Stories

Who has done this? A man is dead, and the perp is one of his eclectic mix of extended family. Was it the simpleton and easily-influenced son? The over-ambitious brother? The snooty matriarch? The hired 'entertainer'? Or perhaps the in-laws with 'interesting' foreign connections? Cityscape heads to the preview night of The Last Martini to find out. As we walk out of the cold night into the warm light of Riccarton House, we are greeted by live piano music and the gentle hubbub of guests mingling, wandering from room to room, and fetching themselves drinks from the special martini menu. Some have chosen to dress in 1920s theme, and it's hard to immediately pick the members of the Martini family from the show's audience – we all freely mingle and grab delightful canapés from trays as they are whisked around the residence by the in-character hospitality team. Soon, the butler Winston...

Lights are in the sky (and on the ground and everywhere in between) for Christchurch’s 2021 Matariki celebration. The central city and New Brighton are being illuminated with a series of innovative lighting installations, projections and perfomances. Tīrama Mai, meaning to illuminate or bring light, celebrates Matariki, the people of Aotearoa and our unique local landscape. The lighting trails, created by creative minds and lighting artists of Canterbury, will be in place from Friday 25 June until Saturday 10 July, between 6pm and 11pm every night. Wrap up warm and explore around The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, Worcester Boulevard, Ōtākaro Avon River, Riverside Market, New Regent Street, Victoria Square and New Brighton Pier to discover all the mesmerising displays. The celebration will also include live entertainment over the three weekends, including kapa haka, aerials and fire, which you can catch at the Bridge of Remembrance, in Victoria Square and at the Arts...

The upcoming New Zealand Opera production of The Marriage of Figaro is a radical tale with strong feminist underpinnings, and it’s headed up by a team of some of opera’s finest women. Cityscape talks life, love and revolution with the creative team. Director Lindy Hume Have you directed The Marriage of Figaro before? I have not. And so it’s nice to be doing it for the first time, at this advanced age! Can you tell us a little bit about the opera without giving too much away? The whole thing is set in one single day of madness. It’s an intertwining plot of love, scheming and deception. Figaro is to marry a Countess’s maid, Susanna, who the Count is planning to bed, as he believes it’s his right. The young couple set about exposing the older man’s lechery, and he in turn sets about revenge. Is it a love story or...

Woohoo! Lorde is coming back to Christchurch in February 2022, this time as one of the headline acts at Electric Avenue Music Festival. The global superstar is one of the first artists announced to perform at Electric Avenue. She'll be joined but the likes of classic Kiwi jammers Supergroove as well as Drax Project, Lee Mvtthews, Harper Finn and Summer Thieves. The rest of the festival acts will be announced in September. Lorde's performance at Electric Avenue will be her first ever appearance at a New Zealand music festival, and comes off the back of her recent hit single 'Solar Power', which will feature on a full album released later this year. "We're stoked to have an artist of Lorde's calibre on next year's lineup," says Festival director Callam Mitchell. "Lorde truly is an international superstar and a household name around the world, so to have her performing at Electric Avenue for...

SATIRE. Cityscape sticks its tongue in its cheek with a take on some of the personalities who live between the four avenues. 1 The Yo-Pro She’s smart, she’s slick, she’s just landed her first six-figure job and she’s burnt her first month’s wage on an iPhone 12 and the deposit on a two-bedroom rental. Life is pretty good when the gym and the local cinema – easily her two favourite places to pass a weekday evening – are both just around the corner. She’s just scootered home from work via Riverside Market for some fresh weekend groceries, her fridge is stocked with Sauv and she’s about to text the girls to meet up for a pre-weekender at a pretty sweet new bar in High Street. Those fools may have to Uber into town and back, but she’s all set with a good pair of flats for a five-minute walk to funky...

Like a mighty phoenix rising into the sky, Royal New Zealand Ballet’s next production will erupt in glory on stage this August. Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) is bringing not one, but two glorious ballets to the stage at Isaac Theatre Royal. The Firebird With Paquita is a pairing of classic Russian ballet Paquita with a reimagining of The Firebird that brings the issues du jour of 2021 into the world of ballet. Loughlan Prior, RNZB’s choreographer in residence, has reimagined The Firebird for a new time and a new generation. It’s hot, it’s topical, and it’s absolutely beautiful. The ballet was first staged in Paris in 1910 and now, more than a century later, Loughlan’s adaptation places the magical world of The Firebird in a state of environmental crisis, where the natural world is threatened and humanity is staring into the abyss of extinction. The Firebird’s boon is an opportunity...

