Cultural calendar for the Wellington region: March 31 to April 6

Esther

Meow, April 1, 8 p.m., for $34.90

Estère brings her beat-laden Mākara Peak EP to life on her release tour, featuring a choreographed show of incredible dancers, stunning outfits, saturated lights and a multitude of beats. Tickets: a joke

Cringeworthy – Swingin’ in the 60’s!

Circa Theater, April 1-29, Tues-Thurs 6:30 PM, Fri & Sat 8 PM, Sun 4 PM, tickets $30-$55

Cringeworthy is back and takes you to the swinging ’60s with this tribute to Kiwiana music and culture in the ’60s. Four talented performers will perform chart-topping songs from every year of the 1960s and dazzle you with four-part harmonies, righteous dance moves and hilarious commentary. Tickets: circa.co.nz

The Barden Party: much ado about nothing

Old St Pauls, 34 Mulgrave St, April 2. 1:30 p.m., $25

The Barden Party brings its hilarious musical Shakespeare to the front lawn of Old St Paul. Brace yourself for family-friendly magic with a ‘rockabilly retelling’ of Much Ado About Nothing. Tickets: eventbrite.co.nz

Michael Endres – Piano Recital

Anzac Hall, Featherston, March 31, 7:30 p.m., $15-$35

Memorial Hall, Green, April 2, 2 p.m., $15-$35

German pianist Michael Endres will perform Schubert Impromptus Op 142, Beethoven Moonlight Sonata, Chopin Barcarolle and Gershwin Songs. Tickets: [email protected]

Retrospective of Crow’s Feet Dance Collective

Little Theatre, Lower Hutt, April 1, 3 and 6 p.m., $20-$25

Crows Feet Dance Collective revisits favorite works from the past 23 years, including ‘Woman’s Work’‘ on Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ and ‘Requiem’ by the Welsh composer Karl Jenkins. Join them for an afternoon of joyful and uplifting dance. Tickets: eventfinda.co.nz

Music with the Begonia: Capital Harmony Chorus

Begonia House, April 2, 11 a.m., koha

Capital Harmony Chorus mainly sings 4-part barbershop-style acappella with an extra portion of free harmony with an emphasis on creating harmonies and sharing stories.

Wellington city orchestra

St Andrew’s on the Terrace, April 2, 3pm

Fall Concert: MacCunn – Land of the Mountains and the Flood. Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 23, with Otis Prescott-Mason. Hanson – Symphony No. 2, ‘The Romantic’. Conductor Ian Ridgewell. Tickets: humanitix. com or at the door.

East coast relief show

San Fran, April 2, 4-10:30 p.m., $30+

Kita, mara TK, Wallace, Arahi, Casual Healing and special guests gave a benefit show to help the East Coast after Cyclone Gabrielle. Tickets: moshtix

Colors of Futuna concert series

Chapel of Futuna, April 2, 2 p.m., $10

As part of the Colors of Futuna Concert Series, a series of concerts by exceptional musicians will be performed every Sunday. The series opens with a retrospective concert for composers associated with the Lilburn Residence Trust. Tickets: eventbrite.co.nz

Showcase of songwriters #64

MoonNewtown, April 2, 6 p.m., $15

Our first show for 2023 on April 2 is with Bill Lake, The Godwits and Grace Duncan. Tickets: eventfinda or at the door.

Dope as a Sunday comedy

Edge bar, April 2, 7 p.m., $10-$20

Regular hosts Anya Rzhevitskaya and Daniel John Smith host the most dope monthly Sunday comedy show. Starring: Lucy Roche, Jules Daniel, Sri Nair, Laura Bruce and Advait Kirtikar. Tickets: kiwiticket.co.nz

Queen Margaret College presents Mamma Mia! The musical

Queen Margaret College Hall, March 30-April 1, 7 p.m., Sunday matinee 2 p.m., $20-$45

QMC goes to the island of sun, sand and sea for the 2023 school production – Mamma Mia! The production is described as a jukebox musical, featuring ABBA’s hit songs and performed by a cast of exceptional student performers from across the region. Tickets: trybooking.co.nz/MVJ

Shortly

SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival

Wellington East Girls’ College Hall, April 3, 4, 17, 7 p.m., $6-$14

In 5 and 15 minute bites, innovative approaches to scenes from Shakespeare are presented through the eyes and minds of young people. Come and see the currency and connectivity between the involved cultures and communities of schools, homeschool clusters and community drama groups in the Wellington region. Tickets: iticket.co.nz

