Most "pop-up shops" emerge in vacant retail spaces, but The Princess’ Bedroom was different: the shop itself popped up, in the form of a brightly-painted caravan in a gravelly old Ghuznee St carpark. Now it has company, in the form of a "Sausage Sizzle" caravan in the adjacent parking space, serving an odd combination of Kiwiana sausage sarnies, tempura vegetables and hearty soups & stews.
Neither this caravan nor its girlier neighbour fit in with the emerging highbrow designer vibe across the street (Milk Crate, Quilters, Customs and Bowen Galleries), but it sure beats a puddle-ridden carpark. Perhaps we’ll see more of this caravan urbanism setting up temporary shop in vacant spaces until we crawl our way out of the recession, and it looks like a cheap and flexible way for small businesses to get up & running in the gaps and fringes of the city.
An unfortunate number of Wellingtonistas are rather fond of making rather terrible puns quite frequently, which means a lot of my time is spend making "Badoom chish!" sounds. Imagine how much cooler it would be if the jokes were better and instead of me, there was a whole damn band playing the rim shots. Wait, you don’t want to have to imagine it? You want it to be real? Well, have we got the gig for you then!
Remember TAWA-nominated Robbie Ellis and the bus lane you put through his heart? Well, he’s been working on a new show called Band Substances:
It’s musical stand-up comedy with a full band!
Join some of Wellington’s favourite musical comedians:
- Gabriel Page
- Sarah Harpur
- Carlo & Cynthia Wakefield from Young and the Witless IV
- The Fringe Bar Opera Soloists and more!
It’ll be Band to the Bone! (Jo’s note: BADOOM CHISH!)
The show has with Jerome Chandrahasen as MC and Robbie as musical director.
Remember this guy and all of those drums? (Incidentally, all of those drums will be turning Kora up loud this Friday).
Or perhaps you remember him as that crazy, sexy, cool guy playing vegetables at Fringe last year (winner Best Music and Best Solo Show at 2009 Fringe Festival).
Adam Page is back at Downstage this Sunday along with three more saxophonists, as the Adalaide Sax Pack, featuring some silky vocals from Welly’s Lisa Tomlins (Shapeshifter, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Rhombus, TrinityRoots).
Billed as:
4 world class Saxophonists, 1 HUGE quartet sound, stacks of the cheesiest music you know you love but choose to hate.
This girl is looking looking forward to the cheezy ’80s covers and being a vocal member of the raucous fun-time crowd.
Come along, it isn’t that expensive and will be downright festive (in a good way).
Details and a taster after the jump.
Voting in the Fourth Annual Wellingtonista Awards is open from December 1-15. Then come find out the results at our Awards Night at Mighty Mighty on December 17!
To vote, visit this page.
As a website, we know that we are not alone. There are many other fantastic people in Wellington doing fantastic things online, and they make our internet world a much better place with the things that they do.
The debut season of Downstage’s Sunday music programme ‘Soundstage’ has been a tearaway success. The formidable line-up of bands including The Woolshed Sessions, Little Bushman, Sam F Scott and The B.O.P and Rhian Sheehan have all thrived in the theatrical environment playing to capacity audiences.
We’re now at the last Soundstage gig for 2009 and Wellington six piece psychedelic psychonauts Spartacus R are the perfect band to close out the season. Their theatrical credentials are impeccable having built a reputation for unique and innovative performances at the NZ Fringe Festival. At the Fringe 07 they presented Spartacus R in Octophonic, and the following year at the Fringe 08 Spartacus R in 3D, combining live music with 3D visuals in the Paramount.
Based on a foundation of blues, rock and funk, Spartacus will deliver a captivating and electrifying performance that explores new musical and visual territory. For Soundstage on 15 Nov Spartacus R have crafted a completely new show combining 100% new musical material with projected visuals, actors and even live poetry.
More about Spartacus R and Soundstage after the jump.
Just before my Wellingtonista privileges are removed due to, erm, non-compliance with acceptable posting chronometry (or something) here’s an update on everyone’s favourite professional theatre, Downstage.
Last week they launched their new Season brochure, "Life in High Definition", which lists all the shows between now and Christmas. Highlights are many, but include new plays by Jo Randerson (Good Night – The End) and Stuart McKenzie (Biography of My Skin, starring his wife Miranda Harcourt), Collapsing Creation (by the team that brought you On the Conditions and Possibilities of Helen Clark Taking Me as her Young Lover last year) and the return of beloved circus-theatre show Adagio with extra, added, Christmassy bits.
