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Did you hear about the optometrist who fell into a lens grinder and made a spectacle of himself? Or the sausage that was sent to jail – it was a term for the wurst. And let’s not forget the advice young Luke Skywalker got about eating spaghetti – “Use the forks, Luke.” Ah yes, a good pun is its own reword (geddit?). And with so many literary types in the city for WORD Christchurch, there should be some seriously good groaners on Friday at the Christchurch Pun Battle Championships. So if you think you have what it takes to roll with the punsters, get along to A Rolling Stone on Friday (May 17). Find it on Facebook. Christchurch Pun Battle Championships, May 17facebook.com

Cinema Italiano 2019 Trailer The brand new trailer for the 2019 Cinema Italiano Festival Christchurch Edition. Posted by Cinema Italiano Festival on Monday, 13 May 2019 Paolo Rotondo, artistic director of the Cinema Italiano Festival, shares his Top 10 choices from the 2019 Festival programme with us. Fellini’s 8 ½ An absolute must-see at a cinema. In terms of execution I cannot remember a more brilliant film. In image, visual ingenuity, subtlety of pace and sardonic humour, it is stunning. Breathtaking to watch. There’s No Place Like Home In this star-studded festival highlight, an unexpected storm strands a family gathered to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of their grandparents on the beautiful island of Ischia, Italy. The entire family is forced to live under the same roof for two days and two nights, leading to them re-hashing unresolved conflicts. Dogman This hotly anticipated and award-winning crime thriller from internationally heralded writer/director...

Mother’s Day is almost upon us (hint: it’s this Sunday, May 12), and if you’ve been dodging those subtle gift idea hints that she’s been throwing your way – “Oh you mean that Swarovski encrusted necklace that’s worth your university tuition? Oh no I couldn’t possibly want that…” – for the past few weeks or are feeling the pressure from your friends because they’ve got something sweet lined up for the leading lass in their life and you don’t, our expertly crafted roundup of things you can do (without having to drop a hefty amount of coin – big ups to you if you can but we live in a world where avocados and triple soy lattes are a thing) is here to save the day. Read on for more inspo… 1. Make her a cuppa or a brew Look, it’s no Kanye circa 2016 when he surprised Kim K with a...

NZ Music Month is in full swing and this year’s theme is DISCOVER LIVE with emphasis on New Zealanders discovering their new fave local live act and supporting local bands. Do your bit by checking out a live gig from our Events Calendar or Gig Guide or tap your feet to our Cityscape Magazine – NZ Music Month 2019 Spotify playlist, specially curated by local DJ Craig Shaw. Boasting over 10 hours of solid Kiwi bangers ranging from those that you’d crank out at a get-together to those that would feature on your roadie playlist and those that hark back to the good ol’ days and serve up some sweet nostalgia, this playlist will easily become one of your go-tos. Peep the playlist here and check out some of our faves from it below. Hit The Road The ultimate roadie beats 'Wandering Eye' Fat Freddy's Drop, Based On A True Story There’s...

WORD Christchurch’s autumn season kicks off today (May 8) and has a rad lineup of eight writers who will take to various venues around the city. Fearless feminist Clementine Ford and bestselling author of Fight Like A Girl and Boys Will Be Boys kickstarts the event tonight and she will take to the Charles Luney Auditorium and sit down with Stuff journalist Cécile Meier to talk raising sons, fighting the good fight, and how to avoid feeding the trolls. Tickets are still up for grabs to this evening’s event; don’t miss your chance to catch Ford give a seminal talk! Clementine Ford: Boys Will Be BoysCharles Luney Auditorium, May 8wordchristchurch.co.nz

OK Cityscapers, time to start practising your Queen sing-alongs – Freddie Mercury doppelganger Marc Martel is bringing his band and stage show to Christchurch’s Isaac Theatre Royal on September 1. If you are one of the millions worldwide to have pushed the Oscar-winning Freddie biopic Bohemian Rhapsody to more than $1 billion in box office earnings, Marc’s Ultimate Queen Celebration is the perfect encore. Even Queen guitarist Brian May couldn’t tell whether it was Freddie or Marc singing on some of the film’s songs, and its producer, Graham King, says he doesn’t think the film would have happened “if we didn’t have Marc”. Tickets for Marc Martel’s Ultimate Queen Celebration are on sale already, so don’t wait for the hammer to fall and leave you ga-ga, get in quick and He Will Rock You. Ultimate Queen CelebrationSeptember 1, Isaac Theatre Royalultimatequeendownunder.com

