Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki | Auckland Arts Festival 2023 programme has been gleefully announced, featuring a collection of internationally acclaimed showstoppers and hotly anticipated homegrown premieres. Here are express’ recommendations for unmissable experiences.
The world premiere of the stage adaptation of Tusiata Avia’s blistering poetry collection, The Savage Coloniser Show, for which she became the first female Pasifika poet to take out the Ockham Award for poetry.
Under the artful direction of Anapela Polata’ivao, Avia’s unapologetic examination of race and racism is full of humour, courage and truth. Theatre at it’s most provocative and necessary, produced by Victor Roger.
9 – 12 March, Q Theatre.
Building on a career-long fascination with spectacular, innovative reimaginings of classic stories for the stage, Sydney Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Kip Williams has adapted Wilde’s century-old fable of beauty – and a deal with the devil – to create a magnificent mirror of our times.
A scintillating mix of cutting-edge design, lush period drama and astonishing live video. The cine-theatre event sees Eryn Jean Norvill play all 26 characters in an audacious cascade of theatrical transformations that has been met with widespread critical acclaim.
18 – 25 March, Aotea Centre.
SANDSONG: STORIES FROM THE GREAT SANDY DESERT
An Australian national treasure, Bangarra Dance Theatre is one of the most respected First Nations companies on the planet. SandSong draws on stories, knowledge and memories of the past to create a new narrative for Indigenous futures.
Between the 1920s and 1960s, many Aboriginal people were removed from their land onto pastoral stations where they were forced into hard labour, usually for no wages and minimal rations. This work honours the legacy of Ningali Josie Lawford-Wolf (1967–2019) and her family, tells their stories of resilience and connection.
15 – 18 March, ASB Waterfront Theatre.
Satirising greed and corruption through the twin geniuses of playwright Jonathon Young’s crackling text and Crystal Pite’s stunning choreography, Revisor is a dance-theatre phenomenon.
Sold out in Canada and London before its world tour was postponed in 2020, Revisor is a startling mix of action, comedy, pantomime and pre-recorded dialogue – full-body lip synched by eight incredible dancers in high theatrical mode – this is one of (superstar choreographer) Pite’s most electric and in-demand works.
9 – 11 March, Aotea Centre.
What will queer Kiwi comedy duo Fan Brigade do next? Write a genredefying opera about the British family that came to New Zealand, leaving a trail of carnage behind them, ending up in court and being barred from the country for theft and vandalism. Being performed in Takapuna, the suburb where the family first made their mark, The Unruly Tourists, presented by Auckland Arts Festival and NZ Opera and composed by Luke Di Somma, will smash up everything you thought you knew about opera.
23 – 26 March, Bruce Mason Centre.
Performed on a custom-built stage with its own satellite in the centre, Blanc de Blanc’s all-star acrobats, singers, dancers, and comedians weave in and out of the audience and across the entire venue, ensuring you’ll be caught up in the action from start to grand finale. From cabaret maestros Strut & Fret, creators behind past Festival favourites LIMBO and Limbo Unhinged, this must-see spectacular is cheekily recommended for ages 18 and up.
9 – 26 March, Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Aotea Square.
For one night only, be charmed, understood and inspired by the best-selling author and spoken word sensation. Rupi Kaur, performing new unpublished pieces, poems from ‘Home Body’ and greatest hits from her iconic books ‘Milk and Honey’ and ‘The Sun and Her Flowers’.
Audiences are taken on a journey of personal loss and love, growth, mental health, community, friendship, and strength. These universal themes take centre stage as original music scores the show and immerses the audience.
24 March, Auckland Town Hall.
For more information and to book tickets, visit aaf.co.nz