Interrupting cow

Bats Theatre, April 4-6, 11-12, 7:30 p.m., $20-$25

Two women plagued by annoyance. Shoelaces and global famine will push them over the edge. Cake and music are kept behind the bureaucratic red tape. We wait for God knows what; lost in a puzzle of 395 million 729 thousand 346 pieces the size of a mini KitKat. A new surreal comedy about the existence of award-winning playwright Sarah Delahunty. Tickets: bats.co.nz

Consultation with the author: Bee Dawson on Ōtari

Unity Books, April 4, 12:30-1:15 p.m., free

In Ōtari, Bee Dawson has delved into the history of a place special to Wellingtonians, who have picnicked there and visited the unparalleled collection of native plants since the town’s inception. She will talk to Ōtari administrator Jane Humble about the place and the people who created it and continue to cherish it.

Expressions Live series

Museum Trust, Upper Hutt, April 4, 1-2pm, donation

A series of lunchtime concerts given by performance students from Victoria University’s Te Koki New Zealand School of Music. During this concert, a program will be presented by students who focus on violin and cello in their current studies.

Highlight Carnival of Lights

Brewtown, April 6-9, $10

This large event is known for delivering immersive experiences, including performers, performers, and light installations that collide to create a fun carnival atmosphere. Tickets: highlight.org.nz

Tuatara open late

City Gallery, April 6, 5-10 p.m.,

Start your long weekend with Open Late. Hear Sour Grapes artist Martin Basher’s reflections on painting, discover insights with a tour of Reuben Paterson: The Only Dream Left, and get hands-on with still life drawing before dancing the night away with a silent disco. All this together with Tuatara beers, delicious wine, food truck and sounds from RadioActive DJ.

Exhibitions

Friends of the Botanic Garden

Tree House, Botanical Garden, until March 31

Meet artist in residence Hannah Schickedanz and talk about her art and the influence of nature.

O&P works present ‘Call/Waiting’

106 Courtney Place, March 31 & April 1 and beyond, daily at 8-10am, 12-2pm and 4-6pm, with a different 30-minute experience in each time slot.

O + P works is an award-winning collaboration between Olivia Mahood and Poppy Serano, who create live performance and installation work with a focus on interaction, accessibility and public spaces, Olivia & Poppy present the public experience that is ‘Call/Waiting’ for the people of Pōneke.

Alice Vallance Hosking and Kirsty Gardiner: Conversations Through Time

Aratoi, Masterton, on April 2

There are a few threads that wind their way through this exhibit. The first is the work of Hosking (1860 – 1920) in the Aratoi Collection, and the second is the work of Gardiner, contemporary ceramics and textile artist, who was inspired by seeing Hosking’s sketchbooks on their return from the Turnbull Library.

Fun and happiness

The Kiwi Art House Gallery, until April 5

An exhibition of small 300mm x 300mm Wellington themed textured oil paintings by Vincent Duncan.

Context – Photography by Liam Farrell

Academy Galleries, open daily through April 10, free

A photo exhibition – a collection of photos from 15 years of living and traveling through the Middle East.

Elected Artist Showcase

Academy Galleries, open daily through April 16, free

An exhibition featuring the works of our Elected Artists, Life Members and Fellows of The Academy

Under the heel of heaven

Toi Poneke, until April 21, weekdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free

Under Heaven’s Heel is an eclectic survey of capitalism’s oppressive economic and social practices. Paintings and sculptures by Sam Clague muse about the origins of our political landscape.

Burn it all down

Aratoi, Masterton, until May 14

Burn it all down brings together the work of six artists who use fire, destruction and aging in their work to emphasize the fragility of our world, ourselves and our memories. From household objects to black holes, the final artworks show that it is precisely the fragility of these things that makes them precious.

School of the bottle: our precious stone

Pātaka, Porilua, until June 11, open daily

‘Kura Pounamu’ tells the story of hundreds of years of Māori invention, innovation, imagination and spirituality with pounamu – New Zealand greenstone.

Vicki Fanning – Passenger

Pātaka, Porilua, until June 11, open daily

Sending technology, history and abstraction into ethereal bodies of glass, ‘Passenger’ features two recent sculptural works by Vicki Fanning.

Print Council of New Zealand: celebration

Aratoi, Masterton, until June 4

The exhibition brings together the work of printmakers from across the country in honor of 20 years of Print Council of Aotearoa NZ and to celebrate the bright future of printmaking in this country.

Ans Westra: 1936-2023

Te Papa, level 5 landing, until September 17, free

Featuring 10 iconic Ans Westra prints and her old Rolleiflex 2.8F camera – from the 10,000 Westra items in Te Papa’s collection – this small exhibition celebrates the life and work of the late Dutch-born New Zealand photographer.