Johanna Cosgrove<\/p>\n
\u00a0A comedian that is one-of-one for me is Chris Fleming. I\u2019ve been a longtime fan (brag!) but this seven-minute bit in particular floored me.<\/p>\n
I wish I wrote it. I regularly re-post it to assuage my jealousy and assert some kind of claim, like a daschund pissing on its owner\u2019s socks. It\u2019s niche, outrageous, verbose, physical and unwell \u2013 all of my markers for success.<\/p>\n
See Johanna hosting Goblin Girls<\/a> on May 5, 12 and 19 in Auckland and May 9 in Wellington. She\u2019ll be with friends in Swipswop<\/a> on May 7-8 in Wellington and May 13-14 in Auckland. She will also be on the line-up for B**** Better Have My Funny<\/a> on May 15 in Auckland.<\/p>\n Hoani Hotene<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know if this counts as a joke but when I was starting out there was one guy who would go to shows and film himself trying to heckle comedians. As in he was trying to get clips of him heckling for socials.\u00a0<\/p>\n I wish I\u2019d come up with that.\u00a0<\/p>\n To me it\u2019s so funny, the idea you\u2019d watch a stand up do crowd work online, and be thinking \u201cI wish I could see this from the perspective of the guy sitting down\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n This dude did it without any irony and was honestly kinda annoying but he was also really serious about it. Once as he was leaving I heard him say \u201cjust couldn\u2019t crack it tonight\u2026\u201d and he was talking about himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n So I don\u2019t wish I went into shows and heckled comics, but I wish I\u2019d thought of that as a sketch or character.<\/p>\n Hoani\u2019s show Hoani, Hoani, Hoani, Must Be Funny in a Rich Man\u2019s World<\/a> is May 5-9 in Auckland and May 19-23 in Wellington. He is also hosting the T\u0101maki Makaurau Preview Show<\/a> on April 29.<\/p>\n Rhiannon McCall<\/p>\n Angella Dravid has this joke where she talks about how you can be too fat to fuck and then she compares having sex with her partner to the painting of the Creation of Adam.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t necessarily wish that I had written this specific joke because the experience sounds quite stressful, but I do envy Angella because of how deeply funny and well executed the joke is. The way that Angella delivers it is beautiful. She is so gentle and softly spoken which contrasts with her dirty material. The joke builds and builds as Angella finds different angles, comparing her experiences of having sex with a painting, two parallel lines, and a hongi. The similes are creative and so perfectly written, and they just get funnier and funnier. This is the type of joke that inspires me and also makes me jealous because of how hilarious, clever, and well executed it is.<\/p>\n Catch Rhiannon McCall\u2019s show Nosferatu Looking For Love<\/a> is on May 5-9 in Auckland.<\/p>\n So there\u2019s a joke from Maria Bamford that I think is just so fun and original and quickly shows the delightful ways Maria\u2019s mind works. It crams so much into 90 seconds, with one simple, but awesome concept. I wish I\u2019d written it, and I know I couldn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n Catch James Nokise\u2019s solo show One Night Only<\/a> on May 9 in Wellington and May 21-23 in Auckland, he is also hosting a political comedy line-up show Now Hear This<\/a> in Wellington on May 14.<\/p>\n Annie Guo<\/p>\n Mila Patel\u2019s dating apps joke (starts from 6:35 below).<\/p>\n It\u2019s a joke I still think about once in a while, and I still giggle a bit every time. I love jokes that connect two completely unrelated things in life \u2013 the whole idea is bizarre and perfect at the same time.<\/p>\n See Annie Guo in Artificial Infidelity: How Things are Going with my A.I. Boyfriends<\/a> on May 7-9 in Wellington and May 13-16 in Auckland. Also see her in the T\u0101maki Makaurau Preview Show<\/a> on April 29 and the Best Comedy Show on Earth<\/a> on May 17.<\/p>\n Booth the Clown<\/p>\n I realise this joke may not be \u201cwritten\u201d per se but I wish I had \u201cwritten\u201d David Correos\u2019s \u201cMime Finding Out That His Family Has Been Brutally Murdered<\/a>\u201c.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a brilliant physical joke where David names the impression off the top, gets into mime makeup and enacts the discovery that makes him scream so hard you see the dust of the mime makeup fly off his face. David nails the dark and absurd premise with his timing and commitment \u2013 the juxtaposition is so shocking and clever I wish I\u2019d thought of it!<\/p>\n Catch Booth the Clown in Kissing Booth<\/a> on May 13-16 in Auckland, and B**** Better Have My Funny<\/a> on May 15 in Auckland.<\/p>\n Samantha Hannah<\/p>\n Sarah Keyworth\u2019s menstrual cup (also known as a moon cup) joke. Sarah describes using one and\u2026 well I don\u2019t want to ruin the punchline\u2026 so if you can, watch the clip<\/a>!<\/p>\n (For those who can\u2019t watch the clip, I\u2019ll spoil it now\u2026 on looking at the little menstrual cup filled with blood, their first thought is\u2026 \u201cshot it\u201d)<\/p>\n Their timing in this is perfect. Exposing the intrusive thought is weirdly relatable and how visceral it is makes it funny. Even if you work out where it\u2019s going, the punchline is delivered so well that it\u2019s a delicious moment.<\/p>\n Watch Billy T nominee Samantha Hannah\u2019s show Peekaboo!<\/a> on May 12-16 in Wellington and May 19-23 in Auckland, or catch her in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Preview Show<\/a> on April 30.<\/p>\n Sam Morril is doing a gig in Arizona and points out the high level of racism in the state<\/a> \u2013 they were the last to recognise Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Like, no thanks\u2026 we\u2019d rather work.<\/p>\n When I think of all the casual, covert and overt racism that has happened over the last few years, from our government, city councils, and undoubtedly will happen around the elections, it\u2019s a premise that applies to many situations. For example, when Steve Gibson skipped a planning session because it was held at a marae. Or when Kevin Malcolm walked out during a karakia at the start of a council meeting. Or when Craig Jepson tried to stop karakia in meetings altogether. Then you\u2019ve got the Ruapehu District Council voting to remove karakia from formal meetings entirely.<\/p>\n When did karakia start hurting feelings? Like\u2026 when did we go from \u201c\u0101mene\u201d to \u201cI feel attacked\u201d? When did karakia become controversial? It\u2019s a 30-second blessing, not a TED Talk. Can you point to where the karakia is hurting you? You\u2019ve got councillors acting like karakia is a surprise attack. \u201cOh no\u2026 they\u2019ve started speaking M\u0101ori\u2026 I\u2019ve got to get out of here\u201d<\/p>\n Sam\u2019s joke hits in Arizona because it\u2019s based on something that actually happened. They were the last to recognise MLK Day, and he turned that moment of racism into something people could laugh at \u2013 but also think, yeah, that\u2019s messed up. Jokes that make you laugh and think are great jokes. They can hit harder.<\/p>\n Heta brings The Koro Chronicles<\/a> to Auckland on May 7-9<\/p>\nJohanna Cosgrove, Rhiannon McCall, Hoani Hotene and Hayley Sproull
\nJames Nokise<\/p>\nClockwise from top left: Samantha Hannah, Booth the Clown, James Nokise, Annie Guo and Heta Dawson
\nHeta Dawson<\/p>\n