REVIEW: Rose Matafeo Finally Dead (NZ International Comedy Festival 2015)

April 29, 2015

Dead funny [by Matt Baker] It’s a subject most of us have thought about at some point, albeit not necessarily to the degree to which Rose Matafeo has. Funeral playlists are usually the first things people think of, and it’s no different for Matafeo’s comedy festival show Finally Dead, in which she hosts her own funeral. It’s a great premise and […]

REVIEW: Nautlius – Trygve Wakenshaw (NZ International Comedy Festival 2015)

April 29, 2015

The Great Deconstructionist [by James Wenley] In the context of the Comedy Festival, one of the most subversive things you can do is take piss out of the stand-ups. 2014 Fred Award winner Trgyve Wakenshaw, through one of his many characters that makes up Nautlius, takes to this with glee. He mimes the indulgent stand-up who sticks a microphone in an audience […]

REVIEW: DeAnne Smith Get Into It (NZ International Comedy Festival 2015)

April 29, 2015

De-Amn! [by Matt Baker] While the world would be a better place without feeling the need to have to mention gender politics, it does need to be noted that if a comedienne can have the male 30+ demographic of her audience laughing about vaginal waxing, she’s nailing her material. The blurb for DeAnne Smith’s show Get Into It ends by saying […]

REVIEW: Guy Montcomedy (NZ International Comedy Festival 2015)

April 28, 2015

Seen one Montgomery, seen all his Montcomedies? [by Matt Baker] Those of you who know Guy Montgomery’s work from Snort will already have an idea of the absurdity of this up-and-coming New Zealand comedian’s style. For those of you who don’t, there’s simply no way of preparing you for his farcical nature. Think of the weirdest joke that ever made you […]

REVIEW: Tim Batt Explores The Human Experience (NZ International Comedy Festival 2015)

April 28, 2015

Optimistic and Exuberant [by Matt Baker] The human condition is a universal concept, one which art helps us to understand. The human experience, however, can be much more personal and potentially humourous. It’s an incredibly broad topic, so comedian Tim Batt has narrowed his show’s narrative down to a significant period of his life: post break-up. It’s not an inherently hilarious one, […]

REVIEW: Brendon Green’s The Green Effect (NZ International Comedy Festival 2015)

April 27, 2015

Global Greening [by Matt Baker] Brendon Green is changing the world, one show and one problem at a time – or trying to at least. The show is structured on a familiar television format which has proved popular to New Zealand audiences via 7 Days. But the format also has the potential for not quite hitting the mark, as New Zealand’s version of […]

REVIEW: The Girl and the Gay (NZ International Comedy Festival 2015)

April 26, 2015

Grindr Profile: Looking for Laughs [by James Wenley] The font is bold and cartoonish, a pretty blue and pink wash covers the poster, which suggests one should expect a bright and breezy comedy. But the photograph sells a different show. Co-stars Chelsea McEwan Millar and Jordan Blaikie lie strewn on the floor, a look of earnest despondency on their faces. The […]

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