The Civic

I desperately want to dislike this place, because it’s just sooooo tacky and over the top. But the thing is it’s so overt and unapologetic about it, with the gold and the columns and the faux-​sky ceiling and all the rest of it, that you can’t help but like it much in the same way as you like the class clown for his goofiness. Of course I’m assuming that it WAS their intention to take the décor to extremes as a bit of a ‘statement’ of theatreness… can’t imagine otherwise. But it’s just so fascinating to look at, trying to take in the countless little details; and it does lend an element of excitement and anticipation, being in such a colourful and elaborate space. And also the theatre itself (as opposed to the lobby etc) is really snug, comfortable, a pleasant place to be. And again, the OTT décor makes you feel excited as a little kid. The olden-​day ‘cityscape’ flanking the seating area is awesome, as is the starlit ceiling… my favourite part about our trip to the theatre was honestly sitting there taking it all in before the show began.
I would’ve given 5 stars on account of the excitement factor and making me feel like a little kid again, except that on the afternoon we went, they were having some serious logistical issues. This was the matinée of Cats, and there was a massive human traffic jam heading up the main staircase to the balcony-​level entrance. I think we stood there, inching our way up along with perhaps 150 others, for a good 10 – 15 minutes. I understand it’s tricky to do much about something like that, but it did strike me as strange. I mean, if you put in a theatre with a certain capacity you should plan for traffic accordingly. Plus I don’t mean to sound precious but it seemed like a ready hazard, that big crowd jammed on quite a steep set of stairs… not hard to see how one person falling backwards could end badly.

I went to see Cats. Awesome service and performance. Great atmosphere. Service and staff was friendly guide to the seats. During the break you can have some drinks and beverage. I would recommended as a high quality service

I was here the other weekend when they had the NZIFF on. The Civic was as beautiful as I remembered it. We had back to back movies (The Asssasin and Ex Machina), even though we did have a break in between, the seats at the Civic isn’t that comfortable…

The Civic theater may not be on my opera house bucket list, but it is undoubtedly, my favourite theater venue in Aucks.
I love the pre-​concert magic carpet ride… enter the foyer and the magic carpet takes you through an Indian Temple, complete with seated Buddhas. From the golden temples of India, the magic carpet whisks you into an auditorium of beautiful turrets and minarets that glisten and sparkle under a starlit Arabian night sky. Your magic carpet ride comes to an end, as you take your seat but the adventure continues! Stay on guard with the Abyssinian Panthers who lie in wait to see what lurks behind the curtain!
Ps. Don’t waste your money on an ice cream from the bar during the break! Head over to Giapo’s, instead!

Unequivocally my FAVOURITE venue in Auckland! There is something quite magical about this place. From the beautifully themed entrance lobby to the star covered ceiling in the theatre itself the Civic never fails to impress.
Their line up of musicals, orchestral performances, theatre and Opera are the best of the best too!
Close to public transport and parking close by it is an easy place to get to as well which is a convenient bonus

Go for it… Choose the event you wanna see and go. It s just plane beautiful inside… and right in the town… lets get some arts going

I have a few shows here over the years, I do like it here. It’s like an old coat that you enjoy it’s history, but still fits and keeps you warm. It has a good atmosphere, so enjoy watching the stars twinkle whilst waiting for the show to start.

So beautiful is how one could describe it. It is fantastic to know and see a building which has been kept in such architecturally beautiful condition, so ornate and colourful. There can’t be much if anything in the country that can compare to it. Not just that it is also a credit to those who work there that the place is kept clean and the staff are good at what they do. We went to see the Illusionists 2.0 there and that was fantastic, but what a big contrast though no damper on the show it was to have all the multi coloured lights, strobes and smoke etc within the old ornate building. And to top it all off you have the star filled sky above…

