Fred Armisen Is Bringing His Live Comedy Show to New Zealand for the First Time

Overview

In just the past year, Fred Armisen has popped up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, returned briefly to Saturday Night Live, played multiple characters on Documentary Now! and launched new Spanish-language horror-comedy Los Espookys. He has also co-starred with Maya Rudolph in existential dramedy Forever, voiced a hormone monster on Big Mouth and said goodbye to Portlandia. It's safe to say that he's had a busy 12 months or so. Next up for the hardworking actor and comedian is his first New Zealand tour, with Armisen bringing his latest show to our shores this September.

No, he won't be donning wigs and different outfits, and pretending to be various residents from everyone's favourite Oregon hipster city. Sketch comedy does feature in this new show, however — and, this time, musicians are his target. Combining gags, songs and impressions, Comedy for Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome finds plenty of humour in the music industry, and, as Portlandia fans will know, Armisen is no stranger to combining tunes and laughs.

While he's now best known for all of the aforementioned series, others like 30 Rock, Broad City and Parks & Recreation, plus as films as varied as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Battle of the Sexes and The Dictator, Armisen actually started out in Chicago punk band Trenchmouth. He also played drums for the Blue Man Group and, since it launched in 2014, he's been the bandleader and a frequent drummer for Late Night with Seth Meyers. As a result, Comedy for Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome isn't a case of a comedian poking fun at a different industry — Armisen knows what he's joking about.

Heading to Auckland for a one-off show, Comedy for Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome follows on from Armisen's Netflix special Fred Armisen: Standup for Drummers, which nabbed him a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album.

If you need some amusement until Armisen hits the country, check out the Standup for Drummers trailer below:

Fred Armisen's Comedy for Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome will play at Auckland's Skycity Theatre on Friday, 6 September, 2019.

Tickets go on sale at 10am on Monday, July 15 — for further details, visit the promoter's website.