Eli Matthewson is a stand-out star of the festival line-up. Photo / Supplied
Review: Eli Matthewson’s Daddy Short Legs at Taranaki Arts Festival’s Spiegel Fest. Reviewed by Ilona Hanne
Fans of Aotearoa’s comedy scene will already know Eli Matthewson’s name and talent. He has been a regular on the comedy circuit for many years, in NZ and overseas, as well as plenty
of television appearances including a short, but enjoyable, stint on Dancing with the Stars this year.
Last year, his critically acclaimed show Daddy Short Legs was crowned the winner of the 2021 Fred Award, honouring the best show at the annual New Zealand International Comedy Festival, and it was this show he brought to Taranaki for his one-night stand at Spiegel Fest.
Within minutes of stepping up to the microphone in the Crystal Palace Spiegeltent, Eli showed the crowd exactly why that Fred Award was so well deserved. His charming patter as he takes the audience on the journey of his life is well thought out. While there are plenty of quick and fairly obvious one-liners thrown in, some of the show’s best moments come when he reacts to the audience in front of home, quickly adapating to, and rolling with, any comments or local references they throw at him.
Eli masters the fine balance of delivering what is a mainly scripted show with the impression of it being a series of jokes and comments that have just popped into his head that very minute, while keeping the polish and steady pace.
