Carterton Events Centre is hosting a two-hour comedy showcase on Saturday night.
Part of a nationwide tour, it’s hosted by Pax Assadi, headlines Michele A’Court, and marks the hometown debut of up-and-coming local comic Lianne Karaitiana, who A’Court rates as “brilliant”.
Performing as ‘Aunty Lianne’, Karaitiana first started gigging just two years ago, shortly after she turned 60.
She secured a spot on the tour after impressing Assadi with her appearance on TVNZ’s ‘60 Seconds’ talent show last year, a big break that’s left her “blown away”.
Describing her material as self-deprecating and “quite Maori” – “It’s a dry but in-your-face type of comedy” – the Carterton great-grandmother was inspired to try her hand at stand-up after the loss of her son Shannon to type 1 diabetes.
“He was just amazing. He just kept on going and he always found the positive in life.
“He had a great sense of humour, and we would laugh about things together.”
Taking up comedy has been a way of honouring Shannon and dealing with her grief.
“I thought ‘bugger it’, you know. I’m 60 years old. I’m going to try something new. My son would be proud of me.”
Used to making a 200km round trip to Palmerston North to feed her comedy habit, Karaitiana is looking forward to performing for a home crowd and being “finished up at a reasonable time – normally I’m not home before midnight”.
The comedy showcase kicks off at 8pm. Tickets are $40 [plus booking fees] and are available from the Carterton Event Centre website.
See page 8 for an interview with Michele A’Court.
