Comedy star recalls 'Westie' mate

Ben Hurley, centre, at the funeral service yesterday for fellow comedian Ewen Gilmour at the Tuakau Memorial Hall. PHOTO/JASON OXENHAM

Award-winning Kiwi comic Ben Hurley plays Masterton beside a couple of friends tomorrow, a week after sharing a stage with late comedian and mate Ewen Gilmour at his final show.

Hurley said he and stand-up colleagues James Nokise and Vaughan King will be playing at The Aberdeen restaurant and bar in the town tomorrow night in his first show in Wairarapa since a regional junior cricket fundraiser alongside Nick Rado at the Masterton Town Hall two years ago.

"We got about 400 people at that and Jesse Ryder was in the front row. It was a really good night."

Last week Hurley, a past winner of the NZ Comedy Guild, Billy T James and Fred Dagg comedy awards, had introduced Gilmour to an Auckland crowd during his final show before the 51-year-old died later the same night.

"The line-up at the upcoming show -- all three of us -- were very close with Ewen. We all were in the comedy community. Vaughan was probably Ewen's best friend and was his support act for the past 10 years, and before that it was me.

"Ewen was always very kind and generous to young comics, and as a marriage celebrant he married me -- myself and my wife (Abi) were his first ever straight wedding after the few civil unions he did back in the day. It makes for great memories. We've got some marvellous photos of that day," Hurley said.

"It's a very sad time. I had the auspicious honour of being the last person to welcome him to the stage. He actually did a show with me the night he died. He put on an amazing performance that was filmed for TV. He shook my hand after the gig and talked about having a few beers, as he always did," Hurley said.

"And that was it unfortunately. He went in a way that I think he would have wanted, but way before his time."

Hurley said he had launched his comedy career in Wellington before Gilmour took him under his wing. While touring the lower North Island as a green comic he had played at The Aberdeen when the venue was trading under another name.

"We did that room about 10 years ago and it was a sold-out crowd and one of the best of the whole tour. I play Wellington on Saturday and out of nostalgia I thought it'd be good to go back again."

Hurley said he was fortunate to be landing "a fair bit of TV work" today and had grown his fan base over the past decade.

Nokise was a Hutt Valley stand-up and "the world's best and only Welsh Samoan comedian", whose critically-acclaimed solo shows had attracted a loyal following and won his latest show selection for staging in New York as part of the Best of New Zealand Theatre festival.

King, who was twice voted New Zealand's Best MC at the comedy awards, was a relentless worker who constantly toured and had appeared on television shows 7 Days and The New Zealand Comedy Gala.

Ben Hurley, James Nokise and Vaughan King play an R18 show at The Aberdeen tomorrow from 8pm. Tickets cost $28 and are available online at eventfinder.co.nz.