Timothée Chalamet may say no one cares about opera anymore, but the Opera Gala 2026 proves him wrong. Auckland Opera Studio alongside Manukau Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Choral, soloists (Breony Bearman, Felicity Tomkins, Ridge Ponini, Alfred Fonoti-Fuimaono) and conductor Uwe Grodd celebrated the moving and magical power of opera.

The Civic has been transformed for the Auckland Cabaret Festival, fit with moody lighting, cabaret tables, disco balls, shiny pink streamers, soft sofas and flashy performers welcoming you to the venue.

Sons of Vao is not a celebration of Pacific Island culture, rather it displays the tragic complexity of the dark side of it. It is, however, a celebration for ATC’s main stage with a world premiere by a Niuean playwright, Vela Manusaute, who offers a personal act of forgiveness through his work.

UNITEC & NZ School of Dance took to the stage of Mangere Arts Centre for their annual MOANA Showcase: a platform to illustrate the learnings of emerging Pacific choreographers and performers.

Coinciding with Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa - Samoa Language Week, the Pacific Dance Festival 2026 is now officially underway following the opening night of Justin Haiu’s Call to Wallis. The festival highlights creatives and writers from Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia, providing a platform to showcase the talent and stories of the people at the heart of Māngere.

Balloon Dog takes the classic Bengali short story Kabuliwala by Rabindranath Tagore about a lovable immigrant who befriends a chatty little girl, and retells this universal tale in modern-day Auckland, New Zealand. Marvelously, it works, creating a spirited narrative with an underlying sense of sinister anticipation that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

One night only. 23 May 2026. Q Theatre. K-Pop Demon Hunters pumps through the speakers, filling the Loft and foyer with high energy and even higher expectations for the NZ International Comedy Festival’s sold-out show Asian Comedy Takeover.

Playfight presents a complex and nuanced narrative centred on three friends who grow up trying to navigate sex, shame and sexuality. Following a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Julia Grogan’s story remains potent and necessary. The play inspired by the tradegdy of Grace Millane holds particular power playing in Tamaki Makaurau.

The 2026 London production of Mrs. President, currently running at the Charing Cross Theatre until March 8, stars Broadway powerhouse Keala Settle as Mary Todd Lincoln opposite Hal Fowler as photographer Mathew Brady.

Gird your lions! Again! The Devil Wears Prada celebrates one year at the Dominion Theatre. The production also welcomes new principals: Stevie Doc as Andy, Talia Halford as Emily, and Keelan McAuley as Nate.

I’ll Be There for You… The six most iconic Friends (plus Gunther) have dropped into the New Victoria Theatre on their UK tour!

Monsters and demigods have stopped at New Wimbledon Theatre for The Lightning Thief Musical UK tour.

Inside No. 9: Stage/Fright arrives in Woking after a successful West End run, bringing the popular BBC anthology series to the stage. Marketed as a darkly comic horror, the production ultimately offers a mixed experience, more intriguing in concept than in execution. As it’s a clever stage adaptation that rewards long-time fans but leaves newcomers in the dark.

Top Hat has tapped its way into New Wimbledon Theatre.

A flock of Matthew Bourne’s swans has flown into the New Victoria Theatre in Woking and is soaring to new heights.

Explore Hever Castle by day, then experience the story of one of its most famous residents by night with Anne Boleyn: The Musical.

As one man behind me exclaimed during the show, particularly during Hand Jive, “It’s so good! It feels like we’re actually watching it!” So live your Grease dreams.

The new musical Saving Mozart has taken the stage at The Other Palace — but does this retelling strike the right chord?

This camp and energetic show is a celebration and a love letter to the legacy Diana left behind, and it re-inspires the rebel within all of us to make the world a better place.

Walking with Molly is uncomfortable, bold, impactful, and painfully relevant, and it lingers in your mind long after you have left the theatre. It is a sharp reminder of the scariness of social media: how easily any voice can reach the world, whether it is right or wrong, and how quickly opinions can spiral beyond control.