Review: Dawn French is a Huge Twat - first Auckland show at Civic Theatre

Dawn French is coming to the end of her 10-date New Zealand tour, with three nights at Auckland's Civic Theatre remaining. Photo / Marc Brenner

REVIEW

The beloved British comedian has been entertaining audiences around the country, but what’s the verdict on her first Auckland show?

The word twat is one not often used in New Zealand yet in Dawn French’s home country of Britain it’s a much-loved gentle admonishment. And in this live show she’s clearly hoping to convert her Kiwi audience to add it to their everyday vocabulary - it’s used approximately 462* times in these two hours of chortle-inducing comedy.

Striding onto Auckland’s Civic Theatre stage on Wednesday night, dressed head to toe in black, complemented by a silver sparkly neckline and sharp grey bob, French’s form is so familiar it’s almost as if the Vicar of Dibley has walked into your living room.

“I’m roly-poly 80s comedienne Dawn French,” she said with trademark grin, as if any introduction was necessary. “Buckle up, because here we go!”

Words to heed - there was no time for pleasantries or chat about Auckland’s day of stormy weather; French immediately launched into her tightly-performed show of amusing anecdotes about her life and career, accompanied by archival video clips and photos.

The original Dawn French Is a Huge Twat tour began in 2022 and was met with widespread acclaim. Photo / Marc Brenner

French has been beloved by audiences since the 1980s, with TV shows like The Comic Strip, French and Saunders and The Vicar of Dibley, and more recently, Audible podcast Titting About, and novels like Oh Dear Silvia and A Tiny Bit Marvellous.

And yet she would like us to believe she is actually - in more Kiwi parlance - a bit of a dick.

In a pre-tour statement she said “There have been far too many times I have made stupid mistakes, or misunderstood something vital, or jumped the gun in a spectacular display of twattery. I thought I might tell some of these buttock-clenching embarrassing stories to give New Zealand audiences a peek behind the scenes of my work life… Roll up! Book early to see the telly vicar lady be a total twat on stage, live in front of your very eyes. And ears.”

The prospect was one we jumped at - after initial tour dates in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland were announced, demand was so high she added extra dates in all three cities, ending with a total show count of 10. That came after 18 shows across Australia’s biggest cities.

She showed no sign of exhaustion - her energy levels were, I imagine, as high as they were on the first night. French is a slick performer and the show is tightly written and well-rehearsed. Perhaps a little too rehearsed - there’s no veering off script or personalisation for the crowd. She could be anywhere, in front of any crowd, and it seems the show would be the same. If I were to attend tonight’s second Auckland show, I’d wager I’d get exactly the same experience as I did last night. For some, that could be seen as a bonus - it means there’s no FOMO over what she did or didn’t say the night you weren’t in the crowd. But Kiwi audiences love getting a shout out or some gentle teasing about the one-upmanship between Australia and New Zealand. There’s none of that at all.

What there is, however, are legions of stories from French’s stellar career - from The Comic Strip days, to her friendship with Jennifer “Fatty Saunders”, her marriage to Lenny Henry, and the big-name stars she’s worked with across stage and screen.

French's TV work includes iconic roles in The Vicar of Dibley and Murder Most Horrid. Photo / Marc Brenner

Name drops come thick and fast - Sir Ian McKellen, Kathy Burke, Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg - and French’s tales of the times she wanted the ground to swallow her up from her own “twattishness” left the audience in hysterics.

She paced through her stage cues flawlessly, no doubt hitting every mark and timing. The only potential deviation was one lone heckler but even he was dealt with swiftly. “Boring”, he shouted at the beginning of an anecdote about how French hates emails. “Oh shh!” she sent back, coolly. And he did.

Some of her stories were genuinely hilarious - a misjudged fancy dress mishap at Elton John’s 50th birthday party, working with Kenneth Branagh. A few felt a little too much of a stretch and not ‘twattish’ at all.

Speaking to Hilary Barry for Seven Sharp last October, French said that she always planned her tours to end in New Zealand, because “you race and gallop along and that is your prize at the end”.

“I’ve got sort of a proper love for New Zealand,” she told Barry. “Anytime I can, I go there because it relaxes me. It’s so peaceful. I love the people. I love so much about it.”

Wednesday’s audience was left none the wiser about that love. Other than a cursory “fush and chups” crack at the end, there was no acknowledgement of place at all.

Dawn French is also known for her voice work in animated films like Coraline. Photo / Marc Brenner

Even her Instagram account has revealed no clues of where she is or what she’s been up to in her down time, and there has been a curious lack of sightings posted by the public to social media. What has she been doing while she’s been here? It’s impossible to tell.

But for the majority of the audience, it seemed not to matter. The crowd were delighted to be in the presence of such an accomplished comedy great - one who you could easily imagine sitting around your dining table at a dinner party, entertaining your friends with laughter and genuine warmth.

* Not actually 462 times. I lost count.

Dawn French is a Huge Twat continues at Auckland’s Civic Theatre from Thursday May 30 to Saturday June 1.

Stephanie Holmes has worked at New Zealand’s Herald since 2016, specialising in Travel and, more recently, Lifestyle and Entertainment, with her entire journalism career dedicated to these subjects.