DOUBLE FEATURE with CALLUM WAGSTAFF and GEORGE FENN
18/10/2025 - 18/10/2025
Production Details
Callum Wagstaff (he/him) - creator/performer
George Fenn (he/she/they) - creator/performer
Anne Cunliffe (she/her) - producer
Alternative comedians spread laughs to regional centers with spooky, sexy live show Double Feature.
The Most Haunted Comedian in New Zealand, (Callum Wagstaff) and Sexy Ghost Boy (George Fenn) are teaming up for a series of spooky, sexy, side-rupturing shows through New Zealand’s underserved smaller centers.
On October 18th, Nivara Lounge (Hamilton) and on November 15th, the Globe Theatre (Palmerston North) will be hosting these off-beat performances, combining their shows in one performance inspired by the Creature Feature Double Bills of old school cinema.
The Double Bill concept originated during the Great Depression of the 1940’s, and the artists hope that by teaming up they can offer a great deal for a night out in this cost of living crisis.
This night of comedy opens with Wagstaff performing his tried and tested, deranged yet comfortable Stand Up Special, The Most Haunted Comedian in New Zealand. He is followed by Fenn performing their Award Winning Interactive Burlesque Comedy Sexy Ghost Boy.
Wagstaff is the Tim Burton of Taranaki, here for the weirdos, the black sheep, and the grown-up gifted and talented failures. He invites audiences to join him in a colourful nightmare land of everyday horrors to see the world through his glassy, lash-ridden eyeballs. Covering everything from bugs, to talking to dead people, to his time as a make-a-wish kid in 2004.
“If he has a chance to go off the rails, he will. He’s an insane person.” – Stuff
In Fenn’s Kirikiriroa debut and happy return to Palmerston North, they will be wordlessly exploring the crowd’s worst fear… audience participation. But at the end of this surreal show, it won’t seem so scary.
“I left with a sore throat and vaguely manic euphoria from laughing so uproariously.” – Ellen Murray, Theatreview (Sexy Ghost Boy)
Theatre , [R18] , Burlesque , Cabaret , Clown , Comedy , LGBTQIA+ , Performance Art , Physical Theatre , Stand-up comedy , Variety ,
90 mins
Comedy outside the box but not so far that you won’t know what’s going on
Review by Ross MacLeod 19th Oct 2025
While pitched as a Halloween style show, there is only a sprinkling of the spooky from this evening but don’t worry, there is plenty of comedy and certainly some stranger things.
Opening the show is Callum Wagstaff, leaning into the slightly awkward, self-depreciating style of standup. It sets the tone for the quirky evening to come, starting with his exploration of what would be easier and harder in his act if he suffered from various, impossible conditions.
His light-hearted dive into childhood experiences at Starship hospital are a highlight, including the internal hierarchies and how childlike décor can become nightmarish under the influence of medication. His casual style connects well with the audience, with a good ratio of hits to misses and several home runs.
After an intermission, Wagstaff also leads the audience in the introduction of the next act, which is a nice build but is paced a bit unevenly. I’m unsure whether the comedy of doing this with a mouthful of apple is worth the trade off in clarity.
George Fenn is a completely different act from the warmup, though they share the controlled chaos and lean-into-awkwardness feel. Post-show Fenn himself highlights the challenge in describing the act. From my perspective, I think Tape Face is a good comparison: a mostly mute performance, where the improvised props, setup, anticipation, discovery and repetition make up the journey.
Through facial and physical expression, Fenn draws the crowd in, with a little light participation at first and gradually more for the brave souls willing to give it a go. (If it’s not your thing, don’t worry, he demonstrates a knack for knowing who to leave alone.) The slow build and utter fearlessness of the performer are key here, and Fenn nails it.
The performance is broken up into three core ‘acts’, with the mid act probably the weakest, though also allowing breathing space for the end. There is plenty of roaring laughter from the crowd across the night, with the interaction of the Nivara Lounge audience one of the keys to it all working.
As the show warnings suggest, some of it is more risqué, but always so absurd as to not be vulgar. Like Wagstaff’s act, there are ups and downs in the pitch and pacing but it always manages to pick up again.
If you’re looking for a night of comedy outside the box but not so far that you won’t know what’s going on, I can highly recommend these two when they’re in your neck of the woods.
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