Indie darling Graeme James brings his Long Way Home tour to Blue Smoke on May 18. He has some advice for Cityscape readers nursing their own dreams of musical success, and is promising “a high chance of rowdiness” at his Christchurch gig. Any advice for budding musicians inspired by your story? 1. Do something! Most artistic endeavours remain thoughts that never take on a reality outside of the mind. Take a risk, make a plan and take tangible steps towards creating something. There’s always a first step (or a next step). 2. Don’t invest your whole identity or self-worth in your art. If you only see yourself as an “Artist” there’s a good chance you’ll never create anything for fear that people not only reject your art but your whole being. Busking or streaming – which one helped the most to establish you as an artist? Both have been a huge...

Are those walls looking a bit bare? Got too many blank flat surfaces around your home or office? You need some art! And now is the best time to invest or indulge. In its sixth year, the Christchurch Art Show is back, bigger and brighter than ever, featuring more than 150 artists and thousands of art works for sale. Started as a show to give local artists space to exhibit after the earthquakes, the Christchurch Art Show has become an annual event giving artists from all over New Zealand a place to celebrate each other and show and sell their work. Opening night on June 20 doubles as an exclusive preview of brand new art from the ten top-selling artists from last year – with the chance to snap one up before the show opens to the public and they’re opened to the Lawson’s Dry Hills People’s Choice Award. The top...

Lock in Saturday 22 February 2020 Cityscapers, the city's biggest and hottest music festival is back for another year! Electric Avenue Festival will once again take over Hagley Park for a big day and evening of epic music talent. With past Electric Avenue alum including Rudimental, JessB, Ladi6, Dizzee Rascal plus a wealth of local and international musos, you'll want to keep your eyes peeled for deets on when tickets and the lineup will drop! Head to their website or Facebook page to stay in the loop. electricavenuefestival.co.nzfacebook.com

If you're like us and are a sucker for sinking your teeth into a delicious burger, best get BurgerFuel's new plant-based burger on your radar stat. Their Beyond Beleaf burger reps next-gen meat-free protein alternatives and is a 100% vegan cheeseburger that contains a meat-free beef patty, vegan provolone cheese, vegan aioli, salad and relish topped off on a delicious mini artisan bun - mouth watering yet? Now, before you roll your eyes, their Beyond Patty which they use in the burger looks, cooks and tastes just like beef - except, plot twist, it's made from plants. Launching in Meatless May, the burger drops in 56 BurgerFuel stores nationwide from May 3 and is up for grabs for a limited time only. Designed to be enjoyed by everyone, it is an opportunity for the curious, vegans and those that enjoy the gourmet beef selection at BurgerFuel. Go on and give it...

Hugh Cornwell, singer and guitarist with UK punk legends The Stranglers, is tapped to play at Churchills May 1. You’ve been on the music scene for the better part of four decades. How has the industry changed in that time? Essentially it hasn't changed: there's still people out there with talent struggling to get a break, the internet hasn't changed that. What has changed is the perception of what a good song is. Standards have gone down. What can Christchurch audiences expect from your performance? There will be a set of newer solo material, including selections from my new album Monster, followed by a set of Stranglers’ classics. What has been your wildest experience while touring? Having the entire audience on stage once in Sweden. And have you had any crazy fan encounters? A few, but thankfully only a few. You have a degree in biochemistry, experience in acting and have...

Watching The Chaperone Adapted from Laura Moriarty’s novel of the same name, The Chaperone tells the tale of the vivacious Louise Brooks – synonymous with the 1920s jazz era – in her teen years. Starring Haley Lu Richardson as Brooks, the film also brings in the big names like Miranda Otto and Elizabeth McGovern. Out in cinemas May 2. Poms Diane Keaton leads a (star-studded) squad in the comedy flick Poms. After checking into a retirement home, Martha (played by Keaton) rallies the troops and starts up a cheerleading squad with her fellow residents, Sheryl (Jacki Weaver), Olive (Pam Grier) and Alice (Rhea Perlman), proving that it’s never too late to realise a dream. Most definitely a film to catch with your own squad, catch it when it hits cinemas on May 9. Listening Mac DeMarco – Here Comes The Cowboy Indie-rocker Mac DeMarco is tapped to release his newest music...

