This weekend we want to go to . . .
Is a disaster ever a triumph? It most certainly is when you’re a group of young actors and writers and you base your first show around the mishaps you’ve thus far experienced in theatre. Before you know it, you are — to borrow a phrase from Britain’s Daily Telegraph — the “clown princes of the West End” and your Mischief Theatre shows are touring the world. This month, Auckland gets to see the much-loved Peter Pan go horribly wrong at the hands of the (fictional) Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society who visited last year with the uproarious The Play That
Goes Wrong. Narrated by our own Jay Laga’aia, expect collapsing sets, missing props, bungled lines and allround disaster but lots of laughs.
Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Civic, until Sunday November 18 Spark Arena
Four-time Grammy award-winning artist Sam Smith hits Auckland this week. The 26-year-old Brit is known for his classic tunes like Stay With Me and Lay Me Down, which never fail to tug at one’s heartstrings. Smith’s star began to rise in 2012 when he collaborated with Disclosure on the catchy song, Latch, which you no doubt will instantly recognise. Tickets are still available from Ticketmaster — you’d be silly to miss Smith in the flesh.
Sam Smith, Spark Arena, Friday and Saturday
ASB Waterfront Theatre
An acclaimed choreographer, a poet and a playwright meet some friends . . . No, it’s not the start of a joke but possibly a whole new way to look at the future of Auckland. Calling themselves The Guerrilla Collection, known and noted Pasifika artists from across the spectrum have joined forces to stage a three-day festival of 30-minute movement pieces, each starring Black Grace dancers, which explore a specific area of our society and what it may look like in 30 years’ time. Offering a uniquely Pacific viewpoint, it’s one of the most unique festivals of 2018.
The Guerrilla Collection, ASB Waterfront Theatre, Friday — Sunday
Queen’s Wharf
Taste of Auckland is back for another year and it’s always the best food festival to discover Kiwi artisan growers and producers with likeminded foodies. Head along to explore pop-up bars and all sorts of delicious morsels to whet your appetite. There is something for everyone with Italian, modern Yum Cha, raw, Greek, contemporary French, Russian, Southern American foods and more. Just last year you could chow down on super fancy and scrumptious sarladaises (duck fat) fries while enjoying the long spring evening with some epic bands and musicians — Tami Neilson, Laughton Kora, Hollie Smith and Barnaby Weir & Friends among them.
Taste of Auckland, Queen’s Wharf, until Sunday
Logan Campbell Centre
Petersburg singer and rapper Trey Songz kicks off his New Zealand tour on Saturday, one in support of his most recent album Tremaine. He’s racked up a bunch of accolades since his 2005 debut, including a Grammy nomination, and has worked with big names like Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown. But November will be a month full of firsts: not only is he playing three shows on his first tour here, he’s also debuting his first film, Blood Brother. Perhaps next time he visits, his name will be Trey Moviez.
Trey Songz, Logan Campbell Centre, Saturday