Arts and culture in Ōtautahi Christchurch
Charlotte Thornton reviews Wilson Dixon & Paul Douglas - The Cabin Fever Comedy Tour, at Little Andromeda, Saturday 17 October 2026. I leapt at the opportunity to review Wilson Dixon & Paul Douglas The Cabin Fever Comedy Tour. I was introduced to Dixon when I was a kid through his YouTube clips – still worth… Continue reading Review: Wilson Dixon & Paul Douglas in The Cabin Fever Comedy Tour – this singer is an unsung comedy legend
Charlotte Thornton reviews Sweet William or Born to be Bard, presented by Enchanting Productions, written and composed by Neill Pickard, directed by Louise Glossop, at The Piano, Friday 16 October 2026. William Shakespeare is almost as popular a character as the characters he created. He’s beloved on screen: a romantic lead in the Best Picture-winning… Continue reading Review: Sweet William or Born to Be Bard – strong vocal performances elevate a long-lost local musical
Erin Harrington responds to three rehearsed play readings at the Festival of New Theatre: Ella West's Mrs Parker, Ana Mulipola's My Mum Stitches, and Andrew Todd and Cathasaigh Ó Fiannachta’s The Consummate Professional, presented in partnership with Rollicking Entertainment at the Isaac Theatre Royal, Sunday 11 October 2026.Making theatre is amazing, and it is hard.… Continue reading Rehearsed readings at the Festival of New Theatre: three very different plays, done three ways
Ruth Agnew reviews Heartbreak Hotel, created by EBKM, written by Karin McCracken, directed by Eleanor Bishop, at the Court Theatre, Wednesday 16 October, 2026. There are so many things to love about Heartbreak Hotel, the latest offering from Eleanor Bishop and Karin McCracken’s trailblazing creative partnership, EBKM. Love, loss and scientific factoids are explored in… Continue reading Review: Heartbreak Hotel – must-see, heart-stopping theatre that weaves extraordinary stories out of our ordinary experiences
Naomi van den Broek reviews The Pearl Fishers, presented by NZ Opera with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Bayl, directed by Stephen Barlow, at the Isaac Theatre Royal, Wednesday 14 October, 2026. Production photography below by Andi Crown. The drama wasn’t just on the stage for this production of Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers,… Continue reading Review: The Pearl Fishers – sumptuous and elegant, with drama onstage and off
Creon Upton reviews Da Da Honk Honk The The Dry Cleaning of Père Ubu, presented by Free Theatre, directed by Peter Falkenberg, at The Pump House, Thursday 8 October 2026. One of my most memorable gigs of the past decade was Delaney Davidson playing at St Stephen's Church in Onewhero in 2017. Tickets were available… Continue reading Review: Da Da Honk Honk The The Dry Cleaning of Père Ubu – a witty and wild cabaret that’s whatever you want to make of it (and that’s okay)
Ruth Agnew reviews Invisible to the Naked AI, a work in progress show performed by Nicola Brown, at Little Andromeda, Saturday 3 October 2026. Dunedin has lots of hidden, underrated treasures - The Museum of Natural Mystery, Lan Yuan Chinese Garden, the Dead Souls Bookshop, and my new favourite, comedian Nicola Brown. Luckily for those… Continue reading Review: Invisible to the Naked AI – an unapologetically funny show about not fading away
Breeze Robertson reviews Big Low Dream, presented by Footnote New Zealand Dance, at Papa Hou, Saturday 19 September. Nightmare or fantasy? Big Low Dream was both, or neither, or something in between. My notes from Footnote’s latest production read like a Surrealist’s dream diary; strong impressions, half-formed thoughts, vivid images, uncertain feelings and more questions… Continue reading Review: Big Low Dream – an ambitious dance work that’s nightmare, fantasy, and everything in between
Moata Tamaira reviews A Court of Horny Roses, presented by Rollicking Entertainment at the Lyttelton Arts Factory, Friday 18 September 2026. What do you get if you bring a theatre full of Romantasy fans (and the Romantasy-curious) together, act out a chaotic, abridged version of a wildly popular Sarah J. Maas novel, and give them… Continue reading Review: A Court of Horny Roses – My Comical Romantasy
Nick Harte reviews Rameau / Poulenc / Beethoven, presented by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Chad Kelly, at the Douglas Lilburn Auditorium, Christchurch Town Hall, Saturday 12 September 2026. I was elatedly taken aback when the concert opened (sans introduction) with "Entrée de Polymnie" from Jean-Philippe Rameau’s final opera Les Boréades, as it’s one… Continue reading Review: Rameau / Poulenc / Beethoven – wild displays of anguish and ecstacy, with a dollop of theatricality
