There is both a full house and a warm supportive crowd for Hoani Hotene on his opening night of It’s Getting HOT-ENE, So Tell Me All Your Jokes at BATS’ Dome space. The lights are dimmed, warm and crimson as in a bar or nightclub which is fitting for the name of the show.

The show pumps up with none other than the 2002 classic ‘Hot in Herre’ by Nelly, which delights the crowd, followed by a professionally made, vivid, eye-catching slideshow projected on the back wall with a comical schedule on how the night’s show will roll on. There was a quiver in Hotene’s voice and mild shakiness when he first grasps the microphone which is most probably due to opening night jitters or the number of family and friends he has in the front row.

Hotene presents himself as a regular non-descript Kiwi dude wearing jeans and a plain white t-shirt who values his whānau and genuinely cares about the well-being of young people in Aotearoa NZ. His message is largely about cultural identity and it’s a personal one as he is both Māori and Pākehā, but looks more Scottish than anything with his ginger hair and his pale complexion. Hotene does a great job at breaking down the reality of being brought up with parents from two different cultural heritages.

He went to a Kura Kaupapa (a Māori language immersion school) which is not only about language but also revitalising a sense of cultural identity where the role of whanau and community are valued in the learning process. Hotene highlights that we’ve never talked so much about cultural identity till now and there hasn’t been a better time to communicate his stories through this artistic medium, through catharsis and through laughter.

Hotene has been making jokes about being both Māori and Pākehā since his comedy debut in 2020, however with the current 2025 political climate his cultural jokes have taken on a new light. This is no longer just about cheap laughs but about reaching out to people that need to hear his jokes to know they’re not alone in their own identity search.

There is a lot to admire and love about Hotene’s presence in the spotlight. He talks so fondly of his parents and can’t stress enough how much they’ve supported him as an artist, even if it doesn’t earn him enough to pay his own rent with the current cost-of-living. We feel a sudden empathy for him when he shares his past school stories as a victim of bullying – until he explains his fool-proof bully defence-tactics, as advised by his own father. This has the crowd in hysterics, quickly diverting us from any pitiful feelings.

From the moment he enters the stage and takes the microphone, Hotene performs with few pauses, not even for a drink; nor does he use the stool that is beside him on stage. I can’t help but think that a drink in hand could take the attention off his hand fidgeting with his t-shirt and brow. That said, the nervousness works equally on his side as we feel rather chuffed and special that this comic is standing there exposed in the spotlight, sharing his personal truths from the heart just for us.

There are definitely a few hiccups in his opening night set which he doesn’t even bother to hide. Instead, he professionally plays off the errors to see if some new opportunity will present itself.

It’s Getting HOT-ENE, So Tell Me All Your Jokes is a relevant, outspoken and sincerely funny show about cultural identity and surviving in our current political climate. Hotene is a breath of fresh air in the realm of comedy where jokes can sometimes come across as irrelevant, vacuous or just a bit tactless. Looking forward to seeing a continuation of these relevant topics in future shows from the emerging Hoani Hotene, a young and enthralling NZ comedian.

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