A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including: Brad Zimmerman in Skydiving With My Mum, Tom Binns as Ian D Montfort, and Sex Lies and Improvise: The Second Coming.

See more recent reviews at theatreview.org, the NZ Performing Arts Review & Directory.

A selection of reviews from Theatreview from the last week including: Brad Zimmerman in Skydiving With My Mum, Tom Binns as Ian D Montfort, and Sex Lies and Improvise: The Second Coming.

See more recent reviews at theatreview.org, the NZ Performing Arts Review & Directory.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - TOM BINNS AS IAN D MONTFORT: Mysterious comedy ideally pitched
- reviewed by John Smythe

Masquerading as Ian D Montfort, a lightly camp psychic from North East England – Sunderland, to be precise; well known, apparently, for harbouring a psychopathic killer – Tom Binns plays fast-and-loose with our willingness to suspend disbelief.

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The Horse and Trap, Enfield St, Mt Eden, Auckland - SEX LIES AND IMPROVISE: THE SECOND COMING: High energy entertainment and smut
- reviewed by Naomi Cohen

The fabulous comedic team from ConArtists are back in the second instalment of their R18-themed improv show filled with hilarious theatre sports style games with a very naughty twist.

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Opera House, Wellington - ARJ BARKER – GO TIME: Effortless and easy
- reviewed by Caoilinn Hughes

Barker is an affable American funnyman, inclined towards hippy-go-lucky philosophy. The philosophy encapsulated in Go Time – and I do love a good moral-of-the- comedy – prioritizes the heart over the head.

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Kitty O'Sheas, 28 Courtenay Place, Wellington - BRAD ZIMMERMAN IN SKYDIVING WITH MY MUM: Living the dream
- reviewed by John Smythe

Zimmerman’s timing and delivery elicit warm laughs and there is a relaxed charm about him that lets him get away with it. Besides, a guy that goes skydiving with his mum can’t be all bad, even if he goes a bit off-colour (joke-wise) in the retelling.

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Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland - DAI HENWOOD IN ADAPT OR DAI: Double-happy laughter experience
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

For me, the improvisational, free-form nature of comedy is what I find most endearing – and exacting – and Henwood is the master of it. He’s charming and amiable and his humour is clever, occasionally tart but never degrading, and always, always smartly performed.

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San Francisco Bathhouse, 171 Cuba St, Wellington - EWEN GILMOUR’S MIDLIFE CIRCUS: Well structured, accessible, f*ckin’ funny Westie humour
- reviewed by Nancy Catherine Fulford

Ewen Gilmore’s show Midlife Circus is f*ckin’ funny. I don’t usually swear, but after last night, I quite like it. It’s relaxing and reminds me of Ewen and what a great time I had. Man it was funny.

But not just funny: it was clever.

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The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - TITTY BAR HA!HA!: Smutty fun with surreal puppetry of the breasts
- reviewed by Kathryn van Beek

Down on luck and low on morals, Hope and Gloria find themselves working in a strip club in wartime England. As planes fly overhead and police bang on the door the duo perform to their audience of desperados and bond over their shared love of gin, sexual innuendo and the dead guy Johnny under the floorboards.

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Fringe Bar, Cnr Cuba & Vivian, Wellington - JAMES NOKISE IN SO–SO GANGSTA: Smart, from the heart, with political bite
- reviewed by Hannah Smith

James Nokise does not immediately appear like a gangsta: he is a little over dressed for the Fringe Bar actually, in a tux and tie. However, this show is all about defying and transforming perceptions, and so the fancy get up is apt.

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Thistle Hall, Wellington - ART BY FUNNY PEOPLE: Draw your own conclusions
- reviewed by Hannah Smith

Art by Funny People is something a bit different in the comedy festival: a gallery display of art works by comedians (or at least those affiliated with the world of comedy) with a nightly half hour performance by some of the comedic artists involved.

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Q, The Vault, Auckland - GERALDINE QUINN IN YOU’RE THE VOICE: SONGS FOR THE ORDINARY BY AN ANTHEMANIAC: Impressive vocal range deserves a bigger audience
- reviewed by Kate Ward-Smythe

Geraldine Quinn is a powerful singer with excellent vocal craft and stamina. I know of very few female vocalists who can belt, strut and flay themselves round stage for an hour, with the same intensity, passion and enthusiasm that Geraldine gifts to her audience in her one woman show, You’re The Voice.