Ahead of his upcoming July 2021 tour, soul crooner Louis Baker took a moment to chat with Cityscape about BBQ, crowd singalongs, and favourite venues. Congrats on the upcoming release of your new EP, Love Levitates. Can you tell us a bit about the record? I wrote most of the record during Covid and then as soon as we came out of lockdown I started on the production with producer Devin Abrams. It’s a modern soul record and evolved out of my musings on love; be it whānau, friendship, observation, philosophy, and beyond. What would you say is different about this compared to your last album? Open was a collection of songs I’d written over a period of years that reflected my experiences of growing up and figuring myself out as a young man. I worked with a bunch of different people on that album. With this record I wanted to work...

Cityscape gets the low-down from the big names behind the central city’s residential developments. Can you tell us about Park Terrace? We have proposed to build a new central city retirement village complex on two sites we own on Park Terrace. We’re planning to build a Warren and Mahoney-designed village which will include apartments and rest home, hospital and dementia care. It will be home to more than 300 residents, and will include an indoor swimming pool, café, movie theatre as well as beautiful grounds for the residents to enjoy, right on Hagley Park. We’ve also undertaken to preserve the historic chapel on the site. The project will be worth more than $240 million and will create sustainable long term jobs as well as homes. Where are the two sites? The largest of the sites was previously the Bishopspark Retirement Village complex, which was a popular retirement village and care facility...

Cityscape gets the low-down from the big names behind the central city’s residential developments. Can you tell us about The Spire apartments? They’re made up of 29 apartments across four levels and sit on top of four floors of hotel rooms. Are you optimistic about the central city real estate market? Yes, I am very optimistic about central city real estate. I'm meeting a lot of people who are wanting to give up the home in the suburbs and move into the city. Read more of Cityscape's central city living coverage here What’s your five-second sales pitch for a central Christchurch apartment? Cut the commute and live above the city in luxury. What kinds of people are you seeing move into these new homes? The Spire is mostly 50-plus couples from the suburbs wanting to spend less time maintaining their houses and more time entertaining in the city. What is the...

Cityscape gets the low-down from the big names behind the central city’s residential developments. Can you tell us about your residential developments in the central city? Fletcher Living has a number of developments either completed, underway or planned, all of which are components of our overarching project known as One Central. This incorporates some 14 individual land parcels within seven city blocks running between Lichfield Street in the south and Kilmore Street to the north, and framed by Manchester and Madras streets. Overall, we expect to provide housing options for upwards of 2000 residents across potentially 900 dwellings. What are the nearby attractions that make One Central a cool place to be? With Rauora Park serving as the spine of the development, we love the open space and the park’s new art installations including the 16-metre high VAKA ‘A HINA and the sections of the Berlin Wall. Along with our temporary...

Cityscape gets the low-down from the big names behind the central city’s residential developments. Can you tell us why you’re steering your attention towards inner-city, medium-density development? We have been building a lot of medium density housing in the North Island but hadn’t focused on it in Christchurch for years. We decided to take on some larger central city projects. We need to bring some quality homes back to the city. Can you tell us about your residential developments in the Christchurch central city? We’ve got 33 townhouses going up in Armagh Street, another 33 being built in Peterborough Street, and 100 townhouses and apartments in Gloucester Street. They are all a mix of two- and three-level homes, some with garages or carparks. We aim to bring a higher quality of built product within the four aves to help lift inner Christchurch. Read more of Cityscape's central city living coverage here Are...

Cityscape investigates what's coming up in the central city. Anchors away If you’re not aware of the big hitters of the central city redevelopment, then you need to come out from under your rock and get excited about some so-called ‘anchor projects’. Nearly finished is Te Pae Christchurch Convention and Exhibition Centre (A1), which may not affect your day-to-day life but should bring a bustle of business into town from afar. Next on the list for completion is Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre (A2), which will bring several pools (including a 50-metre competition pool) to the central city along with indoor courts, gym and other facilities. Then there’s the Canterbury Multi-Use Arena (A3). Work hasn’t started on it yet so we don’t know all the details, but it’s going to have a roof for year-round sports including international rugby, excellent acoustics for massive gigs, and at least 25,000 seats. ccc.govt.nz Culture...

