Five-Star Comedy Preview at SkyCity Theatre

Phil Nichol knows the business of being funny inside out

Opening night is always the toughest gig. Even more so for pre-opening night. The performers are nervous, the seats are cold and, in the case of the Comedy Festival's Five-Star preview, some of the audience are already drunk.

But if the comedians who got the ball rolling on Thursday night are an indication of what's to come over the next three weeks, we won't be short on laughs. As long as the internationals get over their obsession with Aussie jokes.

Effervescent Canadian host Phil Nichol (* * * *) doesn't just rely on telling jokes - he is one. Everything about him is funny: the camp catwalk strut that forces his jeans so low they expose his "stage pubes", the way his voice gets higher than a toddler throwing a tanty, his ability to make good use of bad taste. The only problem was that he threatened to outdo the others.

The first was Welsh comic Rhod Gilbert (* * *) who stuck mostly to safe themes of troublesome Aussies and airport woes, though he did score for Most Original Use of a Prop. His weezy, exasperated voice tended to bumble around on joining words to fill in the gaps but he made up for it with punchlines that had one woman in hysterics.

Colorado country singer Wilson Dixon (* * *) - aka Kiwi Jesse Griffin of the 4 Noels - was a convincing antidote to the excitable Nichol and agitated Gilbert. Perched suavely on a stool with his guitar he had all the time in the world to sing his amusing porch songs, including a particularly funny one about stupid cliches: "This song goes a little som'thin' like this ... actually it goes exactly like this."

Stephen K Amos, (* * *) a well-spoken Brit with biting racial observations, was as smooth and snooty as his dress sense. He would have received four stars had he not told three of the same jokes from his set at the Gala last year. Go see his solo show but heckle if he mentions his Afro, another part of his anatomy frequently associated with black men or an old woman's handbag.

Brit Addy Van der Bogh (* * * *), the most intelligent comic on the bill, was also a highlight, happily sending himself up via his physical appearance, his former drinking habits and his past relationships. His set also revealed a talent for foreign accents and bizarre impersonations (a drunk sperm).

The night ended with British stand-up Andy Parsons (* * *) who is far more cynical than his TV ads selling sausages. He is also impressively clued up on local news. Parsons got some big laughs for his religious rants, although his snarky delivery occasionally seemed a little contrived.

Not quite a five-star preview. But close.