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The Basement, Auckland - ROB LLOYD IN WHO, ME: Sharp, engaging and clever
- reviewed by Anna Stillaman

Who, Me sits somewhere between classic stand-up and theatrical performance. It is a one-man show that includes a wealth of chortling moments, and employs Rob Lloyd’s considerable talents as an actor, storyteller, comedian, MC and even dancer.

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Cavern Club, 22 Allen St, Wellington - TOM FURNISS IN THE DIARY OF GORDON LEAF-COOPER: Droll self-mockery and dry wit
- reviewed by Lucy O'Connor

Tom embarks on a journey to tell us the tale of Gordon Leaf-Cooper through a diary he discovered while scrounging through a Whakatane op-shop. The snippets are bizarre and it is obvious Gordon has a strange outlook on the more mundane moments in life. What a lucky find for a resourceful comedian!

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The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - GREG ELLIS IN VANCE FONTAINE FOR LOVERS: Improv’s Lovechild: Lyrical Love Lord extraordinaire
- reviewed by Vanessa Byrnes

If John Rowles, Barry White and improv guru Keith Johnstone could father a child together, Vance Fontaine might be it. Greg Ellis’s immense skills as an improviser are put to good use in this semi-structured show that tackles the peaks and troughs of amour.

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Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - VELA MANUSAUTE’S BIG BALLS: A poignant journey that enthrals and entertains
- reviewed by Bruce Robertson

He invites you to join his 'Fellowship of the Balls', where balls are used as a metaphor for things that are significant; white balls, short balls and coconut balls to name but a few.

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - VAUGHAN KING & ALAN MCELROY IN ONE BUCKET, TWO COMEDIANS: A hodgepodge of ‘hey, this’ll be funny’ ideas
- reviewed by John Smythe

Billed as “interactive chaos that you’ll never regret”, One Bucket, Two Comedians is an odd mixture of absurdist and crass comedy.

Opening the show in bad wigs – Vaughan King in frumpy drag; Alan McElroy in a strange outfit – they play cards, get physical and chase each other about, kicking a few randomly scattered buckets in the process ...

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BATS - Out Of Site - Cnr Cuba & Dixon, Wellington - THRILLS & SWOON: IMPROVISED ROMANCE: A happy blend of celebration and satire
- reviewed by John Smythe

The premise here is that a romance writer – Chandice Le Roux this night, played by Christine Brooks – wants to share her process with us and get our help. She has also roamed the foyer with her notebook getting ideas – and we take it on trust that she has not shared these with the team backstage in advance of the show going up.

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The Basement Studio, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - MICKEY D GET ON WITH IT!: Raucous, cheeky, crass, rambling, maniacal …
- reviewed by Sian Robertson

Mickey D's extremely crass scatological humour is sometimes just disgusting without being particularly funny (unless you're into that sort of thing?) but usually he manages to tick both boxes.

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Foxglove Queens Wharf Ballroom, 33 Queens Wharf, Wellington - RAYBON KAN IN RAYBON WITHOUT A CAUSE: Raybon Without Applause
- reviewed by Sam Purchas

From the back of the two-thirds full Foxglove Ballroom Raybon Kan introduces himself to the waiting mature audience and receives a cheering applause. It is the best response he receives for the rest of the show.

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Opera House, Wellington - WAYNE BRADY STILL MAKIN' SH*T UP: Yes to the Yes
- reviewed by Maryanne Cathro

In a festival crammed with stand up comics, Wayne Brady is one of the few internationals to be doing something different. He opens the show with a rap that incorporates words that Mangum has elicited from the audience. These included pulchritudinous and xenophobic. Creating rhymes that make sense is one of his talents.

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The Basement Studio, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - JOHN GLASS & JAMES ELLIOTT IN THE JIM JOHN JAM: Underdone
- reviewed by Stephen Lunt

Given our comedians' names, it is easy to figure out how they came up with the concept. Jam goes on bread … As we walk in, we are greeted with a huge toaster centre stage, big enough for two people... or two huge slices of bread.

