Latest fromPerforming Arts

History lessons
Michal Dworzynski will launch the Auckland Philharmonia's Splendour Series.

Auckland through the eyes of artists
Cars slowed and heads turned as almost 200 brightly coloured mood sticks were carried through central Auckland by people with white gloves.

Sparkling on ice
Break open the dress-up box and polish the tiaras because the Disney princesses and heroes are poised to glide back into the country in a new show. Dionne Christian previews the ice spectacular in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Going on a crash course
If there's one thing George Henare can't do to prepare for his latest role - as chauffeur Hoke Colburn in the play Driving Miss Daisy - it is draw upon his own driving experiences.

Review: A feast of fiddling
Julia Fischer's new CD with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich under David Zinman is a clever concerto combo that will hopefully bring the lesser-known Dvorak to listeners initially drawn to the more popular Bruch.

Spice Girls musical not forever
It was called, optimistically, Viva Forever! But six months of scathing reviews and audience indifference has forced the producers to call time on the Spice Girls musical which is to close.

Review: The Boy With Tape On His Face
You can just imagine how many hours Sam Wills (The Boy With Tape On His Face) must spend in variety or emporium stores, looking at everyday objects and imagining a whole new life for them.

Hey kids, the fun is all for you
Over the next few months children, from tots to teens, can immerse themselves in music, comedy and drama as they like it: loud and boisterous, writes Dionne Christian.

Review: APO's full house well-deserved
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra can be justly proud of being just two seats short of a full house on Thursday for the first concert in its Bayleys Great Classics Series.

Fire leaves show in limbo
The Auckland Theatre Company is scrambling to find a venue for its new show starring Robyn Malcolm after a fire at the Maidment Theatre, rendering it out of action.

A Who's Who of doctors to land in NZ
Former Time Lords Peter Davison (1981-84), Colin Baker (1984-86), Sylvester McCoy (1987-89) and Paul McGann (1996) will entertain up to 500 fans in Auckland next month to celebrate 50 years of the legendary TV show.

A comic trip down memory lane
Janet McAllister reviews Coronation Street On Stage and finds it a thin and airy skit show with the production values of a smash hit musical.

Headliner mixes wit with superb comedy
The Auckland Arts Festival's centrepiece demonstrates what happens when the sophisticated elegance of commedia dell'arte collides with the eccentric weirdness of classic British comedy.

Janet McAllister: Immersion proves moreish
So far, as an audience member during this Auckland Arts Festival and Fringe feast, I have enthusiastically eaten cake, sprinted down a city road, predicted the future with flashcards, sat cross-legged on a school mat, and jumped into a bouncy castle.

The battle of Britten
Auckland Arts Festival celebrates Benjamin Britten's centenary not once, but twice next week.

It's all white on the night
Dozens of events all over Auckland will be shining brightly and busily tonight for Auckland Arts Festival's White Night, which stretches from the CBD to all corners of the city.

Theatre comes to Dominion Rd
One of Auckland's best-known streets, Dominion Rd, will be sharing some of its history in a unique way this weekend.

Songs from the source of Scots' theatre
The Scottish National Theatre makes an exuberant return to ale-house culture with a riotously funny and at times tenderly lyrical tribute to Scottish narrative ballads.

Circus meets hip-hop in dazzling display
Screens filled with red clouds at dawn start this contemporary circus with hip-hop styling, but instead of a shepherd's warning, they herald a city delight.