Kipling DC's Lemonade Stand (& Friends)
Cavern Club, 22 Allen St, Te Aro, Wellington
13/02/2026 - 14/02/2026
Production Details
Kipling DC – Producer, Comedian
You like standup comedy!? You like lemonade!? Join Kipling DC (and two special guest comedians each night) while they test all new jokes, and give you some sweet, sour, and fresh lemonade! (There will be actual Lemonade).
Kipling DC is the self proclaimed ‘Big Dog’ of Wellington comedy. This jack russell with a microphone uses his quick wit and killer crowd work to leave his audiences in stitches and constantly guessing about what’s coming next.
Hailing originally from the mighty Whangārei, this award comedian has taken his jokes up and down Aotearoa and left nothing off the table. He’s a little self deprecating, a little bit cheeky, especially silly, and most of all very very funny! Ngāpuhi, Te Hikutu.
2026 Billy T Nominee
Nominated – Best Comedian, Wellington Comedy Awards 2024
Nominated – Best Show, Wellington Comedy Awards 2024
Nominated – Best MC, Wellington Comedy Awards 2023
Cavern Club
13-14 February 2026
8pm
$20.00
60 minutes18+
https://tickets.fringe.co.nz/event/446:7837
Guests:
Booth the Clown
Brendan Green
Orin Ruaine-Prattley
Samantha Hannah
Theatre , Comedy ,
60 minutes
Low stakes, welcoming and fresh, plenty of laughs and abundant good vibes
Review by Tara McEntee 14th Feb 2026
It’s always a nice feeling playing to a sold out room – on this opening weekend of Fringe, Kipling DC is frantically putting out extra seats in the Cavern Club to accommodate punters keen to be tickled by local comedy. Kipling is one of the 2026 Billy T nominees – a real achievement and excellent endorsement of Wellington comedy, so the audience is excited for what we’re about to see.
The show is a semi-line-up, with two ‘friends’ per night doing some newer jokes, and Kipling headlining the final 30 minutes of the show. Polished, this show is not. If you’re looking for a show that is low stakes, welcoming and fresh, you’ve come to the right place.
Samantha Hanah opens the show, testing new material for her show she’s creating for both children and adults. The meta of this makes it extra funny, with Samantha giving the character of ‘tired comedian/new Mum’ some extra sparkle. Samantha is also nominated for the 2026 Billy T award – and deservedly so. I’ve seen Sammy a couple of times before, she’s delightful every time and is a real pillar of the comedy community in Wellington.
Kipling’s second friend is Orin Ruaine-Prattley, working on some of his new content about diversity. Orin is cool and collected on stage, trying out new bits, most of which land well. He brings the audience with him on his jokes, even while working through the technical structure. Recently returned from living in Australia, I expect to see Orin around the traps a lot more – his style of down-to-earth observational humour fills a gap in the community, and I’m glad he’s back.
Kipling DC takes the reins for the last 30 minutes or so, with more new material. Kipling is so charmingly childish. There is an innocence to his comedy, despite the content being age relevant, that is a joy to watch. Kipling brings the energy up from the more existential acts in the first half, bringing that goofball energy he’s become known for. A long joke at the end involving plenty of props takes us on a journey, ending the show on a bit of a fizzle as opposed to a bang, but nonetheless, there were plenty of laughs and abundant good vibes in the room.
Kipling DC – Lemonade Stand (& Friends) is on for one more night, 14th Feb at Cavern Club. If you can’t catch this one, you’ll catch these stand-ups around town during Fringe 2026 – if you see any of their names on a line-up, perk up. I reckon it’s worth booking a ticket.
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