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The Classic, Auckland - TOM GLEESON: Merciless truth
- reviewed by Kate Ward-Smythe

How refreshing to have an Australian stand-up comedian strut on stage and bag us Kiwis ruthlessly, to our face, rather than the expected and much safer ANZAC-induced suck-up to get on-side. Are we really bogan yet progressive, polite yet self-deprecating? Yeah, nah, ’spose we are. Fair call.

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Comedy Chamber, Town Hall, THE EDGE, Auckland - THE BIG SHOW 2013: Cross-over threads but all round good
- reviewed by Jan Maree

Our host Mickey D is a solid comedian with years of experience across the UK and the Pacific. He opens strongly; apologising for being Australian, and except for maybe Hamilton (note here that Hamilton takes a beating in this show) he assures us of his great love of all things Kiwi, not that he needs to win us over.

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The Classic Studio, Auckland - GORDON SOUTHERN THE KERFUFFLE: Honest humour
- reviewed by Jan Maree

I like Gordon Southern. He has three of the most important traits that I believe a comedian should have: he is charming, energetic and genuine. Having enjoyed watching him on stage as part of a line up or solo, I have come to expect that I'll always be left smiling afterwards.

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Opera House, Wellington - TOM GREEN: One for the fans
- reviewed by Stewart Lund

Tom Green is crazy, crass and pretty funny too. I have to say I had no expectations upon seeing his only show in Wellington, having not seen his self proclaimed "most critically reviled film of all time, Freddy Got Fingered" which Green wrote, directed and starred in.

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Whitireia Performance Centre, 25-27 Vivian Street, Wellington - THE BACCHAE: Audience robbed of chance to fully engage
- reviewed by John Smythe

The question is whether this version of The Bacchae should be reviewed on its own terms or in relation to its progenitors. If I have a stab at both, then, you can decide which is more relevant.

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Opera House, Wellington - STEPHEN K AMOS IS THE SPOKESMAN: An effortless glide of intelligent wit, spontaneity and interaction
- reviewed by Simon Howard

Australia forms the basis of much of his early material, with the British comedian poking fun at the experiences of his spell over there before heading to New Zealand.

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San Francisco Bathhouse, 171 Cuba St, Wellington - FANFICTION COMEDY: Good bad writing to inspire you
- reviewed by Charlotte Simmonds

Not quite a sampler show, but still allowing you to get the benefit of nine different performers for the price of one show, see a little of their personality and decide if you want to make it a priority to get along to their further individual shows, these comedians are actually reading out actual fan fiction that they’ve actually written!

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Circa Two, Wellington - THE IMPROVISORS IN THEATRESPORTS 2013: Energetic and light with some glowing comedic moments
- reviewed by Gabrielle Beran

The premise is simple, the atmosphere casual and the laughs forthcoming. Wellington locals, The Improvisors, are taking to the stage at Circa Two every Sunday for ten weeks, to show off a few rounds of Theatresports.

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Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - STAND UP FOR KIDS 2013: Fun for all, educational for parents
- reviewed by Shirin Brown

It’s hard to know what to expect when you turn up at an event called Stand-Up for Kids. Once you get over the fact that half the audience is under five and feels compelled to stand up themselves, stomp from the conveniently laid out mat to find their parents sitting in row 7G and H, and clamber over everyone in the process, you can almost relax.

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Opera House, Wellington - WILSON DIXON GREATEST HITS: Could give himself more freedom on stage
- reviewed by Caoilinn Hughes

It’s no revolution in the realm of stand-up comedy for the comedian to adopt a stage persona, particularly when that persona lends the comedian a ready-made platform from which to have fun with a cultural stereotype.

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Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland - THE 5 STAR INTERNATIONAL COMEDY SHOWCASE 2013: Polished, high quality, very funny show
- reviewed by Kathryn van Beek

It’s after the interval that things start to get a bit weird. Gangly, ginger-haired James Acaster strides out onto stage and one person in the crowd cannot stop laughing. “There’s not a lot you can do when you’re this naturally funny to one person,” he quips, but the laugher turns heckler and calls out, “That’s not funny.”

