High st to the hills
Jersey Boys
21 November to 16 January, The Court Theatre, Christchurch The famous jukebox musical Jersey Boys makes its South Island premiere as The Court Theatre rolls out a high-energy production of the global hit, which tells the rags to riches tale of American rock and pop band Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Set in the 1950s and 1960s in New Jersey, band members narrate their fortunes directly with the audience as their journey unfolds, interspersed with celebrated songs including Sherry and Can’t Take My Eyes off You. courttheatre.org.nz
CRYSTAL CHAIN GANG: IN FLUX
28 November to 7 March, Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History, Masterton
A showcase of ground-breaking new works by critically acclaimed New Zealand glass artists, the Crystal Chain Gang — Leanne Williams and Jim Dennison — has as its centrepiece a large-scale, sculptural chandelier containing multiple pieces of highly textured, coloured glass and ceramic forms. Described as poetic and enigmatic, In Flux focuses on experimentalism, spontaneity and fluidity, and reflects the influence of the Crystal Chain Gang’s travels, in late 2019, to the old-world glass hubs of Venice and Japan. aratoi.org.nz
Yuki Kihara: サ-モアのうた (Sāmoa no uta)
A Song About Sāmoa 29 November to 28 February, Pātaka Art +Museum, Porirua Interinter-disciplinary artist Yuki Kihara, of Japanese and Sāmoan heritage, presents a sequence of five sculptural-like kimono fashioned from the traditional Sāmoan artform of siapo (bark cloth) featuring imagery that probes the cultural, social and political connections between Japan, the Pacific and Sāmoa. The installation is a five-year project — each year, a series of five new siapo kimono will be added. Yuki Kihara is New Zealand’s 2022 Venice Biennale representative. pataka.org.nz
Star Gossage: He Tangata, The People
26 November to 15 February, New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, Wellington The first major collection of works by Pākiri-based painter Star Gossage (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Ruahine) consists of about 40 paintings. The works emerge from her wāhine-based world and express the view that people are bound by wairua, whenua, whakapapa and whānau — spirit, land, ancestry and family. Spanning 20 years in Gossage’s career, the exhibition encompasses themes of unity, grief, resilience and aroha and demonstrates the artist’s use of portrait and figure in the landscape. nzportraitgallery.org.nz
Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art
5 December to 9 May, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki The largest-ever survey of contemporary Māori art staged by the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki spans 70 years from the 1950s to the present and is monumental in scale and storytelling. Featuring more than 300 artworks by 120 Māori artists across all genres, Toi Tū Toi Ora highlights the dynamic and changing countenance of modern Māori art. The artist line-up includes Shane Cotton, Emily Karaka, Reuben Paterson, Lisa Reihana, Reweti Arapere, Ngatai Taepa, Sandy Adsett and Mata Aho Collective in collaboration with Maureen Lander. aucklandartgallery.com