Erin Harrington reviews Nosferatu Looking for Love, created and performed by Rhiannon McCall, directed by Abby Howells, at Little Andromeda, Thursday 14 May 2026.
Nosferatu is back from the dead (again). Count Orlok, better known colloquially as Nosferatu, is the vampiric star of the 1922 German expressionist film of the same name, and more besides. The late-night cheese dream concept behind Rhiannon McCall’s new show Nosferatu Looking for Love is what if this ancient German cinematic vampire moved to New Zealand and decided to do stand up, but his only point of reference was Seinfeld DVDs (death – what’s the deal with that)? What if he needed a new lover, a new friend group, and help finding a job in showbiz? Poor Nosferatu, help a vampire out.
McCall is a committed physical performer with excellent presence and timing, and a great, tortured comedy accent. The comic-gothic character is nuanced and fully formed, dancing playfully between high and low status. She’s a pallid dead ringer for the original in her textured bald cap, enormous bat’s ears and oversized black suit. I particularly appreciate the way her costume, mic and props, and even the walls, end up smeared with white makeup.
The hour-plus show, directed by Abby Howells, is a charming exploration of the character’s foibles, as he slips in an out of sincerity and vulnerability and into a more structured comedy mode. As the show progresses, it shifts between ‘conventional’ punchline-driven stand up (if you could call this conventional), clowning, character and accent work, improvised scenes, and convoluted gags that require audience assistance. I can see clear development from McCall’s earlier solo show, the very good improvised Western The Good, The Bad and the Completely Made Up. It’s a skilful mashup that requires quick wit and literacy across a lot of comic forms, all supported by some well-placed elements of sound and light.
McCall is terrific at crowd work. She butters up the front row and stalks through the back section, but no roasting here, just vampire love. This opening night show’s audience is also pretty feisty; one couple (dressed up, one showing off his Nosferatu tattoo) invite Nosferatu back to theirs for a threesome. One woman at the front is mysteriously sliding down her seat, and another casually drops a bad taste joke mid-scene so devastating that I’m crying with laughter. It can be hard to get an audience revved up (especially in Christchurch) – getting people on board and invested in co-creating scenes, feeling open to offers. McCall is skilled in looking after her volunteers and voluntolds while keeping things moving along. It’s impressive.
I’m not sure about the show’s overall framing though. There’s room to strengthen the ‘looking for love’ concept into a more robust throughline that helps support the diversity of beats, and leads us to the final punchline in a way that feels surprising, but is ultimately inevitable. The title promises one thing, but the show offers something a bit different, and at times feels like free association. While I would happily pay cash money to see McCall’s Nosferatu do comedy bits, climb through the audience and run improv scenes all night, the connective tissue is still a little in the dark.
That said, this show has a big, undead heart. It is stupid and weird, and that is meant as an absolute compliment. It’s worth coming back from the dead for.
Nosferatu Looking for Love runs at Little Andromeda until Saturday 16 May 2026.
Flat City Field Notes 
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