Joana Joy is known for her dynamic physical comedy and sharp wit, and she promises to deliver on that in her show Miss Tui Whanganui, describing it as “a time-traveling party of jokes and physical comedy”.

Sitting in the corner of the stage with a pair of binoculars and ‘birdwatching’ the crowd, Joy sets the scene for the show’s multiple Aotearoa bird references and connects with the audience from the moment they walk into Te Auaha’s Tapere Iti. Her commentating on the crowd as if they are birds is made even better when she knows the people, provoking someone’s distinctive laugh and calling it their bird call.

A thumbs up from her Tech Emma Maguire, and the show is ready to begin.

Not afraid to journey up the few stairs to do crowd work, Joy is complimenting people on non-aesthetic things: energies, knees, and the epic vest knitted by someone’s Aunty Jenny (ok that’s technically aesthetic but it definitely deserved the mention). By now it feels like we are Joy’s friends, just hanging out and laughing with her, and ready to hear the tale of her 2009 victory.

I have seen Joy’s impersonations of a Kiwi (the bird) on social media promos but I am not prepared for her other Aotearoa bird impersonations which have me and others howling with laughter. Taking suggestions from the audience, Joy is definitely living up to the physical part of her comedy as she darts across the stage, only being thrown off once when someone asks for the Pāteke/Brown Teal.

All that brilliant silliness aside, it is time to talk about the Tui Girls who graced the Tui advertising in the 2000s. If you don’t know who they are, it’s ok as Joy fills us in.

This show is not just a story about Joy’s journey to Miss Tui Whanganui 2009 stardom, it is a journey of self-discovery and remembering who you are even if you’ve had to come home from Europe to mighty Whanganui to live with your very Catholic parents. In a show that on the surface seems like it could be about stereotypical beauty, adhering to the male gaze, and all the things that come with pageantry, Joy manages to give it more depth as she integrates feminism, individuality and empowerment into her journey to become a superstar!

There is a moment where Joy wants to demonstrate her strength, but with a lack of anything to break in half, she takes a piece of the lemon cake I randomly have and tears that in half instead to cheers from the crowd.

Miss Tui Whanganui 2009 was held at the Celtic Arms and Joy gives a brilliant and extremely detailed description of the pub, running around the stage to demonstrate where the bar, stage, door, etc, are. We may be sitting in Tapere Iti but in that moment it truly feels like we could be in the Celtic Arms on that night, hanging out.

Although the story is jumping around quite a bit from the Miss Tui pageant to other parts of Joy’s life, it is never confusing and Joy executes multiple callbacks perfectly.

Joy is a perfect name for Joana as there is no doubt that she brings joy to everyone she encounters in this show. Whether it is singing in the middle of the audience, involving them on stage, or making sure we all know she loves us like she loves Aotearoa birds, Joy makes sure this show is one to be remembered. She may not be the Phantom of the Opera, but I certainly think she is a star and should be proud! 

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