Salle: Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Auckland

New Zealand Opera's new production impresses with its stunning set design and art direction, and its restrained emotional tone. 

Director Simon Phillips takes the opportunity to reshape the setting of Rossini's comic opera to modern-day New Zealand. 

Lindy Hume directs a refreshingly uncomplicated new staging for New Zealand Opera, supported by fine musical performances.

Lindy Hume directs a new production of Mozart's masterpiece which proves a constant delight.

The Queen of the Night appeared as a malevolent giant spider, complete with exoskeleton, threatening Tamino with her stabbing limbs and summoning hordes of smaller spiders to writhe over Pamina when the latter hesitated to commit to Sarastro's murder.

It was hard not to be drawn in by the romance and tragedy as presented by such a sincere, credible and vocally talented young cast and a conductor with such strong identification with the idiom.

Charming and hilarious by turn, this production fields a largely young and Kiwi cast.

New Zealand Opera continues to strongly advocate Czech works, resulting in a gripping Káťa Kabanová.