Stand up and have a laugh with Rhys in Whangarei

Rhys Darby. You may know him as Murray, the manager of the Flight of the Conchords, or simply as one of New Zealand's best comedians. On Saturday night, Northlanders get to see Darby live when he headlines the Awesomeness Comedy Night at Whangarei's Capitaine Bougainville Theatre.

The evening is billed as two hours of "the best of the NZ International Comedy Festival" and features host Adam Ethan Crow, UK impressionist Anil Desai, Kiwi act Tarun Mohanbhai and drummer turned comic Steve Hughes from Australia.

The Northern Advocate caught up with Darby before the show.

What prompted the Whangarei gig and how does it time with the Auckland-based festival?

We'd never done a show in Whangarei. As it turns out, there's a decent-sized theatre there. We know how hard it can be for folk to make the extra journey to see shows in Auckland, so we thought it would be a nice opportunity to give the people of Whangarei a wee festival of their own.

Did you think about doing a one-off Vector Arena gig, a bit like the Flight of the Conchords? It would save heaps of driving

Yes, we have thought about that. But despite the "awesomeness" of an arena gig, the reality may be different. Unlike music, sometimes the intricacies of comedic performance can get lost in such a big room. Video screens can be used, of course, but we'd really have to check the laughter noise levels, which help the energy of the show. The main thing with any show is that every member of the audience experiences a good time. An arena gig makes that tough.

Rhys, will you have new material? We don't have a Rainbow's End up here, by the way, but we do have a lion park.

Yes, it's all new material. But I know fans would be disappointed if I didn't rock out the odd robot or dinosaur impression. So I'll be sure to slip them in there somewhere.

You've had some success in the US. How important is it to you as an actor/comedian to still do stand-up? Is it your happy place?

Yes it is. It's the grassroots level of where all comedy ideas come from. And the laughter reminds me that I'm still funny. No one's allowed to laugh when I'm acting for camera, so I miss the audience. It's also a way to connect with the fans. They deserve a new live show every year or so just for being loyal and following my onscreen antics.

How far north have you been before?

This will be the furtherest north I've been. I shall have to take a photo.