HEATH FRANKLIN’S CHOPPER in REPEAT OFFENDER
09/05/2014 - 10/05/2014
14/05/2014 - 17/05/2014
NZ International Comedy Festival 2014
Production Details
CHOPPER COMES ALIVE
Don’t believe what you read in the papers; CHOPPER is back! His brand new show Repeat Offender makes its international debut as part of the 2014 NZ International Comedy Festival with a huge 14 city tour from April 2014.
People tell you to follow your heart. Well Chopper followed his heart and it got him arrested, jailed and stabbed, which lead Chopper to the conclusion that his heart is a f**king idiot.
Repeat Offender is about that moment where every part of your body wants to smash something in half, like an amphetamine-addled Godzilla, but takes a few deep breaths, reassesses the situation and then does it anyway. It’s about the choice between letting things ruin your day, or being a Teflon-coated duck’s back. It’s about picking your battles and knowing when to hold them, when to fold them and when to tell everyone at the poker table of life to go f**k themselves.
Restraint has never been Chopper’s strong point, but with a great moustache comes great responsibility. And you know you’ve been arrested too often when you get told to ‘resume the position’. The truth can be uncomfortable though, like a bum full of pine cones, and it rarely wins friends. Chopper has a growing list of people who are a bit cranky with him; but let’s face it, feelings are for losers and teenagers… because ‘feeling’ is what you are busy doing when everyone else is out getting what they want.
As seen on TV3’s 7 Days, Heath Franklin’s Chopper is a worldwide comedy icon, selling over 250,000 tickets in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Chopper is also promoting the release of his new live DVD, The Sh*Tlist, which was recorded at the 2013 NZ International Comedy Festival and released in December 2013.
As part of the 2014 NZ International Comedy Festival in cahoots with Old Mout Cider, grab some mates and join us for a great night of laughs from 24 April – 18 May.
For the full Comedy Fest show line-up head to comedyfestival.co.nz
WELLINGTON
Dates: 9 – 10 May, 7.30pm
Venue: The Opera House, 111 – 113 Manners St
Tickets: Adults $42.90, Conc. $38.90, Group $36.90
Bookings: 0800 TICKETEK (842 538) or ticketek.co.nz
AUCKLAND
Dates: 14 – 17 May, 7.30pm
Venue: SKYCITY Theatre, Level 3, Cnr Wellesley & Hobson Sts
Tickets: Adults $42.90, Conc. $38.90, Group $36.90
Bookings: 0800 TICKETEK (842 538) or ticketek.co.nz
REPEAT OFFENDER also plays
Apr 30 Whangarei – Forum North Capitaine Bougainville Theatre, 09 430 4244 www.ticketek.co.nz
May 1 Tauranga – Baycourt Community and Arts Centre, 0800 842 538 www.ticketek.co.nz
May 2 Hamilton – Clarence St Theatre, 0800 842 538 www.ticketek.co.nz
May 3 New Plymouth – TSB Theatre, TSB Showplace, 0800 111 999 www.ticketmaster.co.nz
May 7 Palmerston North – Regent on Broadway, 06 357 9740 www.ticketdirect.co.nz
May 8 Hawke’s Bay Opera House, 0800 842 538 www.ticketek.co.nz
May 13 Rotorua – Civic Theatre, 0800 111 999 www.ticketmaster.co.nz
Jun 4 Queenstown Memorial Centre, 0800 842 538 www.ticketek.co.nz
Jun 5 Invercargill – Civic Theatre, 03 211 1692 www.ticketdirect.co.nz
Jun 6 Dunedin – Regent Theatre, 03 477 8597 www.ticketdirect.co.nz
Jun 7 Christchurch – CBS Canterbury Arena, 0800 842 538 www.ticketek.co.nz
Jun 8 Nelson School of Music, 03 548 9477 www.ticketdirect.co.nz
Quick-fire, brutal and to the point yet clever and poignant – except for…
Review by Simon Howard 10th May 2014
Loved by some, hated by others, Chopper is a comedian who it is fair to say polarises opinion. Touring the country with this Repeat Offender show, he walks out beer in hand, sunglasses on, ready to win over his considerable legion of fans.
We begin with a look at the repeat offences Chopper has committed in recent times, and why he is so grateful to be with us in Wellington after coming to us from the much-maligned city of Hamilton. Heath Franklin’s character uses lists on several occasions as an effective means of reeling off sayings and life advice which you really shouldn’t pursue. “Follow your dreams” may seem like a good way to live life but not according to Chopper, whose dreams involve such nonsensical ideas as [spoiler averted].
He is clearly playing to a crowd of fans who are familiar with his brand of comedy. Any heckles he does receive, rather than being abusive and requiring a put down, are of a bizarrely friendly and jovial nature. This is something which takes Chopper by surprise, so much so that he has to ask the audience to stop, as he states hasn’t got time to have nice agreeable conversations all night long.
Swearing is a frequent part of Chopper’s material, but there is surprisingly less than I was expecting to hear. There is a cleverness and intelligence to much of his set which makes for an entertaining show. Many comedians garner laughter from New Zealand audiences by making jokes at the expense of Australia. This can be tiresome and generic at the best of times, but when it comes from an Australian with a unique twist it has added impact and feels refreshingly honest.
The evening ends on a low note, when Chopper brings a lady from the front row on stage to teach her how to be more like him. She is kept on stage for far too long and the hesitancy and stilted nature of this fifteen minute segment causes the show to fall flat and the negative hecklers to find their voice. It is a shame for what has up until then been a consistently funny hour of comedy.
Nonetheless Chopper on the whole delivers to a packed opening night audience with eighty minutes of his own unique brand of humour. Crude, low-brow and rude it may well be, but there is a cleverness and poignancy to much of what we are told in his show, ideas which make a lot of sense if we are given time to digest and reflect upon them. Quick-fire, brutal and to the point, Repeat Offender is an overall success.
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