April 9, 2021

Mansfield – In Her Own Words to be performed live for the first time…

New dates have been confirmed for some of Aotearoa’s finest to tour album based on the poetry of Katherine Mansfield.

Following a postponement due to COVID lockdowns in 2020, the highly anticipated live performance of Mansfield – In Her Own Words has confirmed new 2021 dates. A full complement of top-notch Kiwi musicians will be joined by narrator Miranda Harcourt to perform the expansive masterpiece that is the album Mansfield. Showing in both cities for one night only, Mansfield – In Her Own Words will be performed live for the first time, coming to Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre, June 14, and Auckland’s Bruce Mason Centre, June 20.

Released in February 2020 and available for streaming, Mansfield is an album curated by Charlotte Yates, translating the melodic beauty of Katherine Mansfield’s words into music by some of Aotearoa’s finest musicians. A critical success this inspired album offers some of our most talented artists composing and producing a song inspired by a poem by the iconic New Zealand writer.

“It is a beautiful and bizarre thing, this album, with tracks ranging from weird to wonderful… The artists featured showcase their many talents whilst showcasing the talents of our frequently known, oft-overlooked, New Zealand icon.”
☆☆☆☆☆
– Peter-James Dries for music.net.nz

“Mansfield is already the queen of our National literary canon, but I vote for ‘The Wounded Bird’, ‘Malade’, ‘The Awakening River’, The Bat’s haunting, cinematic ‘Sanary’, hell the whole album, to be admitted to the Great Kiwi Songbook, too.”
– Kylie Klein-Nixon for Stuff

The powerful live show will include performances of every song from the 12-track album, assembling the artists together for the first time in what will be a true celebration of music and writing from Aotearoa. The artists performing are Anna Coddington, Lawrence Arabia, Lontalius, Mel Parsons, Will Ricketts and Toby Laing, Lorina Harding, Charlotte Yates with Darren Mathiassen, Show Pony and Johnny Lawrence, The Bats, Julia Deans, French For Rabbits, Tusiata Avia and Delaney Davidson. This is a rare opportunity to see so many local artists at the absolute top of their game as they embark on a magical evening of Kiwi music not to be missed, and unlikely to ever be repeated.

Offering a peek into the diary of one of New Zealand’s most celebrated and beloved writers, the show has become a beautiful and theatrical narrative detailing the life story of Mansfield herself. Rather than album order, the songs will be performed in chronological order, with Miranda Harcourt reading some of Mansfield’s incredible letters, taken from five immaculate volumes of intricately annotated writing. Forming a script, this show will reveal the intimate details of this iconic woman’s life.