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
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
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
Hannah Kagawa reflects on the experience of performing in the New Zealand premiere of Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians, at The Piano | Pīpīwharauroa Kui-kui whitiwhiti ora, Saturday 15 August 2026. Fourteen seconds of absolute silence, followed by an instant standing ovation from a sold out crowd at The Piano. Words cannot describe how… Continue reading “You get into a trance-like state”: on performing in Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians
Erin Harrington reviews CSO & Rova Present: The Music of Hans Zimmer, conducted by Benjamin Northey, at the Douglas Lilburn Auditorium, the Christchurch Town Hall, Friday 14 August 2026. Hans Zimmer is perhaps the most distinctive, inventive and celebrated film composer of the last few decades. His work combines intellectual rigour, emotional depth and creative… Continue reading Review: The Music of Hans Zimmer – orchestral power meets cinematic immediacy (with dad jokes thrown in for free)
Pieta Hextall reviews Lawrence Arabia and CSO, conducted by Sarah-Grace Williams, orchestrated by Alex van den Broek, at the Douglas Lilburn Auditorium, Christchurch Town Hall, Saturday 8 August 2026. As a devotee of both classical orchestras and indie music, Saturday’s performance by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO) alongside Lawrence Arabia offered a perfect fusion of… Continue reading Review: Lawrence Arabia and CSO – a perfect fusion of indie and orchestral worlds
Charlotte Thornton reviews Judy's Encore - The Return of a Star, performed by Ali Harper, produced by Ben McDonald, at the Court Theatre, Tuesday 11 August 2026. Let’s follow the lead of Judy’s Encore and begin at the end. The show concludes with a voiceover calling Judy Garland “the eternal star” – this is actually… Continue reading Review: Judy’s Encore – The Return of a Star – a star is reborn in this well-made tribute
Nick Harte reviews de Castro-Robinson, Mahler, Berlioz, presented by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Northey, at the Douglas Lilburn Auditorium in the Christchurch Town Hall, Saturday 1 August 2026. Eve de Castro-Robinson’s Hour of Lead (2024) takes its namesake from the Emily Dickinson poem which reads: After great pain, a formal feeling comes… Continue reading Review: de Castro-Robinson, Mahler, Berlioz – a triptych of works circling heartbreak, grief and the macabre
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 Kiri and Lou in Concert, presented by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vincent Hardaker, at the James Hay Theatre at the Christchurch Town Hall, Thursday 9 July, 2026. If you spend time around young children, chances are you already have stopmotion animated children’s show Kiri and Lou in your life. If… Continue reading Review: Kiri and Lou in Concert – It’s cool to be kind
