Category: Stand-Up

Y’all ready for some pageantry? Joana Joy breaks out of her small town shell with Miss Tui Whanganui 2009, a story-based comedy special that touches on themes of beauty standards, conservative upbringings and so much dance. Tightly-paced and cleverly planned out, Joana Joy delivers a cheeky hour of comedy with her wide-eyed charm. There are… Read more

NOTE: This review will not contain spoilers. What the hell just happened? EPIC WAY! I’m Gay? Oui oui faguette™ I LOVE KIM HILL (1999 version) is a wild ride through the absurd and, at times, intense mind of Liv Ward, a comedian who redefines themself throughout the entire show. With a combination of video clips,… Read more

There are many ways to rebel. You could pick up a motorbike and ride into the sunset. You could form an alliance against an empire that blew up a planet. Or, in a sea of chaotic comedians, produce the most polished, expertly crafted hour of comedy you’ve ever done. Lesa MacLeod-Whiting‘s latest show, Rebellina, is… Read more

Big dog, big woof. After years of subtly trying to make this nickname catch on, Kipling DC has decided to bark it loud from the rooftops with Big Dog, a one-hour special about flexing, power, and friendship. With a mix of storytelling, slideshows and sympathies, Kipling transitions between them all with hilarious precision. It’s very… Read more

Ayo, fuck cancer, all my homies hate cancer. Jo Prendergast is back with her one-hour special Cancer and Cartwheels, a show that’s part-stand-up, part-musical, and part-PSA. Her material is largely focused on her recovery from cancer (spoilers: she survived), and about how the changes it wrought upon her body have affected her day-to-day life. Prendergast‘s… Read more

Have you ever seen such a beautiful night? If the answer is yes, then you’ve probably just come from What Dreams are Made Of, the latest comedy special/musical from the frantic mind of Maria Williams. In this one hour coming-of-age special, Williams takes us on a tour of her adolescence, mostly framed through her experiences… Read more

Someone once told me that confidence was leaving the house knowing that the stove was off. This show was the opposite of that feeling. With her debut NZICF hour, Mo Munn is bringing a frantic, fast-paced show with Is it Off?, a show that draws upon the dozens of talents she’s got up her sleeve.… Read more

Keegan’s back alright. Local boy, Keegan Thomas has hit the Comedy Festival running, dancing and bopping (although he neither dances nor bops) with his debut hour, Boy Band Brain. Throughout this hour of highly polished stand-up comedy, Thomas takes us through the highs and lows of various diagnoses, a pure insight into the experiences that… Read more

I love it when a show title reviews itself. The Sassy Sexy Gorgeous Hilarious Comedy Show is a split hour of stand-up comedy with a barebones set-up that allows the biting comedy to shine for itself. The tag-team duo of Josh Metcalfe and Melissa Lawlor provide a perfectly paced hour of comedy that has the… Read more