Nick Rado in Rado and Juliet
Fringe Bar, Cnr Cuba & Vivian, Wellington
10/05/2011 - 14/05/2011
16/05/2011 - 21/05/2011
NZ International Comedy Festival 2011
Production Details
*** WOULD YOU MOVE TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD FOR SOMEONE YOU’VE ONLY KNOWN 12 DAYS? ***
Fresh from the Edinburgh and Hong Kong Laugh Festivals 2011 Billy T Nominee Nick Rado tells this hilariously uplifting true story of how he left his best friends and homeland to chase a girl he hardly knew to the other side of the world. Tracking her down proved tough as he endured everything from working as a giant crocodile in a holiday park, being slapped by a Belgian man in the Isle of Wight to an awkwardly embarrassing encounter with Mariah Carey! … Could this be the most romantic story of all time? … or just unbelievably stalkerish!!!.
Here is what the Edinburgh critics had to say:
“Hilarious, entertaining and unexpectedly moving, Nick Rado is a master storyteller” CHORTLE UK
“His comedy may be international but the laughter is universal” ONE4REVIEW, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
“On-its-toes comedy and crowd-pleasing buffoonery at its best” THREEWEEKS, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
Nick’s show titled ‘Rado and Juliet’ is a superbly funny highlight reel of Nick’s life over the past 8 years resulting in the ultimate human experiment of how far one person would go in search of ‘The One’. Rado and Juliet previewed at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a 40 minute show with great success and received fantastic reviews.
4 STARS “Rado’s show was an absolute delight, with broad appeal, but subtle, complex and very funny all delivered with wit and charm…” Julia Chamberlain, Highlight UK
Nick Rado originally from Titahi Bay, New Zealand has performed stand-up comedy to critical acclaim in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Netherlands, Hong Kong, the United States and now New Zealand. Nick has recently returned home after living in the UK where he held the position, Executive Producer of London’s Heart Breakfast show, He has been nominated and has won numerous UK Sony Radio awards. Nick has performed at some of the world’s most famous clubs which include Jongleurs, UK, The Comedy Café, Amsterdam and the world famous Los Angeles Comedy Store.
WELLINGTON
Dates: 10th May – 14th May, 8.30pm
Venue: The Fringe Bar, 191 Cuba St (Cnr Cuba and Vivian St), City
Tickets: Adults $18 / Conc. $15 / Groups 6+ $15
Bookings: 04 801 5007 or www.fringebar.co.nz
AUCKLAND
Dates: 16 May – 21st May, 8.45pm
Venue: The Classic Studio, 321 Queen Street Auckland City
Tickets: Adults $18 / Conc. $15 / Groups 6+ $15
Bookings: 0800 TICKETEK / www.ticketek.co.nz / www.comedy.co.nz
1hr
An easy night out with a message full of life
Review by Robbie Ellis 13th May 2011
Here’s a show with the common touch. It doesn’t overreach, doesn’t try too hard, doesn’t push too many envelopes: it’s just a well-told story of love and loss.
Nick Rado’s had a career in radio and stand-up comedy in the UK, returning to New Zealand late last year. As I understand it, he’s been active in promoting comedy gigs in the Wellington region outside of the city centre.
There’s a story arc: Rado is one of four lads from Titahi Bay finding their way in the world as they move into adulthood. Rado meets Juliet in a nightclub and falls for her hard. When she’s offered a job in the UK, just two weeks after they’ve met, he hastily winds up his New Zealand life to chase after her, landing in London without much clue of where she might be. We hear about the lengths he goes to in order to track Juliet down.
A great premise for a story, and the show delivers on its promise. Nick Rado is very entertaining and he’s got an assured stage presence after years in the British comedy scene (obviously the UK was attractive enough not to make him come straight back). While we’re not subjected to a barrage of outrageous side-splitting laughter, he does keep the pace and the crowd ticking along nicely, relating to us well and reacting to subtle shifts.
His subject matter is the universal: coming-of-age, romance, bromance, alcohol, shitty jobs. Normally I’d find this ho-hum in stand-up but what redeems it is the obvious love he feels for place and people, and how he ties this into his personal story. Titahi Bay is his turangawaewae, and he fleshes out his mates and the ‘townsfolk’ so that we feel a connection to them too. It turns what could have been a trite and mismatched coda into a satisfying ending to the show. Yes, it tugs at the heartstrings pretty blatantly, but it’s hard not to be affected.
Rado was a surprise nominee for the Billy T Award having returned so recently to the New Zealand comedy scene, but with his very strong show I consider him a front-runner of the five. Rado & Juliet is an easy night out with a message full of life.
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Comments
Nathan Moore May 16th, 2011
Going to catch this show in Auckland this week. Was also a little surprised when I read www.comedy.co.nz and found that Nick has already performed this show in Edinburgh and had it reviewed! I would've thought one regulation of the Billy T especially, would be a new show written just for that occasion - not something that has been performed, reviewed, moulded, tweaked and undoubtedly performed again. Seems a little odd to an outsider (but then I don't actually know what the rules are either).