Out and About: The Moe Show and the APO

Before we go into the details of this Out and About, a little bit of background is needed. The Moe Show is a New Zealand children’s television show that CJ is absolutely in love with. It stars a furry monster called Moe who lives in a tree house in the Coromandel region of New Zealand and several of his friends – Jason, Fern, Frank and Gilbert. CJ loves it for all the exciting adventures that Moe goes on and the songs. Mummy loves it because of the use of Te Reo (Maori language) and the subtle inclusion of adult-targeted humour a la Shrek.

One evening while browsing Facebook I saw an advertisement for a special The Moe Show event at the Auckland Town Hall. They were going to be performing a show with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra called Moe’s Musical Mystery. I must admit that I did hum and hah a little bit before organizing the (free!) tickets – CJ would be just shy of fifteen months when we attended and is super active. In the end though, I couldn’t deny him the chance to see his idol so I arranged to have the day off call for work and pressed purchase on the tickets.

We drove into the city early to make sure we’d get there in time and CJ was awesome about the wait, taking the opportunity to explore the town hall and “chat” to fellow Moe-goers. We even got a Moe sticker and bought a Moe badge from the souvenir stand. The doors opened and we walked in to find some traditional seating but also a whole bunch of beanbags – being that we have an active wee dude we decided on the bean bags. The lights went down and the show began – I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on CJ’s face when Moe appeared on stage! He was so incredibly happy… what a special moment to experience.

What I didn’t realize was that the Auckland Philharmonia does a lot of family friendly events, including an upcoming Open Orchestra in July. Most of these events are free, so a family can drive, bus or catch the train into the city and enjoy a cultural experience for very little! What a great way to introduce your kids to classical music and create some of the Philharmonic’s littlest supporters. We’ll definitely be keeping our eyes peeled for more of these opportunities in future.