Part of a Cityscape series presenting the opinions of real people who live in Christchurch's central city: Roz Paddy. Which central city neighbourhood do you live in? Cambridge Terrace near Margaret Mahy Park. How would you describe the vibe there? Busy, vibrant, lots happening all the time. Your neighbours are… The ducks and swans on the Avon, and a few other houses in our street. Read more of Cityscape's central city living coverage here Why do you choose to live in the four aves? I can walk to most things, great for walking around the parks, close to restaurants, bars and entertainment. The stadium will be close, when built. Biggest drawcard? The great small complex we live in. It’s good quality, close to amenities, and the location is great for public transport. Biggest drawback? The lack of parking for everyone near the park, and it gets very busy with traffic just going around...

Part of a Cityscape series presenting the opinions of real people who live in Christchurch's central city: Simone Rewa Pearson. Which central city neighbourhood do you live in? The Chester East community. How would you describe the vibe there? Beautiful tree lined neighbourhood, friendly. Your neighbours are… I consider anyone living in the four ave’s my neighbour. We’ve lived in central city for about 18 years, 15 years in our current home with our two kids. We’ve had a strong connection with many of the people in the neighbourhood for many years that was fostered when we got to know one another after the earthquakes. Plus there are many new friendly faces with all the new apartments being built. Read more of Cityscape's central city living coverage here Why do you choose to live in the four aves? It’s never boring. Always life and activity close by, with easy access to...

We round up three great films, reads, shows to bingewatch, new albums to treat your ears to and a couple of decent podcasts to enlighten. Watching Cityscape reviews some of the best from the current crop of cinema releases. Black Widow Finally, what Marvel fans have been waiting years for has finally arrived – a film all about everyone’s favourite ex-KGB-operative-turned-badass-superheroine, Natasha Romanoff AKA Black Widow. The film picks up after the events of Captain America: Civil War and sees Black Widow pursued by a force hell-bent on taking her down. As she’s faced with a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past, Natasha must confront her history as a spy, as well as the broken relationships she left behind. Miss In France, 2004, 9-year-old boy Alex dreams of one day entering the Miss France beauty pageant and winning the crown. 15 years later, after the loss of his parents and...

Make the transition from spectator to participant in these shows that revolve around input (and sometimes performance!) from the audience. Open Mic @ Good Times Comedy Club A great chance to catch some fresh comedic talent so you can say you saw them before they were famous. Or, give it a go yourself so people can say they saw YOU before you were famous. Scared Scriptless @ The Court Theatre This improv institution has been a Friday night staple on Christchurch’s chuckle scene for many moons. Go along, toss out your craziest suggestions to the Jesters on stage and watch as heaps of totally unrehearsed hilarity ensues. The Last Martini @ Riccarton House You’re attending a fancy 1920s dinner party in July when one of the family members is murdered. This isn’t a case of watching the mystery unfold – you get to help unravel it, picking up clues to identify...

A lot has happened to the Christchurch theatre scene over the last ten years. Cityscape takes a look back. 2010/11 The Christchurch earthquakes forced The Court Theatre out of its 30-year home in The Arts Centre. In December 2011, it found a new home in Addington, affectionately known as The Shed. The Repertory Theatre on Kilmore Street was damaged beyond repair, but The Canterbury Repertory Theatre company is still going strong, putting on shows in venues around the city. Riccarton Players were also ousted from The Mill Theatre, and are now based in Sydenham. Isaac Theatre Royal also sustained significant damage, with the auditorium and foyer considered unrepairable in their original states. 2014 Isaac Theatre Royal was rebuilt thanks to a three-year restoration project with help from fundraising by the likes of Sir Ian McKellen. The iconic theatre reopened on November 17. 2016 The Loons in Lyttelton was a popular venue...

It’s an all-singing, all-dancing, all-laughing, all-drama extravaganza here in Christchurch over winter and into spring, and we’re parking ourselves in front row seats for it all. Christchurch has literally unlimited performance offerings. Every time we think we’ve seen it all, we discover a new venue, a new crew, a new show or even a whole new genre. From underground theatre to professional productions to national touring performances and international acts, from original writing to Shakespeare to improv, you can find everything in our fair city. Ōtautahi has undoubtedly become one of New Zealand’s hottest hubs of on-stage skill, so get out there and explore what’s coming up this season. Comedy In July, A Big Figging Comedy Show will tickle you raw at Good Times Comedy Club with some of the South Island’s biggest comedy acts banging out Kiwi humour. Nestled in the riverside district with a great view over The Terrace,...