Big artists, tiny room
Inspired by the spirit of downtown cabaret shows in New York, Paris, and Berlin, the Tiny Room Concert Series combines music and comedic narratives to delight and entertain. Taking place in the intimate setting of Arrowtown’s Blue Door, the Thursday shows feature local performers taking on big artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Oasis, David Bowie, and Fleetwood Mac.
The shows debuted in 2021 and were an immediate hit with the public as well as with the talented pool of working and part-time musicians in our region. Margaret O’Hanlon is the brains behind the operation – she also dabbles in the shows, too – and was inspired to put them on after noticing a lack of outlets for musicians to do something creative that doesn’t involve a bigger production.
“The concerts are only an hour and you get to weave together material on a common theme,” O’Hanlon says. “As an audience member, I go to listen to music and too often the performer is tucked away in some corner ignoring everyone while everyone ignores them. For the performer it is the challenge of interacting with the audience and finding something captivating to say.”
O’Hanlon says that she also loves to laugh, so mixing comedy with music seemed like a natural idea. The small size of the Blue Door inspired her to pull together something more intimate.
“The idea was that you either have your concert before dinner or after dinner, which is why the shows are 6.30 – 7.30 and 8.30 – 9.30.”
Right from the beginning O’Hanlon approached the performing arts community and asked if they wanted to participate. The idea was that the artists would put together an hour long show that would be based around a particular musical icon or genre and pepper it with comedy.
“It was always meant to be a very feel-good experience. Thought provoking at times, but certainly not a ‘downer’. I always wanted that blend of comedy and music because that’s where my background lies.”
O’Hanlon credits part of the success of the series to her consistency – right from the get-go she insisted on the programme running for a minimum of three months – enough time for people to get around to seeing the shows and enjoying them, and musicians to get involved. In the beginning she did have to remind patrons to be quiet and pay attention during the shows.
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“We got a lot of backlash from people. We got people pissed off that we had the audacity to ask them to not speak. I always say to people that it’s crazy that there’s a lack of consideration given to a live performer that you wouldn’t dare not give to a movie.”
Three years on and the shows are more popular than ever, with performers and audiences alike having a great time. People understand the concept now and O’Hanlon is thrilled they’re so into it. The shows are unique to Queenstown – and New Zealand – with performers excited to share something different with the audience.
“The other thing that it’s evolved into is that you have full bands, it’s not just somebody standing up there in front of a mic with a backing track. It’s a collaborative experience – a true underground club experience, if you will, and that was not necessarily my total doing, that was the local music community, where people started to really get into it and really mastering it,” O’Hanlon says.
You can head to the Humanitix page to see upcoming shows and grab tickets at collections.humanitix.com/tiny-room-concerts or sign up for O’Hanlon’s Whirlwind newsletter at whirlwindnz.com to stay up-to-date with the shows.
