Festival's laughable line-up

The New Zealand International Comedy Festival gets underway in May. Here's a glimpse of some of the highlights to whet your appetite.

GREG PROOPS

Otherwise known as Proopdog, this bespectacled American from Whose Line is It Anyway? will host this year's gala and perform one snarky show in Auckland. See him at the St James Theatre on May 1.

LEE MACK

Laidback, Bafta-award winning stand-up with a love of silly puns, visual gags and rapid sketch. With special guest Russell Howard. See him at the Comedy Chamber, Auckland Town Hall from May 1-15.

ROSS NOBLE

Spontaneous Geordie stand-up with a knack for twisted, multiple-plotline storytelling. See him at the SkyCity Theatre, May 4-8.

THE UMBILICAL BROTHERS

High-energy, family friendly cross between street theatre, stand-up and real-life cartoon, this tightly choreographed duo take physical comedy to the limit. See them at SkyCity Theatre from May 16-22.

ANDY PARSONS

Described by London's Evening Standard as "a comedy demi-god" this quirky stand-up uses current affairs and banter with the audience as his muse. See him at the Classic, May 10-22.

AND THE LOCAL ACTS:

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS

Deadpan musical duo and pioneers of gangsta-folk and electro-folk . They are the perfect antidote to those who take the music genre too seriously. See them at the Comedy Chamber, Auckland Town Hall, May 12-15.

DAI HENWOOD

Also known as the leotard-loving, puny wrestler "P-Funk Chainsaw", Henwood stars as John D'Bankteller, chairman of the P-Funk Chainsaw Fan Club (Taranaki Division) local RSA bouncer, crime-fighting bankteller and senior optical surgeon at Whangarei General Hospital. See him at the Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, May 4-8.

AND THE BILLY T NOMINEES ...

... including naughty poet Hot Pink at Paradise Bar, St Kevins Arcade May 11-15; stuffed animal fan Cohen Holloway at the SiLo Theatre, May 11-15; Bill Clinton wannabe Ben Hurley at the SiLo Theatre, May 11-15; travelling oddfellow Ezequiel Balmori at the Monkey House Restaurant and Cafe May 5-8; and consumer sucker Jamie Bowen at the SiLo Theatre, May 4-8.

Herald feature: The Classic comedy bar