I have a special bond with the Civic, when I was a kid my grandmother worked there and I would often get to go into the Civic and the Wintergarden theatres and run through the back halls and rooms, this was during the days of the St James theatre when no-​one had even heard of a multiplex. I’ve been up to the top and seen the stars, I’ve played with the glowing eyed lions. In part I think the bond I have with the Civic is a little more intense but no less symbolic then the one the rest of Auckland has with it. The Civic is possibly more iconic than the Auckland Town Hall and it seems to sit astride the heart of the Auckland CBD.
Inside the Civic, the entrance hall remains mostly unchanged with the exception of the candy bar that used to sell Tangy Fruits, with a glass of wine or beer being the order of the day. Yes folks the Civic ascended from its cinema roots and matured to be an actual Theatre.
In all its changes, its not lost its Grandiose 1940’s charm and while the seats are still packed in there, you can sit in the Civic and know you’re part of Auckland’s long history with the Arts. Wellington is still considered the cultural capital of New Zealand, but its got competition here.

I absolutely adore this gorgeous heritage theatre. Built in the late 1920’s, going to a show here feels like you are stepping back in time. I still vividly remember coming here on school trips and being mesmirised by the domed ceiling of stars.
Perfect for the ballet, opera and theatre productions, if the opportunity arises to see a show here I definitely recommend taking it!

When you go to a show or an event at The Civic, you can certainly appreciate the stunning beauty of the surroundings, but it is secondary to the event itself, so you lose something of the magic of the place.
I worked at The Edge for several years and visited The Civic countless times during off-​peak hours. One thing I’ve noticed is that it is always the same atmosphere inside, perhaps due to minimal ventilation and complete absence of natural light. You could be there at midday or midnight but once inside you wouldn’t know the difference.
I was also lucky enough to join a tour given by the head of restoration George Farrant who spent several hours taking us through all the nooks and crannies, including inside the upstairs staircase, and talking us through the incredible work they completed to restore the theatre.
Just one such example was the night sky, which had just been a bunch of small light bulbs that twinkled at a random sequence. George and his team devised a complete new system that mimicked the Southern hemisphere sky at night, even down to the sequencing of the twinkles. This sequence is run before the start of any show, as people are walking in to be seated, so I recommend arriving 20 minutes early to admire it.
Another thing I remember him saying was about the plaster friezes in the foyer; they were so degraded that prior to restoration only one was intact. He took it home and made enough replicas in his garage to replace all the damaged ones around the foyer. Such was the scale of the entire restoration project to give us the beautiful building we admire today.
There are many people who are so passionate about The Civic. They’ve created a movie, The Mighty Civic, a group called Friends of The Civic and once a year there are public tours of the building with guides who know the history. Well worth checking out.

The Civic Theatre has great personality, and you kind of can’t help but love its tacky, over done aesthetic. Parts of it’s architecture are incredibly beautiful, don’t get me wrong… I love the flamboyancy of it all. Tons of international acts come through here (ballet, plays, opera) as well as film screenings during the Auckland International Film Festival. Last year I came here to see a movie (Charlie Chaplin and a silent film by Alfred Hitchcock) and the orchestra pit had been repaired. It was such a surreal experience to realize that all the music coming in time with the films was coming from an invisible live orchestra hidden just beneath the front of the screen (I wish I could’ve been able to see them, but of course they need light to read their music…)

Everybody loves the civic. If you pay a visit, you’ll immediately understand why. It’s imbued with that magnificent kind of faded glory which just washes over you and seeps into any performance or work you see there.
They program a wide variety of pieces, ranging from big, boring musicals which have traipsed over from Australia or America, to contemporary and classical works from the Royal New Zealand Ballet. The Civic even serves as the hallmark venue for the New Zealand International Comedy, Film, and Arts festivals.
The theatre is huge and beautiful and is curiously fitted with some kind of subcontinental façade (complete with plasticine tigers and an ultra-​whimsical roof which looks like the night sky (complete with ebbing and flowing clouds).

