The NZ International Comedy Festival is a desperately needed laugh in a pretty dull and empty cultural calendar and for singles or couples, it’s the best date night around.
The worst part of comedy in NZ used to be the drunk fuckwits who think they are funny enough to heckle, thankfully the scene has matured enough and the joy of hearing a room full of NZers laughing at something clever gives you hope for the future.
What was interesting to me was that most of the comedians were far better in smaller more intimate venue than the rock concert space the Civic requires, so if you saw a comedian and it played a bit flat, trust me the more intimate venues allow for a far better transfer of comedy.
Highlights of both shows are as follows…
John Gordillo’s impersonation of his father Spanish Father is sidesplittingly hilarious. I detest impersonations as one step up from mime artists and shadow puppetry, but the intellectual rigour Gordillo brings to his fathers world view on gay marriage is both hilarious and genuinely touching. Defiantly worth a ticket.
Sara Pascoe’s take on relationships will provoke plenty of elbows in the ribs of partners. She is wickedly funny and it is clever. Worth checking out.
Carl Donnelly is a must see. His uber cool delivery and hilarious story telling makes him one of the real highlights. His story about the worst party he ever went to is so uncomfortably funny and cringing you can’t help but bely laugh.
James Acaster’s style of dead pan delivery is difficult to beat. Very funny and another highly recommended show.
Jason Byrne – a tall Irish chap who starts his show by swinging in on a wrecking ball with a penchant for using testicals as xylophones – how can you possibly afford to miss this?
Ian D. Montfort – Tom Binns has created the funniest Psychic, Ian D. Montfort, who can speak with dead people you don’t know. Genius, pure genius and a must see.
Marcel Lucont – He enters on stage barefoot, wearing a suit and skivvy combo with a glass of red wine in the best french philosopher tradition. This is a total must see of the festival. Clever, witty and so dry, it is French comedy at its most existentially brilliant.
Steve Hughes – angry Australian, worth seeing if you are feeling hateful. Very dark humour.
Stephen K Amos – Amos is such a class act, his graceful charm and dignified hilarity make him another must see of 2014.
Sam Simmons – Ok. He comes on stage with a bag of bread rolls and two large bread loaves. Declares he wants to ‘wear bread slippers’ and proceeds to stuff his feet into the bread loaves, throws the remaining bread rolls into the crowd and then pulls out two ping pong paddles and yells at the crowd to throw the rolls back while he hits them back. Pure genius! You. Must. See. This. Show!
Jarred Christmas – Tp be blunt, I’m not really that much of a fan of NZ comedy. I want to like it, but much of it just isn’t actually very funny. Christmas is one of the few exceptions, his overseas experience on the comedy circuit has lifted him into the very funny realm. Well worth checking out.
Rose Matafeo – I don’t really ever watch Ben and Jono at 10 – mostly because their timeslot clashes with my social life, but I am told that it can be very funny, and I’m assuming some of that must be down to Rose. I haven’t really seen much of her work in the past, but the short snippet she had at the Comedy Gala is enough to demand a repeat perforce. The comedy is clever and her comedic timing is pinpoint. Go see her.
James Nokise – anyone who can pull off a white jacket is worth buying ticket to. Very funny. Worth checking out.
