Kia Hiwa Rā! Tuatahi ake rā ka huri ngā whakaaro ki te tini ahuatanga o te wā nei o Matariki! Matariki hunga nui! Manawatia a Matariki! Tuarua ka whakanuia ka tika ki te whānau o The Tīwhas! He miharo tēnei wheako! Nei ra te mihi aroha ki a koutou!

The Tīwhas: A Matariki Spectacular lights up the stage with unapologetic glamour and profound cultural celebration. This production is much more than entertainment and a fine dining experience of delicious shared kai from Chouchou – it’s a living, breathing constellation of Māori excellence and the talent of our takatāpui community.

Set in the intimate space of Circa Theatre’s Chouchou Restaurant and Bar, The Tīwhas pulls audiences into a glitter-soaked wharenui of laughter, waiata, lip-sync battles and wānanga. The production is fiercely entertaining while weaving in a deep reverence for Matariki – honouring the stars, the stories, the whānau who came before and the futures yet to be dreamed.

At the heart of the show are the stunning Tīwhas, whose stage presence is commanding and generous. The stellar cast of queens and performers – Dame Jthan (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Magiagi, Sapapāli’i, Lotofaga) Tina Coco Couture (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hikairo) Slay West and Pania (Ngāti Tūwharetoa)  – each brings their own mauri to the stage.

Tina Coco Couture (Te Hāmama Hohua), a powerful storyteller grounds the show with moments of soulful reflection and kapa haka flair. Slay West brings the laughs and pure party energy, with comedic timing honed from years of drag hosting, while Pania (Raureti Ormond) adds musical theatre polish and rangatahi vibrancy, affirming the next generation’s place in the whakapapa of performance. Dame Jthan (Jthan Morgan) is a powerhouse and instigates deep belly laughs from myself and the table I am sat at! I absolutely love the crowd interaction from Dame Jthan also!

The Tīwha’s are accompanied by talented musicians Kree Matthews (Te Atihaunui a Paparangi) Tom Knowles (Rongowhakaata) and Hayden Taylor (Ngāi Tahu), whose skills add to the overall feel good entertainment of the show!

The design elements elevate the experience without overshadowing the kaupapa. Kate Anderson’s direction ensures a seamless flow between set pieces, while the lighting by Marshall Rankin and sound design by Henry Ashby shift us between celestial reverence and nightclub rapture. This is skilfully operated by the man, myth and legend Hāmi Hawkins (Ngāti Kahungunu). The costume design, which earned a 2024 Wellington Theatre Award nomination, deserves special mention – each look is a whakapapa in fabric form, mixing high fashion with cultural motif. So many costume changes, I wish I took more photos as inspo for my Pinterest board!

What makes The Tīwhas truly original is its balance: it educates without preaching, entertains without diluting the kaupapa, and invites all – Māori and tauiwi alike – to honour Matariki not just as a holiday, but as a call to remember, to rest, and to rejoice.

In a world that often boxes Māori and queer expression into narrow tropes, The Tīwhas bursts through – glitter first – to remind us that joy is resistance, laughter is healing and Matariki shines brightest when we shine together.

Nau mai piri mai ki ngā whakaaturanga e toe ana!

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer

Luscious wigs, sequined to the gawds and heels stomping the stage. The Tīwhas know how to delight audiences wherever they slay.

The Right Royal Cabaret Festival is making waves here in New Plymouth, Taranaki, celebrating the art of Cabaret performance in all its glory, wonder and fantastical entertainment. Last night’s performance from The Tīwhas was nothing short of spectacular.

Dame Jthan, Pania and Slay West are a triple threat, Māori Drag Queen collective, accompanied by The Tīwha Band, Kree Matthews, Hayden Taylor and Tom Knowles. Together, they bring the art of Māori storytelling through the emergence of Drag Performance, Kapa Haka, waiata, Te Reo, ending the evening with remembrance and karakia.

The Tīwhas: A Matariki Spectacular is not just a performance. This is an education in the brilliance of Māori understanding of each whetu (star) of the Matariki Cluster, and why Puanga, here on the West Coast correlates to Matariki. Our Takatāpui Queens sing and dance through numerous bangers, burst out laughing skits and good ole fashion banter between themselves, their band and us in the audience, to bring us the story of Matariki.

It is beautiful to also see The Tīwhas Queens give the spotlight over to their band, with Matthews and Knowles having their moment with us as an audience singing along with them, or just in awe of wairua-filled vocals.

With all the sequins, high octane dance numbers, harmonies and musicality, there are two moments which stand out. There is a moment near the beginning, and also when the show concludes. Without spoiling anything, you feel your tupuna, you feel the aroha and you feel the kotahitanga within the room. The unexpected wave of emotion during those moments is what ties everything together and what makes this show perfect for the Right Royal Cabaret Festival this week.

The Tīwhas have their final performance for the festival tonight (Saturday) at Owae Marae in Waitara. Tickets are still on sale, so get in quick before they disappear.

There is pride in being Māori, pride in being Takatāpui and pride in performance art. It’s Māori story telling with its heels on!

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer