Isaac Andrews
At Te Auaha’s Tapere Nui theater is a one-night special as a part of the NZ International Comedy Festival: the Wellington Comedy Club Rainbow Case. This is an event hosted by New Zealand comedian James Mustapic. There are 10 LGBTQIA+ comedians, local and from further across the nation, who each share a unique stand-up set, making for an absolutely stunning lineup of comedic personalities.
It’s a squeeze waiting in the corridor, as the turnout tonight is immense and we can’t wait to get to the stage. Once we do, it’s a very chatty and bubbly atmosphere, it’s a beautiful sea of people with brightly coloured hair and some absolutely fabulous outfits; a ready and willing crowd for an even more vibrant collection of comedians.
Mustapic begins with a few anecdotes and warms us up well. He says “gays, make some noise!”, they do. “Straights, make some noise!”, they do. The difference between cheers is hilarious. He breaks the ice well and gets the crowd rearing for the acts to come. Be it his deadpan delivery or his range of pitch/tone in his voice, Mustapic is hands-down hilarious. Mustapic reappears in between acts and has a reprise after the intermission. He is the glue between acts, and keeps the audience warm and on their toes.
Jules Daniel is our first comedian. They are well-spoken, unapologetic and offer cutting-edge comedy. They’re not at all afraid to push the line and speak some need-be-said truths. Their stand-up comprises of songs performed on a ukulele, which is reminiscent of Bo Burnham; a simple, yet effective verse/chorus with spoken asides in between. These songs were received incredibly well by the audience and I thought struck such a niche within the world of queer comedy. What an incredible opening to the show.
Cassie Taurima offers a truly beautiful glimpse at her life, detailing the trials and tribulations of her queer journey. Afterall, how would you react if someone said to you: “why don’t you act as the man you were born as?”. She develops an engaging rapport with the audience and is so genuine and calm throughout her set. Taurima’s set really struck a chord and stayed with me after the show, I found her such a strong, well-articulated comedian, who garnered a real sense of peace and wholeness with her set. An enchanting, heart-warming collection of anecdotes.
Karen O’Leary and Eilish Wilson come together for an incredibly unique set. Wilson is on saxophone and uses various props to produce a live folly accompaniment to O’Leary’s storytelling. It reads as a rather disorganized stand-up, with Wilson not immediately appearing and O’Leary stumbling over a suitcase of objects; this is incredibly funny. This is an amazing performance, and a pretty darn impressive soundscape (e.g. drumsticks on a pillowcase making a helicopter sound effect). And in the midst of O’Leary’s stories, Wilson offers some truly brilliant, deadpan asides, which are effortlessly hilarious. A wonderful duo-act.
Brynley Stent comes on stage absolutely bursting with energy and bubbling with enthusiasm. Stent has an amazing physicality to her performance, using the large space to her advantage. She performs self-written sketches, including an impersonation of using the self-service checkouts at a grocery store. Things take a turn when the machine develops quite the emotional intelligence and… things get real provocative. I’m not sure how to describe this excerpt with the justice it deserves. This bit had me absolutely gagged and I simply couldn't control my laughter. She has an incredible array of facial expressions, and she delivers each word with every ounce of her body. Extraordinary.
Alayne Dick begins the second act. She is a bright and outspoken individual, is endearingly awkward and offers a fresh take on queer comedy. She makes good use of the stage and connects with individual audience members. She is emphatic, using large gestures to detail her anecdotes. She strikes me as an incredibly confident, quirky comedian, unafraid to express herself.
Jennifer Rose offers an incredible change of pace. As soon as she stands in front of the mic, it’s all eyes and ears on her. She’s got a sly gleam in her eye as she takes us through her set and has the audience wrapped around her finger at every step. I am entranced by the power she holds in the space, and with few gestures, it makes for an incredibly effective deadpan performance. She’ll ease us into a false sense of security and then will startle us with a well-timed snap of the punchline. Perhaps my favorite of the comedians here tonight.
Viki Moananu is another great change in tempo, surprising us with some hilariously out-of-pocket bits. He’s so loveable in his approach and interaction with the audience, and offers a fiercely camp hot-take on our social climate. He has a real edge to his humor, receiving some perhaps questionable laughs from the audience, but nevertheless delivers a well-developed set of anecdotes, and engages us with his warm presence.
Emma Wollum is a class act. She is analytical, astute and very matter-of-fact. Equipped with an accordion Wollum performs a few songs which include quirky content such as the ‘wandering womb’, tape worms and more! Wollum will sing through a jaunty verse and chorus and then break into an aside, sharing some incredibly bizarre and fun facts including where the term ‘bicycle face’ was derived. She is bright and confidently spoken and she interacts with the audience, laughing alongside them.
Booth the Clown finishes tonight’s show with some extraordinary stand-up. They are an extremely physical performer, with an amazingly playful and witty set. They lean into awkward humor incredibly well, embracing the pregnant pause and reflecting a sense of oddity in their body language. Some parts are so overtly sexual and intimate, it has the audience and I absolutely wetting ourselves. A brilliant embodiment of mime and a fantastic exploration of the clowning medium, a truly skillful performance.
