So what have we been up to? Last night Lane and I went to a preview performance of Jersey Boys - the musical - which opens tomorrow night - Saturday the 14th - and plays at the Civic through to the middle of June. Crafted around the lives and songs of 60s phenomenon Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the show is a delightful pastiche of 'Joisey' humour and Casa Nostra references, with truly outstanding performances from a stellar, well-rehearsed cast. The Civic was filled to bursting with baby-boomers reliving the past, and quite a few of their children, like me, remembering songs we heard on vinyl in the 80s. While not a cheap night out - tickets range from $65 to $185 - it comes highly recommended. Perfect purchase for Mother's Day, for example, if your mum falls in the 60+ bracket. But go anyway - remember - nothing beats watching truly talented people give their all in a live performance.
Here's Thread's Megan Robinson and me by the Jersey Boys sign in the Civic Foyer last night. lighting was terrible and iPhones don't like low light - but you can get the gist of our attempts at vintage-appropriate attire.
Also on last night - the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra with Great Classics - one in a season of very reasonably priced Thursday night concerts; and of course, at the Vector, the nail-biting Breakers game! Felix (9) went to a game a couple of weeks ago with his granddad on the fabulous University of Auckland Alumni tickets deal - do check these out if you are an Auckland alum. There's also alumni deals to the up-coming Auckland Readers and Writers Festival.
Then this morning I took Zoe (7) to the Royal New Zealand Ballet's production of Angelina Ballerina's Big Audition - unfortunately this was the penultimate performance at the ASB Theatre - and while the production now shifts to the Bruce Mason Theatre in Takapuna, the season is sold out!
For those in Wellington, Blenheim, Ashburton, Invercargill, Dunedin, and Timaru, the show is the perfect introduction to the joy of live performance for those aged 2 and up, and my 7-year old, who has been dancing since she was five, came out of the theatre entranced with the demonstration of Irish dancing she had just seen - skipping and singing. Lovely. What is also lovely was the price - tickets start at $25 - making this ballet accessible for many.
Lane is off to Henry Rollins' Spoken Word gig tomorrow night, and then on Wednesday the kids are exploring notions of the city, space, and utility in We Built this City, an interactive art installation/performance art piece that gives kids the opportunity to create box constructions on a mammoth scale.
Kind of like the cutest, most feel-good youtube clip we've seen for a while: