24 May 2022 - 0 Comments

New Zealand’s love affair with musicals is about to get a whole lot more personal.

This August, the home of musicals The Civic, Auckland, will host the world premiere of Pacifica The Musical -- an original, large-scale production featuring a catalogue of the biggest Kiwi pop songs ever, a story of love and legend set in the South Seas and a riot of colour and energy synonymous with the Pacific.

With hits from artists including Hinewehi Mohi, Annie Crummer, Sola Rosa, Che Fu, Anika Moa, Hollie Smith, King Kapisi, Nesian Mystik, Brooke Fraser, P-Money, Stan Walker and Six60, this musical has been 20 years in the making and designed for a worldwide international audience.

The story begins a long time ago when a curse falls upon an island community and its descendants after a young boy loses a taonga. Fast forward to modern Auckland where a young man is told the dark secret about his island’s past. Leaving behind the girl he is falling in love with, he goes on a journey to discover the truth about his heritage, and to confront the challenge of his identity and his past. His life is changed forever.

In the tradition of smash-hit jukebox musicals like Mamma Mia!, We Will Rock You, Jersey Boys, and Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Pacifica The Musical’s score will take audiences on a magical journey, blending sounds and styles from around the Pacific, until what emerges is a cohesive sound of Aotearoa /New Zealand today.

Pacifica The Musical will feature an all-star cast of New Zealand’s finest entertainers and the best exponents of stage craft, with vocal direction and cameo performance from the Lion King’s Nick Afoa, musical direction from Stan Walker and Teeks’ MD, Jacob Nansen; and dazzling Pacific inspired costumes. Choreography will be by Hadleigh Pouesi , whose Sweet & Sour crew brought back New Zealand’s first gold medal from the World Hip Hop Championships.

Pacifica The Musical is written and produced by entertainment industry veteran Pak Peacocke, a name you may not have heard of but whose works you’ll be familiar with. For the past 30 years, he’s been on the road with acts including INXS, Talking Heads, Simple Minds, U2 and Elton and executed the 2015 Criket World Cup Opening, Auckland Festival Outdoor extravaganzas, Lions Tour Fan Zone, Aotearoa Music Awards to name a few.

“To see Pacifica come alive on stage is a dream come true,” says Pak. “This is production is for everyone, not just musical theatre fans, not just Pacifica people but everyone who has a heartbeat. It’s a story and experience that not only tells a story of who we are as a nation, but one that will showcase our stories and talent to the world.”

Pak explains that the idea began in the 1980s while on tour in America.

“My hometown Auckland was a stark contrast to mid-west America in terms of culture, creativity and ethnic diversity. The idea to share the great things about contemporary Auckland with the world started to develop.

“By 2000 I had chosen a vehicle that would reach the most people, a pop culture musical, and sorted a list of 120 New Zealand original songs down to 18 and arranged them into a love story.

“Since then I have been refining the show, recruiting the best collaborators from NZ, raising support and continuing to monitor the global theatre musical market, waiting for the right time. That time is now, with our world premiere confirmed to open at the Civic on August 19, 2022.”

Be part of this history-making production. Celebrate our Pacific soul, creativity and flair. Tickets on sale today via Ticketmaster from just $49.00

SEASON DETAILS
Venue: The Civic, Auckland
Dates: From August 19 – 28
Times: Tuesday 6:30pm | Wednesday – Friday 7:30pm | Saturday 2:00pm & 7:30pm | Sunday 3pm
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Price: From $49

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