by Metropol | September 16, 2026 8:33 am
Traverse history and follow the life of William Shakespeare while being dazzled by the talent on stage in Sweet William or Born to be Bard by Neill Pickard QSM.
Back in the day when paper was king and digital merely meant you had a fancy watch with lit up numbers on it, all seemed lost when after the last performance of Sweet William in the 1990s the scores went missing. It was almost befitting a Shakespearean plot line. But, thanks to some post-Canterbury earthquakes garage-tidying by a staff member from the last production, the scores were found and returned to Neill Pickard (who, amongst other claims to fame, started the Christchurch Jazz School) and there is once again a future for the instantly appealing musical Sweet William or Born to be Bard. With just enough Shakespearean language to leave you feeling quite clever, and not so much that you have flashbacks to being lost in English class in high school, the story flows beautifully with a vibrant selection of musical numbers from classical to rock, usually toe tapping, sometimes moving.
Staged at The Piano in Armagh Street over the weekend of 16 to 18 October, this epic show is brought to you by Enchanting Productions, the theatre company brainchild of producer and director Louise Glossop.
Enchanting Productions has brought you such stunning musicals as The Secret Garden: Spring Edition, A Little Night Music, Fairystories, Oliver Jr, The Sound of Music: Youth Edition, and just in July, Children of Eden Jr. The lead roles of Will Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I are superbly played by Nic Kyle and Juliet Reynolds-Midgley who showcase their well-known professional talents and lead a fabulously talented multi-generational cast of 45 to bring you a show that is reminiscent of the likes of Jesus Christ Superstar.
With fabulous choreography by Amy Potts and sublime new arrangements by Gabriel Baird (CSO), plus a seven-piece live professional band including Richie Pickard on bass and Adam Tobeck from Auckland on drums, Christchurch theatre-goers won’t want to miss seeing and hearing so much talent under one roof.
Sweet William or Born to be Bard is playing at The Piano from 16 to 18 October. Get your tickets now at humanitix.com or via enchantingproductions.co.nz.
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