Ben Elton comes to Tauranga in return to comedy stand-up

UK comedy great Ben Elton is coming to Tauranga. Photo / Trevor Leighton

The comedy genius who gave the world beloved television shows Blackadder and The Young Ones, Queen musical We Will Rock You and 16 best-selling novels is returning to New Zealand.

And this time, Tauranga gets a slice of the action.

Ben Elton is holding two live stand-up shows at Baycourt Theatre this month as part of a New Zealand tour that caps a stellar 40-year career as a comic, author, playwright, actor and director.

When asked if this tour is a matter of going back to humbler stand-up beginnings, Elton is quick to say no.

"No, not at all. I started as a writer and I'll always be a writer. And when I'm on stage expressing my thoughts, I'm the medium for my ideas - as opposed to Rowan Atkinson or Rik Mayall or Jennifer Saunders, all the people I've written for - so I don't really see it as any kind of conclusion. It's ongoing.

"Of course, I'm now viewing the world from the perspective of somebody who - you know I'm 61, I've been doing it exactly 40 years - so that's quite fun to play with that."

Elton is potentially best known for his earlier work writing television shows such as The Young Ones, Blackadder, The Thin Blue Line, even Mr Bean episodes. More recently he has turned his hand to the West End show We Will Rock You. He has written 17 books, including six number one best-sellers.

In this tour, Elton says he plays with some of the attitudes, assumptions and routines from "back in the early days" but hasn't singled out any aspect of his expansive career out as such.

"I don't really look at any phase as anything other than an ongoing improvisation. I'm a very non-reflective person. The only time I ever think about myself is when I'm doing an interview. The rest of the time I just let it happen."

Perhaps this organic nonchalance is where the magic lies.

In 2019, all 75 shows of Elton's United Kingdom tour sold out and drew rave reviews. The tour was New Zealand-bound last year but was postponed due to Covid-19. Already, Elton has added a second Tauranga date to his tour due to popular demand.

UK comedy great Ben Elton is coming to Tauranga. Phto / Supplied

Elton's success also includes three BAFTAs, two Laurence Olivier Awards, The Royal Television Society Writer's Award, The Golden Dagger UK Crime Writer of the Year Award, The Critics Circle Award for Best Musical and the Eurovision Golden Rose D'Or Lifetime Achievement Award.

With such acclaim, it's perhaps no surprise Elton admits he doesn't get quite the same nerves before a gig as he used to all those years ago. But this is more about the evolution of the audience than anything else, he says.

"When you start off as a comedian, the nerves are really gruelling ... you can die on stage. That's why it's so bad, you know, failing in front of so many people.

"So yeah, that's a scary thing to do and particularly in the early 80s, it was much more gladiatorial in those days. It was like blokes thinking it was funny to belittle the comic or whatever. That was hard.

"I think since then we've become much more familiar with comedy as an art form. People go because they want to. Sure, if the comedian is [struggling] eventually they'll probably let him know but normally they are prepared to listen.

"Whereas in the early 80s you start off and they weren't even listening to you and you had to sort of bludgeon them. And I think quite a lot of my aggressive style came from that."

So why return to the stage?

"Because I want to do stand up," Elton says.

"It's a privilege that there's an audience who wants to see me but you're doing the thing you want to do and that's been my great good fortune over the years, so stand-up right now is what I'm thinking about, what I'm focusing on."

Something that has made Elton's return to the stage even sweeter is having his two sons watch a show for the first time this year.

"Both my boys were in Melbourne the other night and it was lovely. The last time, they were about 5 years old. They grew up knowing that dad had this thing, you know, and they can see a bit of YouTube and all that but no, it was lovely for them to finally see me."

Elton's New Zealand tour involves shows at 13 places, including Tauranga.

Previously, Elton has held gigs in only Auckland and Christchurch but this time around "there's loads of places I've never visited".

"I'm really looking forward to it."

• Elton will perform in Tauranga at Baycourt Theatre on May 17 and 18. Tickets are available via reputable online ticket outlets or the theatre