RISE OF THE OLIVE

Theatre Royal, 78 Rutherford Street, Nelson

24/10/2023 - 25/10/2023

Christchurch Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, 2 Worcester Boulevard, Christchurch

29/01/2025 - 29/01/2025

Nelson Arts Festival 2023

World Buskers Festival 2025

Production Details


Writers and Performers include:
Zane Jarvie
Degge Jarvie
Imogen Stone

Laser Kiwi


The Rise of the Olive by Laser Kiwi – Join the world’s only, unabashed, olive fuelled, award-winning comedy circus power trio on a wild ride as they bring people closer together, one olive at a time.

Rise of the Olive features World Record Bounce Juggling & Jenga Stunts (as seen on TVNZ’s recent season of 60 Seconds talent show), and a whole host of other high caliber left field skills and comedy. 3D glasses and morph suits will make a comeback, a heart stopping innovative Aerial Rope act.. and more… so much more in fact, you’ll be given a run sheet on arrival so you can keep up!

Having toured all over the world to critical acclaim, this show is a perfect balance of joyful, existential, hilarious and incredible. Expect high-level circus, bizarre ideas and a bloody good night out.

Venue: THEATRE ROYAL
Dates: Tues 24 + Wed 25 Oct | 8pm |
Pay What You Can (PWYC)
Ticket Link: https://www.nelsonartsfestival.nz/event/rise-of-the-olive/
16+
Content Warnings: Strong Language, Nudity


Writer/performer Zane Jarvie
Writer/performer Degge Jarvie
Writer/performer Imogen Stone


Circus , Theatre ,


60 mins

Quirky comedy and circus act offers something for everyone

Review by Lauren Douglas 30th Jan 2025

It’s a warm Wednesday evening as the audience fills the seats of Altiora at The Arts Centre. The crowd are mostly hesitant to fill the front row; people seem scared by the prospect of audience participation, or perhaps being in the splash zone.

Rise of the Olive is by Wellington-based trio Laser Kiwi (Imogen Stone, Zane Jarvie, and Degge Jarvie), who describe themselves as ‘the world’s only surreal sketch circus’. I’m a Laser Kiwi fan, having seen them a few times before in World Buskers Festival shows, on TV and in a selection of busking shows. They bring a perfect combination of dry Kiwi humour, laugh-out-loud moments and creative circus talents.

We’re given a programme on the way in, listing 24 sketches, with a ranking from 0.5 to 11. Zane describes the performance as a mix of lots of different things – “throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks” – and advises that having the programme sheet won’t help it make any more sense.

Laser Kiwi do not disappoint. Rise of the Olive provides an eclectic blend of wordplay, comedy, music and circus stunts. Stand-out moments include ‘3D in Real Life’, (featuring some brilliantly enthusiastic audience participation), Degge’s attempts to make Zane laugh while he balances a martini glass on a 1m high thin stick on his forehead, and any appearance of The Olive (no spoilers!)

Imogen’s aerial performance is an absolute highlight. Despite the very warm conditions (and finding herself finishing the show with a bleeding nose), she defies gravity with strength and grace, twisting and turning above the audience.

Rise of the Olive is hard to describe succinctly, but there’s something in there for everyone. Whether you’ve seen Laser Kiwi before or not, it’s the sort of show you definitely need to see if you love quirky comedy and circus. Get your friends together and enjoy a hilarious night out!

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A whimsical, fantastical, somewhat non-sensical rollercoaster ride of absurd, surreal, sketch circus comedy

Review by Judene Edgar 25th Oct 2023

The 1980s was the hey-day of Australian sketch comedy shows – The Big Gig, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Fast Forward, Full Frontal and more. Zany, fast-paced, irreverent, whimsical and somewhat non-sensical. But always good for genuine belly laughs, sometimes with them, sometimes at them, but funny nonetheless.

This is the essence of Rise of the Olive – the world’s first surreal sketch circus show. And as much as that description may not make any sense to the uninitiated, it describes the show perfectly.

The stage is set with spectacular lighting and ominous orchestral music which builds to a crescendo. It takes the audience a few minutes to slowly understand the ‘format’ of the show. It is certainly different from anything we’ve seen before, and the run sheet so kindly provided is no help at all – as intended!

But we warm quickly to Imogen Stone and Degge and Zane Jarvie as they showcase their rich and varied talents across 24 eclectic sketches over the next hour – from jaw-dropping acrobatics to juggling, absurdist comedy, monologues and, in their own words, “some weird shit we’ve forced in”.

And like any good sketch comedy show, there are mistakes – but are they purposeful or not? We may never know but they have mastered the art of making any mistakes part of the charm of the show. 

Oh, and olives: single olives, olives on toothpicks, olives in jars, dancing olives, Messianic olives … a weaving of olives throughout the collection of sketches.

So come along and relax and let them take you on a rollercoaster ride of absurd, surreal, sketch circus comedy. You may not be able to explain what you saw afterwards but you’ll leave all the better for having gone. 

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