This weekend we want to go to . . .
St Kevin’s Arcade
Scottish artist Rachel Maclean makes ground-breaking short films which often twist old tales into dark, comic morality tales for today. This time she uses Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper as the base for a dive into greed, class and dependence against a background of austerity and aspiration. Maclean plays all the characters, moving through two distinct realms where Oliver Twist mugs a Tudor prince at knifepoint, a pauper steals money from Simon Cowell and well-dressed servants peddle contraband to vagrant youths. It’s set to audio courtesy of sources like TV’s Britain’s Got Talent, The Jeremy Kyle Show and The Apprentice. Brought to Auckland by the Gus Fisher Gallery, you won’t see another short film like it this year. Please, Sir . . . St Kevin’s Arcade, tonight until Thursday, May 30
The Classic Comedy Club
If you’re looking for a laugh this weekend you won’t get any better than Britain’s Paul Sinha.
The comedian will be instantly recognisable to TV viewers as quiz master “The Sinnerman” from the impossibly popular game show The Chase. The Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee has a reputation for bringing the same smarts to the stage that he puts to such dream-crushing use on the show. The veteran comedian, who begins his week-long Auckland residency on Saturday, has earned rave reviews for his “articulate” and “exceptionally skilled” comedy and can be considered an early highlight of the about-tokick-off International Comedy Festival. Will it be good? Bank on it. Paul Sinha, the Classic, Saturday
Sandringham Reserve
And speaking of films . . . Maybe you’ve always wanted to star in one but were too tall to be a hobbit. Never mind, you can pretend at a fake Kollywood (that’s South Indian cinema) film shoot this weekend when Satellites Asian Arts Festival holds its latest, and possibly most unusual, event. Visionary theatre director Ahi Karunaharan (pictured) leads the imaginary blockbuster-inthe-making where you can learn a dance move, watch a performance, have your headshot taken and be discovered by a talent scout. There’ll be culinary treats by Samrudh Akuthota and majestic artwork by Bepen Bhana. Kollywood Extra, Sandringham Reserve, Saturday Noon-6pm
ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre
David Bowie might be remembered as the most inspirational and visionary artist of a generation but he didn’t get there all alone. Members of Bowie’s backing bands from across the years come together in Auckland this weekend in a one-night-only tribute show of top hits and deep cuts. His longest-standing and most frequent band member, keyboardist Mike Garson, leads a band that includes Gerry Leonard (guitarist), Carmine Rojas (bass), Mark Plati (musician and mix engineer) and drummer Lee John with vocalists like Corey Glover and Joe Sumner.
Bowie Celebration, ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Saturday
Spark Arena
Would the Star Wars films have been as mind-blowingly good — and successful — without the music? The score to the 1977 original, by legendary composer John Williams, is regarded by the American Film Institute as the greatest American film score of all time; now, as well as watching the film on the big screen, you can hear it up close and personal when the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra presents Star Wars: Film Concert Series featuring screenings of the complete films A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back in a live symphonic concert experience.
Saturday — A New Hope; Sunday — The Empire Strikes Back