Finally Dead

Overview

Rose Matafeo performed Finally Dead for a full week of sold out shows recently at the NZ International Comedy Festival. Public demand was such that she is back for a return season of Finally Dead only a month later.

Eager to see what all the fuss was about, we headed to The Basement Theatre last night for the opening show of Finally Dead's second coming.

Finally Dead floated between theatre performance and stand up comedy routine, with a narrative loosely based on Rose Matafeo's funeral. The set was complete with a guest book, a coffin, and a wooden speech desk like the ones they have in churches and rugby clubs.

In Rose's opinion, the conventional New Zealand funeral is flawed, the conversations are generally boring, and there are never enough club sandwiches. She set out to revamp it; an ambitious task to take on. With the addition of a mime Marijuana joint, an incest-ridden poetic tribute, constant pokes at Ponsonby, too many energy drinks, references to '50s film stars, and some genius musical interpretations she managed to create the sort of joyous atmosphere that most of us would love our funerals to be.

Finally Dead is directed by Madeleine Sami and there is timely on stage assistance and awkward jokes from Paul Williams - but Matafeo is undoubtedly the star of the show. You get the feeling that this entire performance is a coming of age for her. She is one of our brightest, most unique talents - and at the stage of her career where she is now confident, polished, and highly knowledgeable while still being young enough to have that unabashed looseness and a naivety that draws the crowd in just that little bit closer.