David Klein Presents: Birds
Bicycle Junction (upstairs), 1 Marion St, Te Aro, Wellington
26/02/2026 - 01/03/2026
Production Details
Director / Writer / Presenter: David Klein
Choreography: Finlay Saunders (age 11)
Award-winning storyteller David Klein has gone to the birds in this year’s New Zealand Fringe Festival. David Klein presents: Birds is the latest work from the Fringe 2015 Best Newcomer – a love letter to Wellington and the feathered friends we share the city with.
“Birds are part of our identity. Goodnight Kiwi. Bird of the Year. The hoiho on your fiver. Hatupatu and the Birdwoman. The kākā screaming outside. This will be a silly show with real bird facts,” explains David. “Wellington is probably the birdiest city in the most bird-loving country on earth. Bird numbers are way up all over the city – it’s a great time to be a bird or a bird fan.
“We loved you, ‘coolest little capital’ but it’s time for Wild squawkin’ Wellington.”
This live presentation combines facts, jokes, video, prizes and songs into a one of a kind hour of science storytelling. Learn about the wildlife swooping past you and get excited for a Wellington that becomes wilder every day.
David’s last Fringe Festival outing was Towards a Better Understanding of the Universe. Theatreview said, “This is an autobiographical journey told through the Universe. Yes, the goddam amazing universe that we’re all a part of. I’m hooked.” The show also popped over to Melbourne Fringe where reviews glowed it was “almost as perfect an hour as you could have.”
Towards evolved into Tour de Science – a science storytelling show. The Tour was on a pushbike and pedalled all around Aotearoa (down to Rakiura and up to Kaitaia!). Across 60 towns and cities, audiences loved David’s easy-going yarns that sneakily piled on some real education.
Most recently, David branched out and became Plant Man: a show for children that wondered, “What would it be like to be a plant?” Kim Hill asked him about trees and vegetables and described him as “cool as a cucumber.”
David’s thrilled to reunite with Bicycle Junction, essential Tour de Science supporters. “Bicycle Junction constantly reimagines what a bike shop can be. It’s a huge pleasure to work with them again.”
Be cool, get hooked and squawk about it. It’ll be a hoot. The title says it all – David Klein presents: Birds.
Venue: Bicycle Junction (upstairs), 1 Marion St, Te Aro.
Thursday 26, Friday 27, Saturday 28 February & Sunday 1 March 2026
6.30pm
Tickets: https://tickets.fringe.co.nz/event/446:8214/
Full Price: $15.00 each
Concession: $10.00 each
Fringe Addict: $12.00 each
Show website: https://www.tourdescience.com/
Producer: Micheline Evans
Visuals and audio: Rory Harnden
Theatre , Spoken word , Solo ,
60 minutes
Like a science lecture with jokes, quizzes, entertaining digressions and some personal history
Review by Tim Stevenson 27th Feb 2026
I want to buy a ticket for a friend to come with me to the first night of David Klein presents: Birds, but when I check online, all but one of the shows is completely sold out. I go early to Bicycle Junction in the hope there might be a cancellation, but no, every seat is not only presold but claimed.
I’m disappointed but not surprised. A show about Wellington’s bird life + a Wellington audience + award-winning science storyteller David Klein = a winning combination. As Klein observes, Wellington puts a lot of effort into bringing back our native birds, and it’s really paying off, with big increases in kereru, kaka, tui and fantails, to name but a few.
A lot of Wellingtonians, including your reviewer, love our birds and are very happy to have them amongst us (although there are always exceptions: a scientist up at Victoria opined a few years ago that kaka might have to be culled because of the way they hammer local fruit trees).
Hence, to get back to my point, the strong turnout on opening night.
The show is a wide-roving mix of anecdotes and facts relating to birds. It starts with the basics – What is a bird? – covers some bird history, distant and recent, and reflects on our native birds as a characteristic element of the Wellington environment. The result is like a science lecture with jokes, quizzes, entertaining digressions and some personal history thrown in.
Klein is the sole presenter, strongly supported by a varied and imaginative audiovisual display (Rory Harnden) which does a lot to carry the narrative along.
Klein plainly loves his birds and is passionate about his work as the communications programme lead at Predator Free Wellington. He is a skilled and charming presenter who works hard to get his audience involved, although I’m guessing he would have liked to build a livelier, more spontaneous atmosphere on the night I attended.
The applause at the close is long and loud, and I’m sure will get louder as the run continues.
Fun fact: an oystercatcher can eat 500 cockles a day.
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