Thank God I wasn’t in the front row. Anyone that dared sit there was in for a ribbing. 

Fortunately the trio of Vaughan King, Steve Wrigley and Ben Hurley (of TV3 7 Days fame) possess an intuitive ability to identify who they can get away with picking on. They also benefited from a particularly merry audience who had made good use of the Canadian Club bar before the show began. 

The great thing about The Real New Zealand Tour is that it lives up to your expectations. It’s like a pair of summer jandals you buy from the Warehouse for $3.99. They last a couple of trips to the beach or maybe one road trip and then fall apart. No love lost. In other words, you get what you paid for (which according to Wrigley is exactly 28 laughs – one laugh for every dollar you spent on your ticket). 

Popular themes on the night were the typical Triple A: Auckland, Australians and Alcohol (aka our “drinking and rooting” as opposed to dating culture). 

The highlight for me was Ben Hurley. The confidence he has in his technique is admirable. He makes it look effortless, but being able to weave a story from yelled snippets from the audience requires a quick wit. A quick wit he would probably claim was heightened by RTDs* both he and Wrigley clutched like a toddler’s blanky, but that would belie the truth behind a craft he’s carefully honed over the years. 

In sum, if you like 7 Days, you’ll love this show.   They’re a likeable bunch of lads who will invite the audience to hit the town with them after the show – I actually saw King and Wrigley still (?) in town the following morning around 11am, King conspicuously toting a tube of Hairy Lemon. 

On reflection, this is probably not an unusual occurrence for a national tour sponsored by whiskey.

*Ready To Drink or take your pick
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