This weekend we want to go to . . .
Dancers from Cuba’s Ballet Revolucion are in town to entertain us with ‘breath-taking’ contemporary moves, salsa and Cuban dance.
The Civic
Get your pulse pounding and your heart racing — or at least watch others do so. Dancers from Cuba’s Ballet Revolucion are in town to entertain us with “breath-taking” contemporary moves, salsa and Cuban dance leading to what’s described as an explosive and intense performance with unbridled passion and raw energy, plus there’s music by the likes of Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug, Adele, Prince, Justin Bieber, Enrique Iglesias, Justin Timberlake and Coldplay. Sounds like just what we need to warm us all up and launch into a long weekend.
Cuban Ballet Revolucion, The Civic, Friday and Saturday.
Logan Campbell Centre.
When your dad is legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John “Bonzo” Bonham, chances are you’re going to grow up with an ear for a tune and penchant for pounding percussion. So it is with Jason Bonham who brings to Auckland this weekend a “unique story-telling adventure”. As he and his band recreate the Led Zep sound, complete with legendary drum solos, Bonham shares home video footage and stories about what the band and its music meant to him. Described by critics as a “near perfect” recreation of Led Zeppelin’s sound, it’s one rock fans can’t miss.
The Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Evening, Logan Campbell Centre, Saturday
Whammy Bar and Wine Cellar.
Like Christchurch, Dunedin and Wellington, Auckland has felt the sting of losing some of its most iconic live music venues in the Kings Arms and Golden Dawn. It’s more important than ever that we celebrate the ones we have, which is why Borderline Music Festival is the perfect mid-winter celebration. The festival takes place over two nights at Whammy Bar and Wine Cellar, and features a stacked who’s who of local indie artists. Tickets are only $25 for both nights.
Borderline Music Festival, Whammy Bar and Wine Cellar, Friday and Saturday. ASB Waterfront Theatre
This weekend marks important birthday celebrations. No, not Queen Elizabeth II — in whose honour we get Monday off — but New Zealand entertainment royalty. It’s the 60th birthday celebrations of some of our most beloved cultural figures: The Topp Twins. Also celebrating 40 years performing, Jools and Lynda Topp mark the occasion with a special birthday concert. It’s a rare Auckland gig following their Heading for the Hills tour of New Zealand community theatres last year and a recent national exhibition honouring their life and work. Lynda says they’ll be “performing some of our old songs with new surprises to keep you all on your toes”.
The Topp Twins, ASB Waterfront Theatre, Saturday.
Aotea Centre
Sol3 Mio’s Pene Pati joins forces with his wife, fellow opera luminary Amina Edris, in one of the world’s most loved and performed comic operas, The Elixir of Love. He plays Nemorino, a likeable but hopeless romantic in love with the bold and quick-witted Adina (Edris) who gets engaged to another. All looks lost until a dubious salesman rolls into town. Set in an Antipodean country town at the turn of the 20th century, it beautifully captures this opera’s light-hearted humour.
The Elixir of Love, ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Saturday and Thursday, June 7.