THE BIG SHOW
A Comedy Festival favourite, the Big Show in 2015 features four comedians from the UK – the Andrew Watts, Nish Kumar, Joel Dommett, and Lloyd Langford. Held in the Concert Chamber at the Town Hall (which they’ve renamed “the Comedy Chamber” for the next few weeks – I see what you did there, Auckland Town Hall), it makes for an entertaining night.
The four comedians don’t change each night. Andrew Watts (self-described as “the posh, chubby, slightly camp Englishman”) has some witty observations, but talks quite quickly so you’ll need to pay attention. Lloyd Langford and Nish Kumar were both on form – I thought that Nish was the funniest, my partner thought it was Lloyd. Joel Dommett, who hosts the show, had some moments of brilliance but I thought his constant swearing a bit unnecessary. All four comedians have their own separate shows during the Festival as well, so it’s a good chance to do a bit of sampling.
Some things to keep in mind – they’ve described the seating as “cabaret style,” which means a series of wee tables with six seats squashed around each. This means that the place looks quite crowded, and it’s more of a hassle than usual with latecomers and people getting up to go to the toilet halfway through. It also means that when you book your seats, make sure you’re booking them all at the same table – we had to move our seats around because another party hadn’t realised that the seating was “cabaret style.” There is a bar in the Comedy Chamber, but it’s ridiculously expensive – although there is free filtered and chilled water available in the lobby out the front.
WHAT: The Big Show
WHO: Andrew Watts, Nish Kumar, Lloyd Langford, Joel Dommett
WHERE: Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall
DATES: Nightly, Monday 27 April – Saturday 2 May; Nightly, Monday 4 May – Saturday 9 May.
All shows start at 8.30pm.
DURATION: About two hours, plus 20 minute interval
COST: Adults $49.50, concessions $45.50, groups of 8+ $45.50. Monday special of $38. Bookings through Ticketmaster.
Michael Tarry
2nd May 2015
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