The first tangs of winter are making themselves felt and the shredders and powderheads are checking their gear for another season on the slopes. Every mum will be ‘Princess for a Day’ on May 12, and it’s also NZ Music Month (check out the Spotify playlist local legend Craig Shaw compiled for us). There’s a lot to get up for and down to this month, so we cast our curatorial eye over the crowded calendar to give you the essential list of Things To Do In May. CSO Presents: A Night at the Movies For fans of cinema and symphonies alike, don’t miss this special event. The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra will bring the music of Jaws, James Bond, Star Wars and other movie classics to life at the Town Hall’s Douglas Lilburn Auditorium (May 4). If you want to introduce someone special to the powerful spectacle of our city’s symphony orchestra...

The anticipation levels were already high when we heard Matt Corby was going to be in town and boy, he did not disappoint. We're going to call it - if there’s one musician you should see perform live, it’s Matt Corby. A bold statement, yes, but trust us, 30 seconds into his number 'No Ordinary Life' and we can already see audience members succumbing to the soft, yet powerful, melodies of the hauntingly beautiful track. All cheers and screams of "I love you" from the audience have somewhat dissipated and nothing but silence surrounds the Isaac Theatre Royal.  His live set is simple, the man of the hour is centre stage, flanked by his incredibly talented ensemble of two female vocalists and five-piece band and the chemistry between each individual is evident - this isn't just a performance where they are going through the motions, these guys play and perform like...

Wrap your taste buds around feisty Peruvian fare down at The Caffeine Laboratory who are hosting an exquisite pop-up event in their swanky digs on May 18. A sensational 5-course tasting menu awaits with signature Peruvian delicacies such as Classic Peruvian Ceviche – catch of the day, fresh lime, coriander, rocoto pepper, corn and glazed sweet potato, Causa con Pulp al Olivo – a smooth dough made of mashed yellow potato, ground yellow chilli pepper and lime juice with octopus and olives sauce and Aji de Gallina – shredded chicken breast, spicy yellow chilli pepper cream, parmesan foam and green oil sauce on the cards as well as a mouth-watering lineup of cocktails such as Pisco Sour, Peru Libre and Chilcanos made with Peruvian Pisco! Join The Caffeine Laboratory team alongside Igor, founder and chef of Andino in Auckland and Cinthya and Carolina, two self-professed foodies who love to play around...

The Arts Centre have recently reinstated their Creative Residencies programme, nearly two decades after it was first launched and have announced that Kiwi songstress Bic Runga is the first participant. There’s no denying that Bic is an authority figure in the New Zealand music scene having a wealth of accolades to her name including being made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2006 and being inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2016, so it is fitting that she complete a two-part residency in the strengthened and beautifully restored residency apartments. As well as being in residence throughout April and May, she will return for a week in July to host workshops mentioning that “this residency is a wonderful chance for me to reconnect with my Otautahi roots and give back to a community that has been through so much.” She also hopes to share...

There’s no denying that Christchurch is on the rise with a wealth of boutiques, eateries and social hubs opening up shop in recent months, and it just keeps getting better with the announcement that The Welder, the first health and wellbeing centre of such a large scale, will open its doors come October 5. Joining other players on arguably one of the city’s funkiest streets, Welles Street, The Welder is a social space where barriers are removed, balance is welcome and a meaningful experience is created that makes us think, feel, remember and understand. With health and wellness at the forefront of The Welder development, the central city hotspot will be a place where you can celebrate all parts of wellbeing, expanding further than just healthy eating into physical wellbeing, mindfulness and sociability. Ditching all notions of “labels”, at The Welder you can participate in a yoga class and follow it up...

Cityscape caught up with Hannah Smith, a Wellington-based directore, designer and producer ahead of her performance in The Road That Wasn't There. How long does it take to put a show like this together? This show has been in the works for years, and has come to be in its current form after several rounds of development. We first made it for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012 with two weeks of rehearsal and a lot of frantic puppet crafting and recording music in a bathroom; and then we have given it two major re-workings for a season in 2015 and another in 2017. Every time we come back to it we tinker with it some more - there is a lot of new stuff in this iteration. So in short, forever! It takes as long as you have got! What comes first - the story or the characters? I think for our shows it...