "a fabulous fistful of twenty-five songs" and it sure was, writes William Dart.

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's Aotearoa Plus concert welcomed us with a spellbinder, writes William Dart.

Emily Perkins' A Doll's House is to Henrik Ibsen's original what Clueless is to Jane Austen's Emma: it's a wonderfully assured adaptation, writes Janet McAllister.

I have never been a big fan of comedians who resort to crude, shock humour, riddled with curse words that would make a sailor proud. So it was refreshing to get along to Wash Your Mouth Out, at Vault at the Q Theatre, in Auckland.

One of New Zealand's most talented clowns makes magic out of nothing, alone in his spotlight, tights and singlet, Janet McAllister writes.

Thursday's concert came with transtasman connections, being played by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra a day before the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra delivered it to us.

Blackbird Ensemble's latest sortie into chamber music cabaret involves a wide-ranging playlist, from Nick Cave to The Smiths, Gillian Welch to Nina Simone.

Screams erupted from the crowd as singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran stepped into the spotlight and plugged in his guitar.

This simple, measured, gentle charmer can be found inside a soft white cube inside the black box studio of Q Loft.

This simply staged one-man show makes for an easy, funny and extraordinarily entertaining night out.

Te Uru is an attractive venue for music, especially in the more informal space of the gallery's workshop, with the ambience of Titirangi greenery outside the windows.

Two cooks, high drama and hypnotic rhythms - yet this illustrated drumming show from South India is emphatically not some relaxed mix of My Kitchen Rules and Stomp!.

Silo Theatre brings flair to the stage adaptation of a delightful modern fable by Dutch writer Guus Kuijer.

Chicago-based hip-hop crew the Q Brothers bring plenty of verve to their remix of Shakespeare's cross-cultural tragedy Othello.

Auckland Zoo a crowded house for family's set of shining songs, writes Lydia Jenkin.

Early on in Eddie Izzard's performance, one of two in Auckland before his 26-country Force Majeur tour returns him to the UK, there was the matter of the pesky fly.

The Foos have given a lot of love to New Zealand over the past 20 years. Chris Schulz examines the proof.

A day after seeing Thriller Live at Auckland's Civic Theatre, I'm still trying to work out what exactly it is.