Ten Must See Acts of the NZ International Comedy Festival 2015

How do you make concrete laugh? You tickle it's crack.

Flicking through the pages of the NZ International Comedy Festival guide brings back fond memories of festivals of old, traipsing between shows at some of Auckland's hidden gem venues. Three weeks of glorious comedy. Just what the soul needs as we head into the traps of winter.

The organisers put on an amazing event every year and 2015 looks set to be another cracker. Here are ten of our favourites to look forward to.

• 10

  

  The Green Effect

  Montecristo Room, Auckland

  Montecristo Room, Auckland

  April 25 - May 16

  Accompanied by Pizza and Beer, Montecristo should provide the ideal location for this mass comedy debate to take place.

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• 9

  

  7 Days NZ v. The World Comedy Festival Special Recording

  Q Theatre - Rangatira, Auckland

  Q Theatre - Rangatira, Auckland

  April 22

  One of the highlights of the festival over the past few years, and the highlight of the year for one of our most beloved television shows, the live recording of 7 Days gives a few of our most popular comedians the chance to go head to head with some of the best comics from around the world.

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• 8

  

  Guy Montgomery - Guy Montcomedy

  Montecristo Room, Auckland

  Montecristo Room, Auckland

  April 25 - May 10

  Montgomery is effortlessly hilarious, quick off the mark, and is not scared of a little audience interaction. This years show, Guy Montcomedy has been described by Guys dad as a “pretty risky title”. A marathon run that spans two weeks of shows at Montecristo, demonstrates just how popular Montgomery is becoming. Guaranteed to be one of the highlights of the festival, there are some sneaking suspicions that it won’t be long before the rest of the world starts to take notice.

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• 7

  

  Live Live Cinema: Little Shop of Horrors

  Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland

  Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland

  May 13 - 24

  Band, foley, and actors become one and switch between roles at breakneck pace to re-create the cult classics soundtrack. Get set for an ear bending, mind tingling, slightly strange evening with four of the countries most prominent performers.

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• 6

  

  Brendhan Lovegrove - In Love With These Times

  Q Theatre - Loft, Auckland

  Q Theatre - Loft, Auckland

  May 12 - 16

  Rhys Darby is the Kiwi comedian that everyone loves, Darby can bring a crowd of thousands to tears of laughter without offending a single soul. Brendhan Lovegrove is certainly not that. Lovegrove will most likely take aim at racial minorities, the opposite sex, and those unfortunate souls who happened to be born in Huntly. He couldn’t give a flying fuck, and that is what makes him such a talent.

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• 5

  

  Cori Gonzalez-Macuer - White Background Confused Face

  Basement Theatre, Auckland

  Basement Theatre, Auckland

  May 13 - 16

  Probably the least try-hard comedian you will ever see, his jokes are likely to be delivered with little to no expression. CGM’s 2015 show will delve into the world of the comedian stereotype (hedonism, depression, unoriginal show names and standard poster designs).  A must see for those with a taste for the dry, witty, and awkwardly understated.

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• 4

  

  Jamie Bowen

  Basement Theatre, Auckland

  Basement Theatre, Auckland

  May 5 - 9

  Expect tales about the strange intricacies of living in London, and the harsh realities of moving back to New Zealand and finding yourself in the midst of a mid life crisis.

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• 3

  

  Ed Byrne

  Q Theatre - Rangatira, Auckland

  Q Theatre - Rangatira, Auckland

  May 5 - 10

  Byrne loves a good rant, his jokes come at rapid pace, stemming from his own politically incorrect life experience. Being a self confessed “miserable old git”, since the age of 23, Byrne can now legitimately own that title. Roaring Forties will touch on mid life crises, getting married, and how backward it is to refer to footballers wives as WAGS.

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• 2

  

  Trygve Wakenshaw - Nautilus

  Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland

  Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland

  April 28 - May 2

  With a mind that was clearly birthed on some far away planet, Wakenshaw is a master of mime, and crowd participation. The facial expressions behind his perfectly manicured moustache say it all. Ridiculous interpretations such as his guts being forced from his body after swallowing the horn of a Unicorn that was once a galloping Horse will give you a faint idea of what to expect.

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• 1

  

  An Evening With Noel Fielding

  Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland

  Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland

  May 9 - 10

  Best known for his work on British comedy series, The Mighty Boosh, Fielding is a regular on several other British shows but to call him your run of the mill TV celebrity would be more than slightly off the mark.

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