Review: Best of friends comedy delight

Jennifer Saunders (front) and Dawn French show Aucklanders that laughter is the best medicine. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

They met more than 30 years ago at drama school and took an instant dislike to each other.

Today, French & Saunders still revel in their one-upmanship, mocking each other mercilessly and squabbling over their individual successes.

The Vicar of Dibley vs Absolutely Fabulous.

But over the years, they have come to be the best of friends not just to each other but to a legion of fans around the world.

Here in New Zealand, their first show sold out in minutes and demand was so great they sold out a subsequent five shows at Auckland's Civic Theatre.

And as they took the stage last night for their first-ever - and allegedly final-ever - New Zealand performance, the crowd cheered the British duo on like long-lost cousins, the bonhomie palpable between the audience and the performers.

Throughout the night, we were introduced both to the women themselves - Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders - and to their stable of famed characters.

With the familiar white furniture of their original sketch show set, the comediennes delighted with skits old and new - the mad farmers of Prickly Pear Farm, the mad Floridian retirees, and the mad chav teenagers who discuss sex in fantastically inaccurate detail at the local bus stop.

But perhaps their greatest strength lies in their uncanny ability to impersonate all manner of celebrities - from a Joan and Jackie Collins, to Madonna and Hollywood royalty Catherine Zeta-Jones.

And best of all, their brilliantly funny take on Mamma Mia, with a very special guest appearance.

Interspersing pre-recorded video with live acts and some locally tailored content, the show delivered a constant, hearty stream of laughter and earned a much-deserved standing ovation - a rare occurrence with New Zealand crowds - as the final curtain fell.

Not simply relying on nostalgia, French & Saunders wove contemporary culture with old favourites to prove they really are the greatest dames in comedy.

Absolutely fabulous.

REVIEW
What: French & Saunders: The First and Final Farewell NZ Tour.
Where: Civic Theatre.
When: Until Monday.