It is one of a swathe of shows that should draw big crowds to the gardens and some associated venues on Wednesday night. Another is
Dakota of the White Flats, a work of theatre for young people and adults that begins a three-night, three-matinee run at the Meteor Theatre. Adapted from the novel by Philip Ridley, it tells the story of a fearless 14-year-old who lives in a bleak housing complex on the edge of a polluted canal that is filled with monstrous mutated eels. Lovers of dance have a potentially thrilling experience in store for them in the form of Hurihuri, a work that has been constructed around the movement of the wheel, and fuses hip-hop and contemporary movement with traditional kapa haka.
As director Gaye Poole notes, not much “happens” in the short play that runs for about an hour. But the movement is all in the dialogue as the women discuss tv soaps, supermarkets, travel, desired superpowers, their past careers, and the secret tragedies of their lives. That’s interspersed with Mrs Jarrett s unsettling apocalyptic visions of the 21st century, played here by Mandy Faulkner. By turns, Mrs J stands at the front of the stage envisioning a time of floods, starvation and environmental catastrophe. “Swimming pools engulfed the leisure centres and coffee ran down the table legs.” Eighty per cent of food is diverted to TV studios, cars are traded for used meat, the wind “soon turned heads inside out”, she says.
SUPPLIED
Escaped Alone is a surreal drama from Hamilton s Carving in Ice Theatre company. Pictured from left are Sarah Young (Sally), Mandy Faulkner (Mrs J), Fiona Sneyd (Vi) and Julianne Boyle (Lena).
A myriad of multicultural music performances, raunchy cabaret, classical jazz, suburban drama and even exotic nude dancing are all on offer for arts lovers in the Hamilton Gardens this weekend. The schedule first few days of the long-awaited Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival is so jam-packed with events, many punters may be faced with making some very difficult choices about what shows to see. This year’s headline show, Tami Neilson and Friends, will get under way at 6pm on Saturday night on the Rhododendron Lawn with what promises to be a memorable show of rockabilly country music with a few guest appearances.
Brook Sabin
The summer holidays are upon us, but that doesn t mean our end of year breaks need to be expensive.
The summer holidays are upon us, but that doesn t mean our end of year breaks need to be expensive. We happen to have the most beautiful country on Earth as our playground, meaning some of the best things to do don t cost a cent. Here are 10 of the best free things to do this summer.
New Zealand s most beautiful seat: Glenorchy
Brook Sabin/Stuff
The Glenorchy Walkway feels like it’s out of a fairytale. A trip to Glenorchy is a feast for the eyes. First, you get to enjoy the road that weaves along the shores of Lake Wakatipu, with mountains either side.
Brook Sabin
Tucked away in Hamilton is a fantasyland that attracts more than one million people a year. And it s completely free (video published December 2020).
New places to eat and drink, a heritage hotel makeover and interesting ways to discover the city s sports history, arts, culture and natural surroundings all feature as reasons to rediscover Kirikiriroa/Hamilton.
Eat
The Bearded Weasel Joining the menu of great eateries in Riverbank Lane – also see Mr Pickles, Duck Island Ice Cream and Banh Mi Caphe – is this compact space serving up “fricken good chicken”. Partner fried chicken with a range of sauces – the chilli garlic caramel one is a definite winner – and choose from a concise menu of beers, wine and sodas. Cauliflower with a tamarind, sesame and coriander salsa is a tasty side dish and daily specials could include lamb burgers, or the fusion mash-up of cheeseburger spring rolls.