James Nokise – The Adventures of Jimi Samoa
Comedy Underground, 305 Queen St, Auckland
02/05/2009 - 09/05/2009
Happy (Cnr Tory & Vivian), Wellington
12/05/2009 - 16/05/2009
NZ International Comedy Festival 2007-09, 2013
Production Details
2005/2006 Billy T Nominee James Nokise is back from the UK again, with his most honest and hilarious show yet.
New Zealand’s favourite Welsh / Samoan stand-up comic, returns to the New Zealand International Comedy Festival with with a hilarious new hour of material, The Adventures of Jimi Samoa.
A pro on the UK comedy circuit for the past two years, James performed his first comedy gig 10 years ago.. he hasn’t grown up much since. And That’s the problem. At 26, he still can’t cook, still can’t drive, and lives in a constant state of disorganisation.
A sequel to 2008’s successful Beige Against The Machine, 2009 sees Nokise trying to grow up. The Adventures of Jimi Samoa chronicles the events that follow his return to the UK last year, while looking back on how he got into comedy in the first place. Slowly London begins to take its toll, as misadventures with gang members, excessive drink, drugs, and almost Rock and Roll are retold with his unique view on the world.
Following the success of his 2009 Fringe debut, The Ministers Son, James Nokise turns the spotlight away from his family and onto himself. The resulting comedy is again hilarious and compelling, a fresh look at how one man’s refusal to grow up begins to ruin his life. From being a Metallica roadie riding a girls bike, convincing Brits he’s a Kiwi rockstar in his band The Fele Fele’s (Samoan for Fred Fred’s), learning to cook under the influence, and finally returning home for good, The Adventures of Jimi Samoa promises another tour-de-fob from one of New Zealand’s rising stars.
Twice nominated for New Zealand‘s top comedy award, James Nokise and has appeared on New Zealand television on the Pulp Comedy show and as part of the TV2 International Comedy Gala, TV2 Christmas Comedy Gala and Cadbury Crunchie Comedy Gala along side some of the best comics on the international circuit.
"Use this as an excuse to go and catch a comedian who could be the "next big thing"- Lumiere 2008
"Charming people out of their shoes…Go now, see him now, so you can say you saw him back when." – Salient Magazine (NZ)
"A natural, conversational style, and a great stage presence." – nznews UK
Auckland
Dates: Sat 2nd & Tues 5th – 9th May – 7pm
Venue: The Underground
Tickets: Adults $20 Students / Concession $18
Bookings: 0800 TICKETEK (0800 842 5385) www.ticketek.co.nz
Wellington
Dates: Tues 12th – Sat 16th May – 8.30pm
Venue: Happy Bar
Tickets: Adults $18 Student’s / Concession $16
Bookings: 0800 TICKETEK (0800 842 5385) www.ticketek.co.nz
1 hr, no interval
From Killer Beez to ‘Bananarama’, bigots feel Jimi’s sting
Review by Scott Kara 08th May 2009
– James Nokise takes us on an emotionally charged and enjoyable ride
It’s not so much a show about the adventures of Jimi Samoa as about how up-and-coming local comedian James Nokise came to be Jimi.
Not that he knew it at the time, but Nokise tells us that he started developing this persona as far back as school in Lower Hutt – a difficult time when he got shunned by his gang for reading books and got up to "dumb shit" on the weekend like sitting on a chair in the queue at KFC because he was too stoned to stand. [More]
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Elixir for life comedy
Review by Venus Stephens 03rd May 2009
My first ‘appointment’ of the night is to see the enigmatic James Nokise with a 7pm slot at the Comedy Underground, in the James Wallace Gallery on Queen Street.
The hour long gig starts with a ‘curtained intro’, by that I mean James stands behind the stage curtain, introduces himself and then steps out to the enthused applause of us, his audience. He has an affable rapport and extends the intimacy of the venue to relaxed chat with the punters which he revisits, thus involving you in his stories.
James regales with reflections on his teenage identity fumbling, of peer pressure, the juggling act of fitting in and the attached trouble of doing so. We are given an insight into the emergence of his stage persona Jimi Samoa; the side gig of being a playwright; girlfriends loved, lost and then found again; Fijian politics; displaced parent because of aforementioned politics; a flame haired flat mate that resembles a Viking; drugs, drunk hook up sex and lilo beds… despair in the UK.
His set tells like a bro’version of the East Enders.
James has an exuberant, fresh – not ‘fresh off the boat’ (fob) fresh but produce fresh – humour that is unique to, and garnered from, his Kiwi steak and cheese pie background. His honest account of life’s trials and triumphs lend to his ‘get over it ow’ attitude in the style that laughing at oneself really is a medicine. This endears you to his humour, because we are all touched by life’s trials every day. Nokise has found a remedy of sorts and I look forward to seeing more of his elixir for life comedy.
He is one of the many local highlights of this year’s festival, and a credit to New Zealand’s comedy scene.
Go form your own opinion.
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For more production details, click on the title above. Go to Home page to see other Reviews, recent Comments and Forum postings (under Chat Back), and News.
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
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