Royal Whanganui Opera House to host Hello Comedy’s biggest show

Dai Henwood will lead an all-star comedy cast in Whanganui next month. Photo / Alan Gibson

Whanganui events company Hello Comedy is gearing up for its biggest gig yet.

Next month’s Hello Comedy Gala will be headlined by Dai Henwood, with a supporting cast of 10 other comedians.

Elizabeth McMenamin-Pervan and Dave Wiggins, both stand-up comedians, launched the company at the start of last year and have held most of their tri-monthly shows at the Whanganui Musicians Club.

This time around they have made a significant jump up in venue size to the Royal Whanganui Opera House which Wiggins said was a risk.

“We’ve rented out the biggest venue in Whanganui and we’re getting Dai Henwood here, but then you think ‘what if no one shows up’?

“The ticket sales are going amazing, though, much better than we expected.”

Other acts on the bill include Michele A’Court, Ray O’Leary and Kura Forrester. The event is hosted by Rhys Mathewson.

McMenamin-Pervan said there was a bit of “let’s see how this goes” when the pair started putting on events but they realised early on people wanted to see great comedy shows in Whanganui.

Organising a gala had been voiced early on and it wasn’t a hard sell to get comedians to come to the River City, she said.

“We know a lot of lovely comedians who want to get behind us and I think they really enjoy playing in places like Whanganui.

“They are keen to come down here and people are keen to see them. That’s all we can ask for, really.”

Dave Wiggins and Elizabeth McMenamin-Pervan put on Hello Comedy's first show in February 2022. Photo / Craig McMenamin-Pervan

Whanganui talent will be represented at the gala, in the form of Kajun Campbell Brooking, Alexander Reid and Wiggins himself.

Former Whanganui resident O’Leary was nominated for the Best Newcomer Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival last month.

“With 11 comedians on there will be something for everyone, they all have a different style,” Wiggins said.

“I guarantee you’ll like at least one of them.”

McMenamin-Pervan said the pair couldn’t continue to put on shows without the support of their respective spouses.

“They help out heaps at the shows and the same goes for our friends who volunteer.

“This is definitely a village company in that respect.”

Hello Comedy has also been helped by Air Chathams which will fly all the Auckland comedians to Whanganui, and economic development agency Whanganui & Partners which provided funding for marketing.

“I think one of the reasons why Whanganui & Partners was excited about this is because it’s in the winter. Comedy is more of a winter thing anyway,” Wiggins said.

“We’ll put the deposit on the Opera House for next year and really push to make this a staple of Whanganui’s winter.”

Expanding it into a festival was definitely on the cards but still a couple of years away.

“That is definitely the dream and the vision.

“We just need to see things continue to sustainably grow. I’m picking this one will sell out and that’s definitely a good sign.”

Henwood was diagnosed with cancer in 2020 and went public with the diagnosis earlier this year.

“What Dai wants to do is do what he does best - go and entertain people and have a good time,” Wiggins said.

“He’s doing great, he’s happy and he’s excited to come.

“For every ticket we sell in May, $5 will go to Hospice Whanganui. They will be there on the night as well if people want to donate.”

The Hello Comedy Gala is on Friday, June 16. Doors open at 6.30pm.