Comedy
2014 NZ International Comedy Festival – Creeping Charlie Showcase
The Q theater is abuzz with chatter waiting for the show to start. I find my allocated seat high up in the stands and wait with anticipation; I need a laugh and knew this show would provide just that.
The cue is set, lights go down and out she comes; Urzila Carlson. A few people start to chuckle as she eyes out the crowd saying “don’t worry alright, times too short for you to get picked on in the front,” she then picks on a lady in the first row. She proceeds to poke fun at her sexuality and the South African culture. The audience are in stitches, there’s no doubt this woman is one of New Zealand’s best comedians. She takes the stage for 15 minutes before introducing comedy veteran Ewen Gilmour. The V8 of NZ comedy, focuses our attention to his new glasses and subsequent improved vision. The beautiful woman he waves to everyday; turns out she is a he. Gilmour goes on to muse about Clark Kent, and how he got away unrecognized for all those years.
Nick Rado hits the stage, he tells us he’s back in New Zealand after a world tour. Laughter fills the air as he jokes about online dating and an experience with a yoga instructor that went horribly wrong. Nick was a far cry from Gilmour’s messy hair and distressed jeans, this man was slick, sharp, witty and charming to boot.
Award winning Jesse Griffin’s performance was forgettable, his jokes centered around being a “ginger” in a stationery shop, perhaps the audience was getting restless, we’ll move on from him and talk about Wilson Dixon, whose sold out 4 successive NZ Comedy Festival seasons. Dixon was unique with the strums on his guitar and comedic flair. He kept the audience entertained with music and stories from the American south. Dixon was the final act of the evening, with understated humor and artistry providing a memorable finish to the show.
Have you attended any shows from the NZ International Comedy Festival? If so, tell us your experience!
