Charlotte Thornton reviews the 2026 Best Foods Comedy Gala, presented by the NZ International Comedy Festival, at the Christchurch Town Hall, Sunday 3 May 2026.
North Island envy is real. The New Zealand International Comedy Festival, sponsored by mayonnaise giant Best Foods, takes place in Pōneke Wellington and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland every autumn. Down in Ōtautahi Christchurch, there’s a thriving stand-up scene at Good Times Comedy Club and Little Andromeda, but the Festival hasn’t visited since 2017. Until now. We are the third city getting their highlights show: the Best Foods Comedy Gala.
The venue is a surprisingly good fit for the Gala. The Christchurch Town Hall offers world-class acoustics, comfortable seats, and Christchurch’s best queuing experience. On this occasion, the queues go past tables lined with complimentary Best Foods sauces. As if the Town Hall couldn’t get any better.
Our emcee is Dai Henwood, who is undeniably Kiwi comedy royalty. That’s not just me saying that; at one point he’s introduced as “the people’s princess.” Henwood has been active as a comedian for roughly 25 years, and his expertise shows. He is comfortable and confident and utterly himself.
Guy Williams is the first act. He uses the opportunity to encourage the thousands-strong Christchurch audience to please vote later this year, to prevent our country from turning into an Americanised nationalist hellscape. He tells us that we should reassert New Zealand as a place of love and inclusion, stemming from respect for the Treaty. The evening’s line-up is a great endorsement of Williams’ sentiment. It’s more diverse than we might have seen 10 or 20 years ago: first- and second-gen immigrants, tangata whenua, bisexuals, even Australians.
Style-wise, though, you can split the line-up into two distinct groups: self-deprecating guys, and women with no fucks to give. In the former category: Ray O’Leary is in top deadpan form, Logan Kitney performs great magic that turns phallic, and Dan Boerman ends his story of a one-sided hookup with an uncanny impression of a vibrator. From Hoani Hotene’s brief but fantastic set, you can tell has plenty more top-level material ready to go. Judging by his social media success and his 2025 Billy T Award, his Gala performance only scratches the surface.
Ben Vyas from India and Ivan Aristeguieta from Venezuela charm the audience with breezy and clever language humour. English comedian Danny Ward is a sardonic contrast, delivering cutting takes on New Zealand culture. Just a small note, though, for comedians coming to Aotearoa: I’ve never heard a New Zealand audience respond enthusiastically to stand-up jokes about The Lord of the Rings. The movies are great, but they’re a bigger part of Kiwi identity for visitors than locals. And yes, we do all know someone in them.
Now for the second category: assertive ladies. Angella Dravid is the stand-out of the entire Gala. Her first line is disarming, and every line that comes after it is unpredictable. She says fewer words and takes longer pauses than anyone else, which shows that her jokes (and transitions) have been tightened up into a perfect set. A master at work.
Australian newcomer Elouise Eftos comes in (literally) hot as “Australia’s first attractive comedian.” She plays to the guys, but her jokes are for the girls. The crowd is a little bewildered by Eftos – maybe because it’s Christchurch, or maybe because it’s 6pm on a Sunday. I’d love to see her sass a more intoxicated audience. She might be the perfect comedian for the roast circuit.
Hayley Sproull is one third of Fletch, Vaughan & Hayley on ZM Breakfast, and I know her best from The Great Kiwi Bake Off. Neither show could prepare you for her Gala set. It’s the lewdest of the lot, which is really saying something when sandwiched between Henwood’s obscene Willy Wonka re-titles and Rosco McClelland’s erotic encounters with Q-tips. The biggest laugh of the night comes from Sproull’s physicality during an unforgettable condom gag. She has the range.
Another audience favourite is Bristol-raised Jessie Nixon, who delivers bawdy jokes for the gals who get it and the guys who should. I’m utterly delighted by Felicity Ward, a recent divorcée on a dating app speedrun. Ward is famous for playing the David Brent/Michael Scott equivalent on the Australian version of The Office, but she’s just as funny as herself. Here she squeezes comedy gold out of every second she has on the Douglas Lilburn Auditorium stage. I’m dying to see a full hour of her material. Can we keep her?
The Gala closes with The Court Jesters, the leading professionals in the improv comedy scene. The Jesters are always fun, but they’re a curious choice to close out the Gala. The prior two hours have firmly embedded that cynical stand-up gig tone, which is a sharp contrast to the Jesters’ boisterous, almost Wiggles-esque energy. They might have fit better as a warm-up opener or as a buffer placed between the show’s two halves. The mayo in a mayo sandwich, if you will.
The Best Foods Comedy Gala is packed with talent, class, and free condiments. It runs smoothly at every level. I hope Christchurch has earned another visit next year. At the Town Hall again, please. I even enjoyed queuing.
The 2026 Best Foods Comedy Gala took place on Sunday 3 May 2026. Two Court Jesters shows – Death at Murder Manor and Scared Scriptless – are being presented under the NZ International Comedy Festival banner… otherwise you are still going to have to go north for the rest of the line up.
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