LANA WALTERS Problem Areas
Fringe Bar, 26-32 Allen St, Te Aro, Wellington
11/05/2021 - 15/05/2021
NZ International Comedy Festival 2021
Production Details
You may have seen her on 7 Days, The Project, SNORT, or the ‘people you may know’ segment of your Facebook page (it’s a small country) – now watch Lana in her Billy T nominated stand-up show Problem Areas!
Come along for an intimate hour of standup that promises to be loose, fun and a bit raunchy. If you’ve ever had a really good sandwich it will be a lot like that; but instead of your favourite fillings it will be funny, sexy, comedy and instead of bread it will be 30 year old comic Lana Walters.
Billy T Award Nominee 2021, NZICF
Winner – Best Newcomer 2018, NZICF (‘Faking It’)
The Fringe Bar
11 – 15 May 2021
8.45pm
Tue & Thu: $20
Wed: $18
Fri & Sat: $25
BUY TICKETS
*service fee may apply
Wheelchair accessible
Occasional bad language
Adult themes
R18, unless with their parent or legal guardian. Strictly enforced.
Theatre , Stand-up comedy ,
1 hr
In a state of gestation
Review by Margaret Austin 12th May 2021
Lana Walters at the Fringe Bar has only one problem really. She’s five months pregnant. It shouldn’t be a problem, but anyway it’s a good enough premise for a stand-up comedy act.
“Make some noise” is an overplayed first line, but we do anyway. “Doing stand-up pays the bills,” she tells us, “but my real passion is administration.” That’s much better.
Walter’s material is pure self-disclosure with some self-consciousness thrown in. While we can appreciate that, it’s an uneasy combination at times.
And I think that’s why I get to hear so many “ums” and “ahs”. I’ve been trained to listen for them – and this evening I stop counting at 300. Just saying. There can be different reasons for committing fillers. Whatever the reason is, if a performer isn’t made aware of flaws such as these, they regrettably get built in to the performance.
But there are positives. Walters admits to being a people pleaser. And several self-deprecatory comments such as “I lied in my food diary – I …(etc)” win the day as they should.
On Tinder, she copped a cop. This has evidently made up for a lot, as well as providing her with more material to mine: renting, Auckland’s water crisis and baby names.
Walters is a Billy T nominee. Problem Areas is a new show. Like her, it’s in a state of gestation. Give it a bit longer and it’ll pop out perfect. Just have to decide on a name.
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