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The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - LATE LAUGHS 2013: Hot talent offers good value nightcap
- reviewed by Jan Maree

This is the first Late Laughs showcase of the festival and there is a crackling excitement brewing in the audience. This is the show where you will experience the edgier material, the controversial taboos blown wide open, the seamier more adult conventions of comedy and most definitely the 'C' word.

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Opera House, Wellington - THE 5 STAR INTERNATIONAL COMEDY SHOWCASE 2013: Big laughs and big contrasts
- reviewed by Gabrielle Beran

The set up is like a bad joke: four Englishmen and an Australian walk into the Opera House… Fortunately for The Five Star Comedy Tour, the jokes are anything but.

Host Stuart Goldsmith knows how to endear an audience with observational jokes about New Zealand life along with a healthy dose of flattery. To his delight, the first heckle occurs twenty seconds into the show and he manages to get the audience to put their arms around their neighbours resulting in, “Not the beginning any of us imagined.”

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Q Theatre. Rangatira - return season, Auckland - THE 5PM PROJECT: Guy plus guys
- reviewed by Jan Maree

Hosted by comedy darling Guy Williams, The 5pm Project is aimed at a slightly younger comedy audience, and they are out in numbers for this one-off clean* comedy showcase. A super initiative to bring the under 18 year olds into the live comedy environment, a place they would not normally be able to be, given that so many venues are restricted to 18+.

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Fale Pasifika, University of Auckland, Auckland - MELE KANIKAU - A PAGEANT BY JOHN KNEUBUHL: Cultural essence thoroughly examined
- reviewed by Aaron Taouma

The play itself is a piece of masterful writing; a play within a play, examining the theatrical process itself while weaving multiple story threads together in a seemingly simple plot, which as it progresses is not so simple, and indeed nothing is what it seems. Kneubuhl, of Samoan and American descent, a contributing writer to television shows such as The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West, Star Trek, The Invaders and Hawaii Five-O through Mele Kanikau (part of a trilogy of Plays; “Think of a Garden” and “A Play, A Play” the other two) provides an insight into the world of Hawaiians progressively being Americanised and losing the very things that make them Hawai'ian; their language, culture and belief in the mystical nature of nature. This is instead replaced by tourist pageantry, a denial of “authentic” Hawaiian-ness and ending in a half-hearted plastic portrayal of their very own culture.

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Tararua Tramping Club, Mt Victoria, Wellington - JOSEPH HARPER IN THINK:TREE (OMOUTAUTAHI): Volumes in microcosms
- reviewed by John Smythe

In a show that seems like a loose ramble but is actually an astutely crafted meditation inspired by his experiences of bonsai trees, the title Think:Tree turns out to relate to a scene from the film The Karate Kid.

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Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - FAIRLY FUNNY: Two of our finest: a double shot of integrity, experience and talent
- reviewed by Lexie Matheson

The NZ Comedy Festival 2013 brochure suggests that we ‘join Fairly Funny for a lunch time of comedy about something serious.’ The serious stuff relates to the work of Fairtrade Australia New Zealand and the comedy is provided by The Fairtrade Avengers Michele A’Court and Jeremy Elwood.

Not that Michele and Jeremy call themselves The Fairtrade Avengers and Fairtrade ANZ don’t either...

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Otago Pioneer Women's Hall, Dunedin - SHEEP: Strong production of a boldly structured script
- reviewed by Sharon Matthews

Given this backstory, the Otago Pioneer Women’s Hall is a nicely evocative setting for Sheep’s engaging takes on issues of women's rights (prostitution, women taking men’s job in wartime, rape as a weapon of war, contraception) and the combination of family and national history. Sheep is made up of seven short connected episodes — starting in a Canterbury whorehouse in 1862, and ending in Christchurch post-2011 earthquake — a series of quirky snapshots which depict young people trying to make sense of their lives, their families, and the scary playground that is love.

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Fringe Bar, Cnr Cuba & Vivian, Wellington - PAX IN PAX'S MAGIC CARPET RIDE: Refreshing if hesitant
- reviewed by Maraea Rakuraku

The gig kicks off with a filmed clip of Pax recording on streets around central Auckland. Well I’m assuming it is because he starts in Aotea Square. It’s a bit loose and has that tv-hit-up-randoms-on-the-street-vibe so there’s nothing new there. What is new is that there is a single Asian. As anyone will tell you, in central Auckland that’s a rarity. So, either there’s selective editing or the recordings are a collage. Whatever, it’s funny.

