Reon Materman on stage as Frank Spencer with Betty (Krystal Cornell) at Levin Little Theatre earlier this year for Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.
Reon Materman on stage as Frank Spencer with Betty (Krystal Cornell) at Levin Little Theatre earlier this year for Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.
A Levin bottle store worker has landed a spot on stage as opening act for one of New Zealand’s better-known comedians.
Reon Materman, who took to comedy only a few years ago, will help warm up the crowd for Rhys Mathewson at Levin Little Theatre this month.
Materman, 28, hadbeen a regular on the stage with community theatre productions for years, but decided to give comedy a crack as it was hard to make regular rehearsals through work.
He had always been the one telling stories and trying to make his mates laugh, so he tested the waters by joining a local comedy club. He started doing the odd gig, taking the stage after work at his old job at Ocean Beach Eatery in Foxton Beach at the end of a shift.
Materman’s style is self-deprecating. He never takes the mickey out of anyone more than himself. He’s happy being the butt of his own jokes.
“Whatever it is, I have already said worse to myself,” he said.
He grew up watching the likes of Jim Carey and has also adopted a type of animated physical element to his comedy. Everyone has a different style and Materman can’t help but use his body on stage.
“You can help tell a story with your body,” he said.
“I’m a bit lazy. I know basically what I am saying on stage, but you can always add more and come off as more natural, I think,” he said.
“I try to keep everything original and stick to things pertinent to my life, about things that I have experienced.”
Materman performed at a Foxton Beach comedy festival this year, one of several from the local club involved, opening for Brendon Lovegrove.
He entered the Raw Comedy Festival last year and was chuffed to have made it through the first round. He said it helped to hang out with other comedians at a show and learn new things, and he said they fed off one another.
He said comedy had opened up a whole new world.
Levin comedian Reon Materman will be one of the opening acts for Rhy Mathewson at Levin Little Theatre this month.
“Hanging around others, you get better at what you are doing. It’s super-enjoyable,” he said.
“There are so many talented people out there slipping under the radar.”
He didn’t have any long-term goals and it would be hard to hit the road. He manages his comedy gigs around work, sometimes knocking off a bit earlier if it’s okay with the boss.
“It’s a give-and-take thing. He’s really good about it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rhys Mathewson follows in the footsteps of fellow 7 Days comedian Ben Hurley, who has also performed at Levin in recent times.
Rhys Mathewson.
Mathewson is described as one of New Zealand’s best comedians, and is a familiar face on television appearing on Dancing With the Stars, Seven Sharp, 7 Days and Have You Been Paying Attention?.
He is one of the most in-demand comedians in the country and the youngest-ever winner of the Billy T Award, and won the prestigious Fred Dagg Award for best show at the NZ International Comedy Festival.
He has performed all over the world, including a packed-out Spark Arena supporting Jack Whitehall.
Also taking the stage is MC Justin Ngai, winner of Most Original Joke at the 2021 Comedy Hub Awards and a multi-award-winning playwright, and Palmerston North comedians Jayda McIndoe and Matthew Willey.