I have never seen a bad movie at The Civic — do they show bad movies? I feel like it only screens good movies so as to emphasize the amazing décor.
I have been here for numerous film festival movies and the place never ceases to amaze me.
Walking in is stunning enough — with heaps of different themed rooms and big sweeping staircases, you immediately get the idea that there are a a lot of hidden gems in here.
In the cinema, the lights are colourful and the décor is intricate. There are heaps of little lights on the roof which look like stars, and these can be seen throughout the whole movie.
Seeing a movie at the Civic is a really cool experience, I recommend it to everyone.

I really do think the Civic is the number one theatre in Auckland… maybe in New Zealand (it has a rival in St James Theatre in Wellington). Not only is it an absolutely beautiful venue with a Moorish theme and opulently carved staircases painted in gold, it’s also steeped in history. I’ve seen a number of shows at the Civic (mostly musicals) and I’ve always enjoyed gazing up at the starscape with it’s gently floating clouds and shooting stars before the show begins. The Wintergarden (below the main theatre) is also an amazing venue that would be perfect for a ball… just like the ones they had in the 40s when the Civic was in its heyday.

I was watching King Kong the other day, and in the scene when he is presented to the public I nearly spat out my banana sundae. This giant beast was in the Civic theatre! I always enjoy seeing New Zealand in movies — or hearing a main character describe it as some out of the way place (Point Break,) so this was a great experience. The building itself is one of the few places in Auckland that deserves the title «iconic.» From the entrance hall with its gold plated elephants and plush carpets, to the actual theatre itself, the Civic is well worth the millions spent refurbishing it in the early 2000’s. I like to get there early before a show and have a few glasses of wine, pretending I, too, am about to see a giant gorilla. I haven’t managed to yet, but the shows that I have been to have been great — as you’d expect in such surroundings.

What a gem! The Civic, in the heart of Auckland’s CBD is one of the last surviving Atmospheric Theatre’s in the world. For those that may be unaware, this type of theatre, as the name suggests, is all about the impression. It has an ornate decorative interior with immaculate craftsmanship; the ceiling gives the illusion that the open night sky is right above us, like an Amphitheatre. I recently went there for the first time and I probably appeared very childlike eyeballing all the details with many ewwws and ahhhhs escaping my mouth. I loved the show by Shen Yun Performing Arts, but also very much loved the theatre itself, very impressive. The show we saw was on a Saturday night and it was a full house. The Civic staff were very friendly and professional. The very long line to the women’s bathroom during intermission was the only small hiccup.

Took my mum here a few months ago for her first ever theatre experience, and she was just in awe of the place. They just don’t build theatres like this anymore. The Civic occupies one of the most prominent street corners in central Auckland, and the imposing façade fits the location perfectly — it’s a landmark. Head inside, and there’s a definite sense of occasion — red carpets, carved golden walls and chandeliers. The theatre itself is perfectly sized and incredibly ornate — the walls are beautifully carved, and the roof is designed to look like the night sky — you could almost be sitting out under the stars in plush comfort.
Whatever’s on, the Civic has a wonderful sense of occasion that you just don’t get at lesser venues. We’ve knocked down plenty of grand old buildings in Auckland — I’m glad this one has been kept perfect over the years!

The Civic is a truly magical theatre right in the centre of Auckland.
I still remember the first time I walked in and got wrapped up in the atmosphere; the muted, coloured lighting, the plush-​carpeted stairs that sweep you up to the theatre itself, the bubble of excitement as theatre-​goers wait for the show, or music fans wait for their favourite act.
Inside the theatre is where the real drama lies though — it’s made to look like you’re in an old-​fashioned open-​air auditorium, looking up at the twinkling stars above. Sometimes there are even shooting stars! I can’t actually remember what I went to see my first time in the Civic, all I remember is the building itself! In more recent years I’ve been thrilled to attend Bob Dylan and Rufus Wainwright gigs there, which were both beautiful productions, helped along by the Civic atmosphere itself.