GABBY ANDERSON Cheaper by the Half Dozen
Cavern Club, 22 Allen St, Te Aro, Wellington
04/05/2021 - 08/05/2021
NZ International Comedy Festival 2021
Production Details
Gabby Anderson
Determined to prove she is the funniest in the family, Gabby Anderson is fresh out the gate with her first solo hour of comedy.
Cheaper by the Half Dozen has all the chaos and joy of growing up in a big family: the awkward teen years, the importance of table manners, and that time everyone flipped the board playing monopoly. Gabby Anderson recreates the feel of being around the dinner table, but professional cos she will have a microphone instead of the “talking pepper shaker”.
Off the back of too many holidays because she is a teacher, gigging across Wellington’s comedy stages, and her year 10 drama production, Gabby is ready to go. She may well even get a bit political, who knows? Well, actually, it’s Wellington, we all know.
“Fantastic energy, owning the stage…clever, relatable comedy” – The Speakeasy
“I’m glad she has a hobby” – Mum
“I really liked your jokes” – Audience member
Winner – Raw Comedy Quest 2018
Cavern Club, Wellington
Tuesday 4 – Saturday 8 May 2021
6.30pm
Full Price: $22
Concession: $20
Cheap Wednesday: $18
Group 6+: $20
*service fee may apply
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Wheelchair access on request
Occasional bad language
May contain adult themes
Strictly R18 venue
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Theatre , Stand-up comedy ,
1 hr
Clever, funny and thoughtful
Review by Francesca Brice 05th May 2021
Walking down the steps into the Cavern Club puts me in the mood for the unexpected. A small and very underground space lined with pictures of the Beatles, the concept of the 60s pervades. You are time warped into thinking you could be anywhere in the world – except tonight it’s Wellington. And it’s Gabby Anderson.
She comfortably swings into focus, greeting us with a confidence that at once takes away any anxiety about an opening night at the Comedy Festival. Gabby creates a familiarity with the audience and immediately we feel like we know her – she’s our funny friend who makes us laugh around the dinner table about the most inconsequential things.
She’s clever and thoughtful without being smartass. We know she is a strong feminist without her ever declaring it. I love it when a performer does not let my monkey mind stray for a second and Gabby constantly has my attention. The audience never lets up laughing – except when we pause to let her get another word in.
She gives us an hilarious narrative of a childhood with four siblings. How mundane can a Kiwi Catholic Christmas be? Not so when Gabby Anderson is translating it for us. Mum and Dad, we understand them – it can’t have been easy – but we recognize it all.
She breathes new life into the Twilight books and characters; and I’d never heard of Countdown’s spokesman, celebrity chef Richard Till, until Gabby’s introduction, but I’ll never be able to keep a straight face if I ever encounter him.
Her day job teaching children has undoubtedly added to her ability to interact with her audience. She has a grassroots intelligence of school stories, and her translation of these is both funny and tender. This is a comedy area I’d like to see her embrace and run with further in the future.
Gabby has a wonderful stage presence. There’s lots of motion, both physical and vocal, working harmoniously, with a lovely painless flow between topics.
I’m looking forward to the next chapter from Gabby Anderson. If she wants to carry this comedy “hobby” forward she will be unstoppable.
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