Comedian Ray O’Leary bringing his deadpan and whip-smart humour to Rotorua

Comedian Ray O'Leary is bringing his newest show to Rotorua. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand’s funny deadpan comedian Ray O’Leary is taking his brand-new comedy across the country, and will be stopping in Rotorua along the way.

Ray O’Leary is serious about jokes. If his trademark suit and tie don’t tell you he means funny business, his critical acclaim and audience responses will do.

He is bringing his show Everything Funny All the Time Always to Shambles Theatre on March 10.

A regular comedian on Have You Been Paying Attention? and 7 Days, Ray also appeared in a 2021 episode of Bill Bailey’s Patriot Brains. He can be seen in the television series Raised by Refugees, Golden Boy, and brand-new sketch show for kids My Favourite Dead Person, for which he is also a writer.

His multiple sold-out shows in the NZ International Comedy Festival received rave reviews and he has twice been nominated for the prestigious Billy T James award (2020, 2017).

His new tour takes his wit to more than 10 venues, from Tauranga to Dunedin, giving Aotearoa a sneak peek at his new show before it tours to Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April, then returns to perform Auckland and Wellington for the New Zealand International Comedy Festival.

Audiences can expect an hour of all-new, completely original jokes about things they never thought could be funny.

Everything Funny All the Time Always includes new whip-smart gags on some of the strangest, dark corners of everyday life.

Ray thinks there is comedy to be found in most topics, and says his show will be full of observational comedy.

“Hopefully there will be some angles on things people haven’t thought about before, and I think it will be a rollicking good time.

“It will be witty, and who doesn’t like to laugh? And one of the major reasons to come buy a ticket is to help me pay rent, which I think the good people of Rotorua will see is a very important cause, and even if they don’t enjoy the show they will be able to leave the show with their hearts full.”

He says this will be his debut show in Rotorua and he is very excited to perform here.

It has been a long time since he was in Rotorua, and he was keen to check out the hot pools again, and maybe even take on a Zorb ride.

And although it has been a while since he visited Rotorua, he is not worried about acclimatising quickly to the special scent here, as he reckons he has had some quite smelly flatmates before.

This tour will also be his first extended trip with a show, and Ray is looking forward to seeing different places.

“And personally it will be creatively fulfilling to perform in front of different crowds.”

Ray can be heard on the hit Dungeons and Dragons podcast Waterdeep Mountain High with Nic Sampson, Alice Snedden, Brynley Stent and Paul Williams; and the philosophy podcast Socrates Walks Into A Bar with Tim Batt and Nick Rado (Best Comedy Podcast nominee - NZ Podcast Awards, 2022).

Ray recently opened for Rhys Darby, performed with Flight of the Conchords, and cracked more than 600 gigs.

He has started making appearances on Australian television with Logie-award nominated comedy panel show The Cheap Seats and Have You Been Paying Attention? - Australia.

The details

- What: Ray O’Leary: Everything Funny All the Time Always

- When: Friday, March 10, 8pm

- Where: Shambles Theatre

- Tickets: Bookings from Eventfinda