Hurley returns with 7 Days gang
Eighteen years after his early break running the pub quiz at Wellington’s Black Harp, the sound of a heckle remains an occupational hazard for comedian Ben Hurley. However, like his own comedy repertoire, the quality has improved over the years.
‘‘People kind of know what a good heckle is nowadays – most of the time it’s just them trying to help, but it’s like, ‘Actually, I’m OK up here on stage, thanks’,’’ he says.
‘‘I actually haven’t had a decent one for quite a while – that sounds like a challenge, but it’s not.’’
Hurley is joining fellow 7 Days originals Dai Henwood, Jeremy Corbett, Paul Ego, Justine Smith, Josh Thomson and Jeremy Elwood for another 7 Days Live nationwide tour, which will reach Nelson on December 9.
This year’s tour – the ninth – takes in 13 centres and features the familiar format of the popular TV show, as well as quickfire standup sets from each comedian.
Hurley says the standup segments and uncensored, ad-lib nature of 7 Days Live offers audiences a chance to see a different side of the performers from what makes the final edit on TV.
While the 7 Days Live train missed Nelson last year, Hurley made sure the region was on his list of stops on his own national tour, playing Mapua’s Playhouse in August.
‘‘Nelson’s one of those towns that we do really well in, but we find that cities of that size we tend to go to every second year – we get a bigger crowd if we’re keeping people hungry for it.’’
After 18 years of performing and writing comedy in New Zealand and Britain, Hurley has become one of this country’s most in-demand comedians, performing around 200 shows a year.
‘‘Some musicians will only play about a dozen shows a year – I guess a world tour would be a lot more – but comedy’s one of those things where you’ve got to keep going or you lose the knack,’’ he says.
In a sense, the tour is akin to getting the band back together, and a few weeks on the road with the boys – and Smith – could be seen as the perfect excuse for a bit of hedonism.
‘‘There’s definitely a bit of that, but we’re getting on a bit – I have been doing this for 18 years, and Corbett’s been doing this since 1918. A lot of them just go and play golf, the least rock ’n’ roll thing there is.’’
While the provinces are often cannon fodder for the 7 Days crew, Hurley says his touring itinerary has helped him appreciate the charms of smalltown New Zealand.
7 Days Live comes to Nelson’s Trafalgar Centre on Sunday, December 9 at 7.30pm. Tickets $56 adults,$51 seniors and students, from Ticketek. The December 10 show at Blenheim’s ASB Theatre has sold out.