Comedy shows should have a harassment warning on the tickets, to read like this: "Do not sit within the 1st three rows of the stage. Doing so will result in hazardous use of your personal life being used as comic fodder".

Fortunately for myself, my seat allocation was far stage left, just far enough to remain safe. Tonight is my first ever International comedy showcase viewing, as I file into the theatre I smile at the perks of being a reviewer…my seat is perilously close to the front (Row D) but still ‘Secret squirrel’ enough to remain ‘anonymous’. The house lights are dimmed and out strolls our ‘Chuck Taylored’ (sneakered) host for the showcase Irishman Andrew Stanley.

He looks docile enough, that is until he opens his innocent looking chops and sprays his Uzi fast accent on the crowd…(this is where the ticket warning would’ve helped).

Wouldn’t you know it, a party of four front row centre is delectable pickings for all four comics who grace the stage. Better them than me.

Sugar Sammy, a Canadian Indian, is the first in the set; cheeky and attractive enough to register a wink he has a style that visits on the merits of being Indian and ‘their’ geographic takeover of Mt Roskill. Laughs, and offence (not from my quarter) come easy as he muses over the weighty cost of paying for a meal on a date  and the moral/financial cost of ‘maybe’ sex afterward. He settles the dilemma with a reasoning that has most of us in his favour (my apologies to the prudes).

Second comic up is American Tony Woods, he saunters out in a scarlet shirt that promotes his ebony skin tone. He has a saccharine voice that is wasted on the audience…the predominantly middleclass Caucasian crowd take grasp of his ‘brother’ type humour very slowly.  He garners a little crowd favour with a retelling of a recent trip to Australia and a curious meeting with some outback folk. I suspect Tony Woods would have been received better at a showcase aimed at the younger clique of comedy fest goers who enjoy popular music and are familiar with the ‘SHAFT…street’ vibe Tony has built his onstage persona with.

The hour long set is concluded with US comedian Jeremy Hotz who, through self deprecation, wins the audience with health issues and physical insecurities. He introduces himself with a quip about his nose ‘appearing like an elbow on his face’. Bland in his delivery, tonight’s patrons are so enthused by his ramblings of old age and height envy that he has certain success for the duration of the showcase over the next few nights.

All the performers this evening are worth the air and carbon points they clock up to perform in New Zealand. Showcases are an inexpensive way to see plum performances from the select worlds best comics. I’ve enjoyed myself tonight and suggest all you Comedy Fest first timers step out and see what you have been missing.
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