When Sam Brooks put out a list of his five best comedy specials ever many of you weren’t happy with his choices. Here he responds to the criticism. Comedy fans get angry when you question the established canon. Let me rephrase, and widen that: Fans of any artform get angry when you question their established canon. … Read more
You’ve heard our comedy co-editors picks, and no doubt you’ll be hearing what your favourite Bachelor runner-up’s comedy festival picks are in the coming months. But what about the normal people? What do they want to see? We know what it’s like. You see that 50 page Comedy Fest brochure while you’re waiting for your coffee, … Read more
Australian comedian Matt Okine sat down with Spinoff comedy dunce Calum Henderson to discuss radio, early-90s cricket memories and his unquenchable thirst for cooking and property shows. Every NZ International Comedy Festival is the same: I pick up the programme, scan the list of names for any of the three to five comedians in the world … Read more
We asked comedians and Boners of the Heart co-hosts Rose Matafeo and Alice Snedden to have a conversation about women and comedy to mark International Women’s Day. The following (lightly edited and hyperlinked) Facebook conversation is what we received. Alice: Na, it’s still the same Someone brought them back from America i just realised this is just like … Read more
Sam Brooks flicks through the programme for this year’s Comedy Fest, powered by Flick Electric Co, and rounds up this year’s incredibly relevant and important festival statistics. Amount of shows on in Auckland: 117 Amount of shows on in Wellington: 68 Amount of shows involving women: 24 (20%) Amount of shows with photos of men … Read more
The annual Billy T Jams showcases the nominees for the Billy T Award, New Zealand’s biggest prize for comedy. Former Billy T winner Hamish Parkinson reviews Friday night’s show in two parts: the first the show itself, the second what this year’s lineup can tell us about the state of local comedy in 2017. Review … Read more
During the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, ‘Behind the LOLs’ will reveal the inner workings of some of our finest comedy talent. Today: Alice Brine. 7.05AM I’m on a plane from Wellington to Auckland and I’ve got crook guts. I always get farty when I’m on a plane and it’s so annoying – mainly for the fact … Read more
Guy Williams likes reddit.com/r/newzealand, but reddit.com/r/newzealand does not like Guy Williams. He issued a challenge to its citizens this week: come and see my show. So they did, and Madeleine Chapman was there to watch it happen. “I totally get why people don’t like me. Like, when I watch LeBron James play, I want to see him … Read more
During the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, ‘Behind the LOLs’ will reveal the inner workings of some of our finest comedy talent. Today: Penny Ashton. I remember when I started my love affair with bonnets. I vividly recall sitting in the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square in 1996 and being utterly captivated by what was unfolding before … Read more
During the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, ‘Behind the LOLs’ will reveal the inner workings of some of our finest comedy talent. Today: Eli Matthewson. This year it seems like me and all my peers decided to get experimental with our Comedy Festival shows. Maybe because we’ve reached the stage in our lives where we have steady-ish incomes … Read more
During the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, ‘Behind the LOLs’ will reveal the inner workings of some of our finest comedy talent. Today, Hamish Parkinson reveals his four-step process for comedy success. Book tickets to 2015 Billy T Award winner Hamish Parkinson’s NZ International Comedy Festival Show: Moon Baby