Arts and culture in Ōtautahi Christchurch
Charlotte Thornton reviews Stars Lyttelton, presented by Shay Horay and friends as part of the Lyttelton Arts Festival, at The Loons, Saturday 11 July 2026. TV used to be awesome. On ITV’s Stars in Their Eyes, a regular person would get awkwardly interviewed before disappearing into a cloud of smoke and re-emerging dressed as a… Continue reading Review: Stars Lyttelton – the best talent quest in town
Erin Harrington reviews the Feminist Clown Posse Annual Gala, at Lyttelton Arts Factory as part of the Lyttelton Arts Festival, Tuesday 7 July, 2026. The joyful takeaway message from the third annual Feminist Clown Posse gala is hooray for the idiots, and hooray for idiocy - idiocy for freedom, idiocy sprung of anger, idiocy in… Continue reading Review: Feminist Clown Posse Annual Gala – changing the world one fail at a time
Jordon Jones reviews Shakespeare's Greatest Comedy, by Joe Bennett, presented at Lyttelton Arts Factory as part of the Lyttelton Arts Festival, Sunday 5 July 2026. Thanks to the Lyttelton Arts Festival, which kicked off last week, I had the pleasure of going along to see local legend Joe Bennett discuss the Bard in Shakespeare's Greatest… Continue reading Review: Shakespeare’s Greatest Comedy – wit, energy, and infectious enthusiasm
Karen Healey reviews Hooves & Chooks, a double bill at the Lyttelton Arts Factory, presented as part of the Lyttelton Arts Festival, Friday 3 July 2026. This joyous double-bill night of comedy dance and cabaret, opens the 2026 Lyttelton Arts Festival on a cold Canterbury night. Hooves, from Rebound Dance, led by Fleur de Thier,… Continue reading Review: Hooves & Chooks – smart comedy by clever people
Charlotte Thornton reviews Paul Ego: Stick, at Little Andromeda, Thursday 11 June 2026. You’ve been hearing Paul Ego’s voice for 17 years. Since 2009 he’s been a regular team captain on 7 Days and the voice of Stickman for PAK’nSAVE, bridging a gap between the underfunded arts field and the lucrative advertising industry that most… Continue reading Review: Paul Ego: Stick – appealing, breezy comedy from the dad behind the stick
Jordon Jones reviews Face/Off: Comedy vs. Poetry presented by Dave Adams and Jor Dansaren, at Little Andromeda, Saturday 6 June 2026. You might think that the question "who is funnier: comedians or poets?" would be fairly self-explanatory. But, then, you probably don't know enough poets. It's certainly a question that has inspired comedian Dave Adams… Continue reading Review: Face/Off: Comedy vs Poetry – quick wit and wordplay make for a quality grudge match
Erin Harrington reviews Nosferatu Looking for Love, created and performed by Rhiannon McCall, directed by Abby Howells, at Little Andromeda, Thursday 14 May 2026. Nosferatu is back from the dead (again). Count Orlok, better known colloquially as Nosferatu, is the vampiric star of the 1922 German expressionist film of the same name, and more besides.… Continue reading Review: Nosferatu Looking for Love – a chaotic and heartfelt hour of comic-gothic comedy
Charlotte Thornton reviews the 2026 Best Foods Comedy Gala, presented by the NZ International Comedy Festival, at the Christchurch Town Hall, Sunday 3 May 2026. North Island envy is real. The New Zealand International Comedy Festival, sponsored by mayonnaise giant Best Foods, takes place in Pōneke Wellington and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland every autumn. Down in… Continue reading Review: The 2026 Best Foods Comedy Gala – Christchurch finally gets a terrific spread (and some comedians)
Charlotte Thornton reviews Volcano: A Science Comedy Show, performed by Ben Miller, at Little Andromeda, Friday 27 March 2026. For most of us, science lessons end in adolescence. We get through the rest of our years with a few periodic table elements memorised, a bit of practical knowledge about the weather, and a firm opinion… Continue reading Review: Volcano: A Science Comedy Show – eruptions of laughter (and other such jokes)
Karen Healey reviews Someone In This Crowd Will Betray Me: A Reuben Solo Mystery, at Little Andromeda, Thursday 12 March 2026. Australian comedian Reuben Solo’s kinetic, surrealistic stand-up show is a truth within a lie within an existential crisis that’s no less affecting for also being (maybe?) entirely performative. It starts with the setting. We… Continue reading Review: Someone In This Crowd Will Betray Me – A Reuben Solo Mystery – a kinetic and surreal search for the truth (but what is truth actually?)
Flat City Field Notes 