What’s on in the region this week
COMEDY FESTIVAL
It’s the final week of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival and there are still plenty of laughs to be had. Show bookings at comedyfestival.co.nz
Penny Ashton
BATS Random stage, May 18-22, 8.15pm, $22.50–$25 Austen Found: The Undiscovered Musicals of Jane Austen: Addicted to Darcy? Lost all Sense & Sensibility? Well, stop watching Bridgerton and enjoy an improvised musical in the style of Jane Austen.
Ben Hurley
San Fran, May 18-22, 7pm, $24-$30 Turn Off Your Mind, Relax, and Float Down Stream: In Ben Hurley’s solo show don’t expect a narrative-driven arc with a poignant ending, this show is a brilliant distraction from all the seriousness going on.
Bobby Wood
BATS The Dome, May 18-22, 7pm, $15-$20
If You Met My Mum, You’d Understand. Hailing from the misty vales of remote South Westland, Bobby Wood is still untarnished by the modern excesses of high-speed internet and packaged meat.
Jadwiga Green
BATS Studio, May 18-22, 7.30pm, $18-$22
Cardigan Faget (it’s pronounced fahjay!) is a wry and silly exploration of life on the margins of mental health, gender and sexuality. It chronicles Jadwiga’s experience of entering the stand-up comedy scene the same week she was discharged from a psychiatric hospital.
Jonno Roberts
Fringe Bar, May 18-22, 8.45pm, $22.50–$29.50
You’ll have a surprisingly tuneful walk (or maybe a dance?) on the darker side of life when Jonno Roberts appears on a New Zealand International Comedy Festival stage for the first time in over 20 years.
Kris Beattie
Cavern Club, May 18-22, 8.45pm, $18-$22
Kris Beattie’s Stopped Working is a culmination of Kris’ best stand up, accumulated throughout the glory days of his mid-life crisis. Join/pity him for an hour of frivolous reflection and retrospection.
Laura Davis
BATS Random Stage, May 18-22, 6.30pm, $18-$22 An hour with Laura Davis leaves you feeling uplifted, somewhat bewildered and utterly amazed by such blistering talent. If This Is It addresses the upheaving mix of doom and hope we’re all living with.
Mike Fowler
Cavern Club, May 18-22, 7pm, $15-$25
It’s hard to stand out when the crowd is busy isolating. Fowler presents a comedy show investigating the awkwardness of finding yourself as part of a team of 5 million thrust together for a common goal.
Nick Gibb
BATS The Dome, May 18-22, 8.45pm, $20-$25
In this age of constant information overload Nick Gibb still finds a fresh perspective in a way that is insightful, hilarious, and doesn’t even have that lull at the 40-minute mark.
Paul Williams
Fringe Bar, May 18-22, 7pm, $18-$25 A magical evening of music, romance and photos. This is a show for anyone who likes champagne and wearing a clean outfit. Good for all ages but if you’re really old, please only come if you promise to stay calm.
Pax Assadi
San Fran, May 18-22, 8.45pm, $23-$29
Hi literal stranger, wanna listen to me tell jokes for an hour? Oh, well that’s just great, because telling jokes to strangers is the only way I know how to get things off my chest without driving my wife to divorce.
The Saboteur
BATS Random Stage, May 19-22, 10pm, $20-$25
Five performers are all working hard to put on a good improv show. Well, almost all of them. One is trying to sabotage the show without getting caught. Will The Saboteur be unmasked?
OTHER EVENTS
Book Launch: Fifty Years A Feminist, by Sue Kedgley
Unity Books, May 18, 6-7:30pm, free Kedgley tracks the development of feminism over the last five decades and its intersection with her life, describing how she went from debutante to stroppy activist, journalist, safe-food activist and politician.
Roger Brown and Rosemary Barnes, cello and piano
St Andrew’s on the Terrace, May 19, 12:15 pm, Koha Programme: Schumann’s Fantasie-Stuck, Op.73, Beethoven’s Sonata C, Op 102/1, Chopin’s Introduction et Polonaise Brillante, Op.3 and Gershwin’s Two short pieces. Bring a bag lunch and enjoy.
Book Launch: Vunimaqo and Me, by Daren Kamali
Unity Books, May 19, May, 6-7:30pm, free
This powerful new collection by Daren Kamali centres on a mango tree – Vunimaqo – that was a focal point of his youth. More than just a tree, Vunimaqo is at the intersection of a community’s life.
Inbal Megiddo and Rachel Thomson
St Marks Church, Woburn Rd, Lower Hutt, May 20; 7.30pm
A Cello Journey explores the breadth of expression and emotion that can be found in the cello-piano repertoire.Information and tickets at www.cmhv.org.nz or at the door.
Diplosphere discusses: Living in the Age of Outrage
Wellington Club, May 19, 6-7pm, $12-$40
Welcome to a world where the line between information, facts, halftruths, omissions, propaganda and disinformation is blurred. Let’s have a conversation about today’s society – from fake news culture to identity crisis, from political sloganeering to the power of the hashtag. Bookings eventbrite
Book Launch: Greta and Valdin, by Rebecca K Reilly
Unity Books, May 20, 6-7.30pm, free This beguiling and hilarious novel by Adam Foundation Prize winner Rebecca K Reilly owes as much to Shakespeare as it does to Tinder. Set in a world that is deeply familiar (but also a bit sexier and more stylish than the real one), Greta and Valdin will speak to anyone who has had their heart broken.
Events to include?
If you want your event listed on this page, please send an outline to arts@dompost.co.nz with ‘‘arts listings’’ in the subject line.