Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin
I was not sure what I was in for when I walked into Fringe Bar as I had never heard of Li’i Alaimoana. He won comedy awards in Wellington before I moved to this motu so I was a clean slate of an audience member. Taking my seat I noticed all the stage had on it was a guitar to the right, a microphone to the left and a stool in the middle. A classic comedy set up.
Alaimoana is a Samoan New Zealander who was born and raised in Wellington City. Through his set his dominant persona is a confident one, that at times alludes to a somber depth underneath his “I don’t care” demeanor. I usually wince when comedians call out audiences for being tough or not laughing heaps, and I do the first time Alaimoana does it, but my wince ease into a grin after a while. He’s confident and it doesn’t bother him if people laugh or not, because he will always find a way to open you up.
The blurb on the Comedy Fest website for Rare View states: “Lighter and leaner than before, Stand-up comedian Li'i Alaimoana gives the audience a rare view of his life - looking back and leaving the old version of Li'i in the rear-view mirror, and looking ahead with a clearer windscreen, navigating the new speed limits.” I would say this is a little inaccurate. In retrospect I believe this blurb indicates a more solid structure and more emotional themes than what the show actually has. Alaimoana works with the audience a few times, having the house lights come up so he can pick people to talk to and make fun of (if this isn’t for you then I wouldn’t recommend this show! If this is for you then you’ll have an awesome time!). Because of who and how he is Alaimoana enters charismatically into these conversations and always gleans the comedic content from them! He is very talented in this respect. He is very chuffed with all of his children which warms my heart. He exudes funny, proud Dad energy.
So why did I bring up the blurb from the website? The reason you have not seen Alaimoana since he won awards for comedy in 2019 is not so much because of Covid but because of a personal tragedy in his close friend circle. He ends the show with this information as a way of asking people to love each other more openly and by encouraging us to think about our love for each other. This note resonates for me personally because I saw the show on the anniversary of a similar tragedy in my close friend group, but I can’t help but feel there could have been more time spent during the show on deeper themes like this. Especially since the blurb does hint at quite an emotional retrospective. Even the tagline “The weight is over!” on the image alludes to weight loss that only comes up in the show for a handful of jokes. I know it’s comedy but it does not mean that you can’t delve into those feelings underneath the tough guy no-feelings persona that Alaimoana constructs through the show and find the joy within them.
I had a good time at this show! Li’i Alaimoana worked the room to the point where people could just call out at him, which is very much my speed, and he did a bit of white-people-bashing which I always love! Unfortunately it has ended its run at the Fringe Bar for this Comedy Fest but hopefully Alaimoana is back on our stages for good after a well deserved mental rest. More info on the season that was here.
The blurb on the Comedy Fest website for Rare View states: “Lighter and leaner than before, Stand-up comedian Li'i Alaimoana gives the audience a rare view of his life - looking back and leaving the old version of Li'i in the rear-view mirror, and looking ahead with a clearer windscreen, navigating the new speed limits.” I would say this is a little inaccurate. In retrospect I believe this blurb indicates a more solid structure and more emotional themes than what the show actually has. Alaimoana works with the audience a few times, having the house lights come up so he can pick people to talk to and make fun of (if this isn’t for you then I wouldn’t recommend this show! If this is for you then you’ll have an awesome time!). Because of who and how he is Alaimoana enters charismatically into these conversations and always gleans the comedic content from them! He is very talented in this respect. He is very chuffed with all of his children which warms my heart. He exudes funny, proud Dad energy.
So why did I bring up the blurb from the website? The reason you have not seen Alaimoana since he won awards for comedy in 2019 is not so much because of Covid but because of a personal tragedy in his close friend circle. He ends the show with this information as a way of asking people to love each other more openly and by encouraging us to think about our love for each other. This note resonates for me personally because I saw the show on the anniversary of a similar tragedy in my close friend group, but I can’t help but feel there could have been more time spent during the show on deeper themes like this. Especially since the blurb does hint at quite an emotional retrospective. Even the tagline “The weight is over!” on the image alludes to weight loss that only comes up in the show for a handful of jokes. I know it’s comedy but it does not mean that you can’t delve into those feelings underneath the tough guy no-feelings persona that Alaimoana constructs through the show and find the joy within them.
I had a good time at this show! Li’i Alaimoana worked the room to the point where people could just call out at him, which is very much my speed, and he did a bit of white-people-bashing which I always love! Unfortunately it has ended its run at the Fringe Bar for this Comedy Fest but hopefully Alaimoana is back on our stages for good after a well deserved mental rest. More info on the season that was here.