REVIEW: Phil Wang (NZ International Comedy Festival)

May 10, 2018

[Patriotasian] Phil Wang doesn’t describe himself as a minority, despite his Asian appearance. Instead, he suggests he’s two majorities (Chinese-Malaysian and British), due to his bi-racial heritage. It’s a funny subversion, but also a telling one. Ideologically, Wang plays almost a devil’s advocate to first-world progressivism, poking fun at liberal tendencies without ever resorting to ad hominem attacks or betraying […]

REVIEW: Hal Cruttenden: Straight Outta Cruttenden (NZ International Festival)

May 11, 2017

[Credible] For someone billed as “A right royal king of the UK Pro circuit” we’ve got to be honest: we expected more. Yes the show was perfectly acceptable and Hal Cruttenden kept the crowd laughing through his articulate language skills, but it wasn’t anything special and definitely not memorable. I suppose for someone who is a seasoned comedian, who has been on “Live […]

REVIEW: Back With a New Show: Nish Kumar (NZ International Comedy Festival)

April 25, 2016

[Return couldn’t come sooner] My only regret in seeing Nish Kumar’s debut performance at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival last year was that it was his final night, because I would have paid to have seen him again. Fortunately, this year, not only does Kumar have a longer run, he’s been elevated to The Classic mainstage as opposed to […]

REVIEW: Reset: James Acaster (NZ International Comedy Festival)

April 25, 2016

[No Do-Over] Since his first show in New Zealand, James Acaster has had an acclaimed presence in our comedy scene. From the New Zealand Comedy Guild’s Best International Act Award in 2013 (Prompt) to the New Zealand International Comedy Festival’s Best International Show Award in 2014 (Bread), his risible observations, delivered in a dulcet and placid cadence, have been readily […]

REVIEW: Nish Kumar – NZ Debut (NZ International Comedy 2015)

May 6, 2015

Wishin’, prayin’ Nish is stayin’ [by Matt Baker] Nish Kumar has been performing comedy for 10 years, and it shows – in the best possible way. From board game politics to the liberalism of society, Kumar is an incredibly intelligent comedian whose observational comedy is rich with political and social relevance, while all the time avoiding condemnation and delivering in hilarity. […]

REVIEW: John Gordillo Cheap Shots at the Defenceless (NZ International Comedy Festival)

May 13, 2014

‘Ceriously’ Cerebral Comedy [by Sharu Delilkan] It was hard not to overhear some of the great crowd comments as we filed out of The Classic following John Gordillo’s show Cheap Shots at the Defenceless – “high brow”, “excellent”, “different” and “hilarious”, to name a few. It all started with a bang and the capacity crowd hushed before the man himself […]

REVIEW: Terry Alderton (Comedy Festival)

May 10, 2011

Be afraid, be very very afraid! [by Sharu Delilkan] I have to admit that when the usher led me to my seat, right in front of the stage, I immediately asked to swap for a seat further behind because I was not ready to be the butt of the jokes that night. I could just see the comedian for the […]