Latest from Performing Arts

Is it good? Yes Prime Minister

Sir Humphrey Appleby, the consummate civil servant with a patrician disdain for the delusions of democratic government, is an almost perfect comic creation.

Las Vegas: The one and only... Jackson

Cirque du Soleil is bringing a version of its Michael Jackson show to NZ; at another there's a Kiwi at the helm, finds Leena Tailor.

Theatre review: Intriguing show pulled anew from actors' hats

Oliver Driver, Rima Te Wiata and a dozen other actors aren't allowed to read this review.

Theatre review: The Odyssey, Tapac

What an inspired idea, devising a staging of <i>The Odyssey</i> with teenagers and children.

Theatre review: Short+Sweet Festival Week 2

Everything from slice-of-life realism through to surrealistic flights of fancy are on display in the second week of the Short+Sweet Festival.

Actors stepping out of the comfort zone

Battling quiz night boors

A hotbed of cold feet

Our turn to enjoy the last farewell

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.

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, <i>Viva Forever!</i> 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.

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: 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.

A visual and musical joy

The promise of New Zealand Opera's <i>Madame Butterfly</i> has been with us for weeks, with striking images of the heroine on posters around town.

Theatre review: Midnight in Moscow

In the hands of playwright Dean Parker the intrigues swirling around New Zealand's Moscow Embassy in 1947 provide the raw material for a sophisticated, entertaining and intelligent piece of theatre.