THE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT with Shane Cortese

Havoc In The Garden at The PumpHouse

Have you ever told a lie about your family? Are some truths better left unspoken?
A single act of violence is about to shatter an Auckland neighbourhood. Five families are forced to confront secrets they have kept buried.
In March Massive Company presents Havoc in the Garden, the world premiere of an explosive new play. In Havoc in the Garden, acclaimed writer Lennie James unearths the fault lines hidden just beneath the surface of family life. In this production James continues a hugely successful collaboration with Massive Company, whose previous work together, ‘The Sons of Charlie Paora’, toured nationally and internationally.
Havoc in the Garden brings together the diverse range of talented individuals who make up Massive Company. Says General Manager James Wilson, “We’re thrilled to be bringing Havoc in the Garden to The PumpHouse as part of the Auckland Arts Festival. The response to our last PumpHouse production, Whero’s New Net in 2009, was fantastic. It was great to see audiences at the show from the Shore who were new to our work. As part of The PumpHouse season, we’ll also be performing two school matinees, giving local schools a fantastic opportunity to see a new New Zealand work.”
The PumpHouse is fast becoming the venue of choice for debut presentations of new New Zealand theatre. Something the management is keen to encourage and develop. Says Manager David Martin “The size and uniqueness of The PumpHouse is ideal for independent theatre companies wanting to test audiences with fresh new dramatic works. We plan to have greater involvement in this process when we launch ‘Dark Mondays’ in collaboration with Playmarket. Dark Mondays is a project that shines a light on new writers and scripts by way of rehearsed readings and followed by public forum, including via social networks enabling participating audiences to contribute to the creative process of developing a new script. The PumpHouse aims to launch Dark Mondays fortnightly on Mondays from April. So keep popping onto the PumpHouse website for more information and dates.

Sue Nicholson,
Psychic Medium
By popular demand Sue Nicolson returns to The PumpHouse for one night on March 11. Many fans were disappointed to miss out on tickets to her sell-out Energy of Spirit evening last September. Don’t miss out this time – book now.

Friday March 11 at 7.00pm - All tickets $55
Energy of Spirit, an Evening with Pyschic Medium Sue Nicholson

March 16-26
Massive Company presents Havoc in the Garden
A Reserve Seats - $35 - $39.50. B Reserve Seats - $25 – $29.50

Tutu’s on tour a must

Many many years ago, whilst dabbling with acting in Palmerston North, my best mate Pete and I were asked if we would be pages at Cinderella’s Ball for a production by the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
It was great fun, and a fantastic experience to be on stage with the crème de la crème of our classical dance world.
I will never forget them whispering to each other on stage and joking. All the while putting on virtuoso displays of dance.
Many years have passed since I slipped in and very quickly out of ballet pumps. But the Royal New Zealand Ballet still continues to thrive and tour its shows through the theatres and provinces of New Zealand.
This time is no exception as ‘Tutu’s On Tour” hits the road again. This Bi-annual tour has quickly gained legendary status and this year they have revamped the format to make it an unmissable event for all the family. For the first time they will tour a children’s ballet as part of Tutu’s on Tour.
That ballet is the much loved classic children’s fairy story Pinocchio. This whimisical ballet version will delight young and old. Usually when ‘Tutu’s Tour’ it’s a very scaled back version of the big ballets. Gone are the elaborate costumes and large sets. Not this time! It’s the full show with sets, costumes and props.
This version of Pinocchio will be a real crowd pleaser. It’s a story we all know and the antics of Pinocchio and Geppetto have translated into a wonderful, fun ballet featuring an array of colourful characters.
However, classical ballet lovers are not forgotten. The tour will also see the premiere of ballet master Greg Horsman’s Verdi Variations – a stunning classical showpiece featuring sparkling tutus hand-made by the legendary Royal New Zealand Ballet wardrobe department.
Set to music by Verdi, it pays homage to Russian ballet and will feature breathtaking solos and stunning duets. It’s a ballet showpiece of pure dance.
The ballet is here March 10th-12th at our very own Bruce Mason Centre. Tickets are available through the Bruce Mason box office. Don’t miss it.

See you at the show!

Shane Cortese – shane@channelmag.co.nz