Also on the menu between now and November is Soundstage, Downstage’s new venture into the world of popular music: Once a month Sunday evening shows featuring favourite local bands in a relaxed, theatrical setting, the first act is The Woolshed Sessions on Sunday night shortly followed by Little Bushman on 2 August. The Woolsheds are so popular that the Sunday evening show has almost sold out and an extra 3pm matinee has just been added. Seats are limited and going fast.
Tonight the "Life in High Definition" season gets under way with the return of two of Downstage’s best friends: Strike Percussion always raise the roof with their high energy, high precision performance. This time they are joined by the virtuoso Australian improvisor Adam Page who wowed Wellington audiences with his solo show during the Fringe. They have been collaborating on new work, combining Strike’s hitting things with Adam’s blowing into things and the results are explosive.
Adam will also be doing his usual multi-instrumental improvisations (with Strike support) so no two shows will be the same.
You can download a pdf of the "Life in High Definition" brochure here, or contact theatre@downstage.co.nz and ask for a paper one to be sent out to you. Interestingly 90% of Woolshed bookings have been over the web at www.downstage.co.nz which is pretty remarkable. Also, today, Downstage have launched TradeMe Tuesday – a chance to get Downstage tickets for as low as $1 reserve. It’s a bit like Grabaseat – check in to the TradeMe Downstage Store every Tuesday for more specials.
It’s Comedy festival time in the Capital.
Personally I think the timing is always quite impeccable as winter has just hit and with it comes the winter blues. There are loads of amazing local acts and also some brilliant internationals.
Now normally the international acts like to include a little local content to make the crowd love them more. Often it’s limited to jokes about wind, jaffas and Australians. Sammy J is clearly the exception to the rule, and to prove it he’s even been making some extremly cute videos.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQG1pRpTF-c]You can catch him at Downstage from tonight.
My hot local tip is the The Comediettes. Emma, Jim and Sarah were amazing at the fringe festival with their stand up show. Sarah’s been winning a few comedy competitions lately, so you now she’s going to bring the giggles.
The Fringe is over for another year, nicely polished off with an awards ceremony at The Paramount tonight. A full post will be on its way, but for now here’s the list of winners:
Best Comedy: Improv – The Secondary School Musical
Best Dance: Perforum – Footnote Dance
Best Music: Adam Page Solo
Best Outdoor: Frogs under the Waterfront
Best Theatre: The Intricate Art of Actually Caring
Best Visual Art: This is Where I Live – Fleur Wickes
Best Newcomers: Binge Culture Collective – Drowning Bird, Plummeting Fish
Marketing Award: A Most Outrageous Humbug
Best ‘One man band’/solo show: Adam Page Solo
Best production design: Faust Chroma
Most orginal concept: This is Where I Live – Fleur Wickes
Stand-out performer: Julia Milsom – Self Portrait
Open Studios People’s Choice: Alex Rodriguez
…and finally, the big and special awards after the jump…
Fuse Circus have joined The Fringe with The Navigators, a new outdoor show under the sails at Queens Wharf.
If you haven’t seen their previous shows, Heavenly Burlesque or Gravity and Other Myths, then get down there right now! If you have, then while a few of the moves may be familiar, it’s still wonderful entertainment. The "narrative" may be little more than an flimsy framework from which to suspend yet more biophysical impossibilities, and there’s a touch of pantomime goofiness that detracts slightly from the inherent hotness, but there will still be plenty to make you gasp, laugh and wonder.
As someone who sometimes struggles to stand upright in the morning, let alone balance several people on one’s limbs while doing so, these guys will always be a source of amazement. They perform most evenings until Saturday the 7th of March, so you have no excuse for missing them.
So you can’t sleep right? If the Fringe festival has left you all over stimulated and you are in need of night time novelty may I suggest that you head to the Watsui tonight for the start of a frenetic 24 hour art gumball rally around Wellington. Welsh artist Bedwyr Williams is going to give us his spin on the ONE DAY SCULPTURE series by taking a used station wagon around 24 locations in 24 hours, aiming to stack up 24 works on the roof rack by midnight tomorrow.
Planned itinerary after the jump