Tonight has been an extensively hilarious, incredibly talented group of comedians, wrapped up into a clean, well-executed showcase. I think it’s admirable to share such personal stories and such well-crafted commentary of being a queer individual. I felt well included and welcomed into the space and was thoroughly entertained through to the very end.
Mustapic begins with a few anecdotes and warms us up well. He says “gays, make some noise!”, they do. “Straights, make some noise!”, they do. The difference between cheers is hilarious. He breaks the ice well and gets the crowd rearing for the acts to come. Be it his deadpan delivery or his range of pitch/tone in his voice, Mustapic is hands-down hilarious. Mustapic reappears in between acts and has a reprise after the intermission. He is the glue between acts, and keeps the audience warm and on their toes.
Jules Daniel is our first comedian. They are well-spoken, unapologetic and offer cutting-edge comedy. They’re not at all afraid to push the line and speak some need-be-said truths. Their stand-up comprises of songs performed on a ukulele, which is reminiscent of Bo Burnham; a simple, yet effective verse/chorus with spoken asides in between. These songs were received incredibly well by the audience and I thought struck such a niche within the world of queer comedy. What an incredible opening to the show.
Cassie Taurima offers a truly beautiful glimpse at her life, detailing the trials and tribulations of her queer journey. Afterall, how would you react if someone said to you: “why don’t you act as the man you were born as?”. She develops an engaging rapport with the audience and is so genuine and calm throughout her set. Taurima’s set really struck a chord and stayed with me after the show, I found her such a strong, well-articulated comedian, who garnered a real sense of peace and wholeness with her set. An enchanting, heart-warming collection of anecdotes.
Karen O’Leary and Eilish Wilson come together for an incredibly unique set. Wilson is on saxophone and uses various props to produce a live folly accompaniment to O’Leary’s storytelling. It reads as a rather disorganized stand-up, with Wilson not immediately appearing and O’Leary stumbling over a suitcase of objects; this is incredibly funny. This is an amazing performance, and a pretty darn impressive soundscape (e.g. drumsticks on a pillowcase making a helicopter sound effect). And in the midst of O’Leary’s stories, Wilson offers some truly brilliant, deadpan asides, which are effortlessly hilarious. A wonderful duo-act.
Brynley Stent comes on stage absolutely bursting with energy and bubbling with enthusiasm. Stent has an amazing physicality to her performance, using the large space to her advantage. She performs self-written sketches, including an impersonation of using the self-service checkouts at a grocery store. Things take a turn when the machine develops quite the emotional intelligence and… things get real provocative. I’m not sure how to describe this excerpt with the justice it deserves. This bit had me absolutely gagged and I simply couldn't control my laughter. She has an incredible array of facial expressions, and she delivers each word with every ounce of her body. Extraordinary.
Alayne Dick begins the second act. She is a bright and outspoken individual, is endearingly awkward and offers a fresh take on queer comedy. She makes good use of the stage and connects with individual audience members. She is emphatic, using large gestures to detail her anecdotes. She strikes me as an incredibly confident, quirky comedian, unafraid to express herself.
Jennifer Rose offers an incredible change of pace. As soon as she stands in front of the mic, it’s all eyes and ears on her. She’s got a sly gleam in her eye as she takes us through her set and has the audience wrapped around her finger at every step. I am entranced by the power she holds in the space, and with few gestures, it makes for an incredibly effective deadpan performance. She’ll ease us into a false sense of security and then will startle us with a well-timed snap of the punchline. Perhaps my favorite of the comedians here tonight.
Viki Moananu is another great change in tempo, surprising us with some hilariously out-of-pocket bits. He’s so loveable in his approach and interaction with the audience, and offers a fiercely camp hot-take on our social climate. He has a real edge to his humor, receiving some perhaps questionable laughs from the audience, but nevertheless delivers a well-developed set of anecdotes, and engages us with his warm presence.
Emma Wollum is a class act. She is analytical, astute and very matter-of-fact. Equipped with an accordion Wollum performs a few songs which include quirky content such as the ‘wandering womb’, tape worms and more! Wollum will sing through a jaunty verse and chorus and then break into an aside, sharing some incredibly bizarre and fun facts including where the term ‘bicycle face’ was derived. She is bright and confidently spoken and she interacts with the audience, laughing alongside them.
Booth the Clown finishes tonight’s show with some extraordinary stand-up. They are an extremely physical performer, with an amazingly playful and witty set. They lean into awkward humor incredibly well, embracing the pregnant pause and reflecting a sense of oddity in their body language. Some parts are so overtly sexual and intimate, it has the audience and I absolutely wetting ourselves. A brilliant embodiment of mime and a fantastic exploration of the clowning medium, a truly skillful performance.
Tonight has been an extensively hilarious, incredibly talented group of comedians, wrapped up into a clean, well-executed showcase. I think it’s admirable to share such personal stories and such well-crafted commentary of being a queer individual. I felt well included and welcomed into the space and was thoroughly entertained through to the very end.