Tag Archives: Gag Reflex

NZICF 2013: Dan Nightingale – On Love, On Life and on the North Island

Posted by faithashw in Comedy, Review and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Dan NightingaleSome people have a natural gift of the gab and just know how to tell a good story and Dan Nightingale certainly is one of them.  His storytelling style is casual and conversational and his set feels more like you’re out at a bar having drinks with a good friend.

On Love, On Life and on the North Island is a collection of hilarious anecdotes and random musings from Dan’s life. He covers a range of topics from sharing about his Saturday mornings with Nigella to ranting about his maddening flatmate who has the nerve to eat the “bread defender” (the crust) to an amusing story involving his nephew’s unwavering commitment to singing carols.

It takes great skill to be able to deliver a string of ramblings in a way that it doesn’t appear too prepared but still forms a cohesive and compelling hour of stand up.  Dan nails this perfectly; his material is well structured and cleverly written with some genius one liners, some of which are easily missed as they come up as mere fleeting remarks.

The thing I particularly enjoyed about this show was Dan’s boundless energy and jovial nature which I found to be extremely captivating.  He comes across as genuinely personable which made the Vault at Q the ideal venue as it helped him to easily engage and form a great rapport with the audience.

Dan Nightingale’s observational humor is incredibly fast paced, deliciously self-deprecating and highly entertaining.  On Love, On Life and on the North Island gives you plenty to laugh about and is the perfect mid-week comedy fix.

The Whimsical Banana rates On Love, On Life & on the North Island: 5/5 bananas!

Dan Nightingale has 2 more shows at 8:45pm tonight and tomorrow night at the Vault at Q plus one extra earlier show at 5:30pm tomorrow.  Click here for tickets.

NZICF 2013: Tom Binns as Ian D Montfort

Posted by faithashw in Comedy, Review and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Ian D Montfort A medium who is also a comedian – now there’s an unlikely pairing.  Tom Binns proves this is perfectly possible with his excellent and convincing portrayal of alter ego Ian D Montfort, the spirit “comedium”.

You are immediately drawn to Ian from the get-go as he is just such a warm and affable character.  He kicks off the show by ironically poking fun at other mediums and telling us he is not like them, that you do not have to be bereaved to be at his show as he only delivers messages from people you don’t know.  This humorous perspective of his ability coupled with his camp disposition is part of his charm and what makes the show so enjoyable to watch.

Throughout the hour, Ian engages with the crowd and makes predictions with staggering accuracy through the usual divinatory means – astrology, tarot cards, numerology.  While I don’t doubt some of his mind-reading methods must involve some form of skilled trickery, there were some things he managed to guess correctly which he couldn’t possibly have known.  I still don’t know how he does it and I don’t want to know as it’s all part of the magic and brilliance of this show!

There are also times when he does get it wrong but he quickly recovers, simply amending the reading to suit so it turns out he is still right.  For example he would guess that someone’s car is black and when they say no he would say matter-of-factly without a skipping a beat that it is indeed black…at night.  His quick wit and sharp responses remind us that Ian is also quite the adept comedian.

Skeptic or not, there’s no denying that Ian D Montfort is an accomplished and gifted performer and what he pulls off in the show will truly astound you.  This is a show you will have to see to believe, and what you will see will baffle and amaze.

The Whimsical Banana rates Ian D Montfort: 5/5 bananas!

Ian D Montfort will be making predictions for 2 more nights at the Loft at Q.  Click here for tickets.

NZICF 2013: The Boy With Tape On His Face – More Tape

Posted by faithashw in Comedy, Review and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

The Boy With Tape On His Face Both a national treasure and household name in the UK comedy scene, The Boy With Tape On His Face needs no introduction.  After a successful Edinburgh Fringe season where he garnered a staggering eleven five star reviews and won the esteemed Fosters Panel Prize, followed by a twenty-two show run at London’s West End, The Boy is back home with an encore season of More Tape.

The Boy proves that you do not need words to put on a stomping good show.  More Tape is an hour of silent fun backed by a killer soundtrack and is a fabulous mix of magic, vaudeville, puppetry and loads of props!  We are taken in to the world of The Boy where oven mitts sing (my personal favorite!), a game of golf is only a hairdryer away and a measuring tape can provide endless fun possibilities.

Audience interaction is an integral part of the show – you are forewarned this at the very start and advised that you should just play along.  Many people get nervous at comedy gigs (especially if you are seated in the front) for fear of being picked on but this show is one of very few where you hope to be chosen as you want to be a part of the adventure.

Sam Wills, the talented man behind this endearing silent character is an absolute master at his craft.  The show is clever, innovative and well structured – every gag is imaginative and perfectly placed with great comedic value.  Sam sets each one up brilliantly and demonstrates effortlessly that actions speak louder than words, using animated gestures and that signature wide-eyed expression to tell his story.

More Tape is exceedingly fun, wonderfully whimsical and absolutely hysterical – a truly magical experience.  If you haven’t yet seen this extremely entertaining show, put simply you need to.  Your inner child will thank you for it.

The Whimsical Banana rates More Tape: 5/5 bananas!

The Boy With Tape On His Face is performing at Rangatira at Q until Saturday May 18th.  This is your last chance to catch this multi-award winning show so don’ t miss out and get in quick as the season will sell out!  Click here for tickets.

UPDATE: Due to popular demand, The Boy has added an extra show at 5pm on May 18th!

Congrats to The Boy and Monsieur Lucont!

Posted by faithashw in Comedy and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Edinburgh Festival Fringe is all done and dusted for the year and what a great one it has been for my two favorite comics!

 

Massive CONGRATS to fantastic prop comic, super talented physical comedian and all round awesome person, The Boy with Tape on his Face for winning a Broadway Baby Bobby Award and the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards Panel Prize 🙂  Include the many five-star reviews and The Tape Face Tapes (The Boy’s launch into Tellyland), it has undeniably been a #TapeFaceInvasion this year in the comedy world – and mine! – bring on the #TapeFaceRevolution, I say!

Also nabbing a comedy victory is my favorite dashing French raconteur 🙂  Huge congrats to exceptional character comic and brilliant wordsmith Marcel Lucont for winning the Amused Moose Laughter Award!  There really is no show out there like his so this is a much deserved and completely unsurprising win, in my books.  I am already so excited for the DVD – Marcel in the comfort of my own home, what could be better?!

UK readers, if you missed these two amazing, top notch comedians at the Fringe, keep an eye out as they may be coming to a town near you!  The Boy is currently on his autumn tour (details here) and Marcel is also touring around the UK (find out where here).  I cannot recommend these two enough so if they are performing where you are, two words: JUST GO!!

(Feel free to check out my reviews for More Tape and Gallic Symbol if you need more convincing 😉 )

Congrats again on all the success, Sam and Alexis, am so very happy for the both of you!  Also a big “Well Done!” shout out to Gag Reflex and Objective Talent 🙂