First I hit up the Auckland Museum to edumacate myself on all things Kiwi. Saw a lot of stuffed New Zealand birds, and surprisingly, they don't look creepy like most other taxidermified animals look. Then I took in a cultural performance by the Maori people, the indigenous people of New Zealand. A group of 5 Maori performers took to the stage and really captivated the audience with their singing/chanting/dancing numbers. Their music has a really soothing quality to it, like the kind of music I'd expect to hear while sipping mai-tais at a beachside bar in Hawaii (not that I've been there, just the way I picture it).
When I arrived in Auckland on Friday, I found out that the musical "Avenue Q" was in town for the weekend. I managed to score a sweet deal on a ticket ($26.50 NZD all in!). Nhung and I missed it in London, and I was very recently reminded by Bruce of how good it was, so even though this isn't uniquely Kiwi, catching the show was a no-brainer. For those of you unfamiliar with Avenue Q, it's best described as Sesame Street with a comical, cynical, adult twist. I highly recommend you watch it if you get the chance - especially if you don't normally like musicals. My favourite line was, "if you rearrange the letters in UNEMPLOYMENT, it spells OPPORTUNITY!" *confused look* ;)
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That's an unfortunately sparse crowd for such a great show. It's like they're racist against people of fur!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, I suppose I'll have to watch Les Mis now to return the favour.
Oh, don't let the photo deceive you - it was a full house. I took this picture before most of the audience arrived.
ReplyDeleteTo properly return the favour, instead of Les Mis, you should check out Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.