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Q Theatre, Rangatira, Auckland - IDIOTS OF ANTS: MODEL CITIZENS (UK): If they are idiots, what does that make me?
- reviewed by James Wenley

If they are idiots, what does that make me?

British sketch comedy quadrangle Idiots of Ants were my favourite acts in their Auckland debut at last year’s Comedy Festival. Amidst an amusement of stand-up comedians, Ants are a fresh and lively point of laughter-filled difference.

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Comedy Chamber, Town Hall, THE EDGE, Auckland - RAINER HERSCH’S VICTOR BORGE: Victor Victorious
- reviewed by Sharu Delilkan

It was sad to see the sparse turnout for what proved to be a truly professional show – something that Rainer Hersch picked up on and immediately incorporated wittily into his slick intro.

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Brooklyn Bar - 57 Lorne St, Auckland - TIM BATT IN TIM BATT'S UNIFIED THEORY: His first will not be his last
- reviewed by Jan Maree

A rangy fella with googly eyes, Tim looks like comedy. And if you hadn't noticed he points it out. His well-crafted self-deprecation leaves the audience warmed to him. Tim has an obvious simpatico, a wealth of human-ness, which in all honesty is necessary as he proceeds to tear apart the very fabric of society and all its foibles.

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The Basement Studio, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - CLASS COMEDIANS 2012 GRADUATES ARE UNDERAGE, ENRAGED AND UNCAGED: Gotta love these young guns having a go
- reviewed by Jan Maree

But what do you do if you want to keep going at comedy? Hook up with the other keen beans and put on a show. So, very simply The 2012 Graduates we are seated to meet are just that: six graduates of last year’s programme with (supposedly) more experience under their belts and some sparkling new gags to wow and entertain.

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Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, The Edge, Auckland - DOCTOR BROWN IN BEFRDFGTH: Bizarre and Expected
- reviewed by Sharu Delilkan

To be honest I had no idea what to expect when I turned up to watch Doctor Brown in Befrdfgth. I chose to review this one merely because the limited write-up, that gave nothing away, insinuated that it would be a show like no other.

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The Basement, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland - BATTLE OF THE BASTARDS: A show worth fighting for
- reviewed by Matt Baker

Starting nearly half an hour late can result in an immediate uphill battle for a performer, but, with an enthusiastic energy and true showmanship, David Ladderman quickly has us on his side in his one-man show Battle of the Bastards.

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Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland - ANDY CLAY’S BOOK OF LOVE: A novel comedy
- reviewed by Matt Baker

Four years after being nominated for Best Show in the NZ International Comedy Festival, Andy Clay’s Book of Love returns for its second season. Presented not as a one-man reading, but more of a self-help seminar, the show is broken into ten chapters, with Clay enthusiastically rattling off a great variety of hilarious observations and one-liners. Although said enthusiasm resulted in him speeding through and tripping over some lines, none were lost, and, more importantly, his exaggerated persona came across.

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Comedy Chamber, Town Hall, THE EDGE, Auckland - RAINER HERSCH’S VICTOR BORGE: Hilarious and moving homage
- reviewed by Nik Smythe

Rainer Hersch is himself a classical music comedian, a profession he happened into as Borge himself had some fifty years earlier. It seems absurd that Hersch had in fact never heard of Borge until he inevitably came to be repeatedly compared to him in the reviews for his own shows. It took him still longer to actually listen to some of his extensive recorded repertoire, setting a course in motion that patently led to his mounting of this admirably reverent tribute.

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Auckland Old Folks Association. 8 Gundry Street (off K' Road), Auckland - GUY WILLIAMS HAS WON AN AWARD: Fun with the inner workings of an Ass and a mind
- reviewed by Kathryn van Beek

Number 8 Gundry Street holds a certain fascination for many Aucklanders. The building is serious, seriously retro, and emblazoned with ‘Auckland Old Folks Ass’ on the side. This evening the steamy Ass is filled to the gills with people eager to experience the comedy of Guy Williams ...

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See more recent reviews at theatreview.org.nz, the NZ Performing Arts Review & Directory

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