Comedy - not controversy - is no doubt what the organisers of this year's International Laugh Festival are hoping for.
Last year the Jim Rose Circus came to town with a headlinegrabbing formation of assorted freaks. The circus was banned from performing at the Town Hall (couldn't ask for better publicity than that) and set up camp instead at the St James Theatre where the crowds rolled up in anticipation of a forbidden spectacle.
And then there were the Tokyo Shock Boys who performed unspeakable and eye-watering feats of strength with unmentionable parts of their anatomy.
This year the festival runs concurrently, and with fewer shocks to the funny bone, in Auckland and Wellington from April 22 to May 9 and in Christchurch from May 11-22. It features more than 70 local and international comedians.
The festival is accentuating the local with good reason: in 1998 five of the festival's 10 sell-out shows were by local comics.
The Naked Samoans (back with The Naked Samoans Go To Hollywood), Raybon Kan, Cal Wilson, Ewen Gilmour and Pulp Comedy all return with new shows.
The international line-up may be missing the Shock Boys but it does include Kamikaze Stand-up from Japan and, while there's no circus on offer, popular Irish comedian Ed Byrne is back with A Night at the Opera.
And for anyone who gets carried away with the glamour of it all, consider booking a seat with an insider's view. David McPhail will present the inaugural Comedyfest Lecture: a look at "the serious business of being funny."
Pictured: Raybon Kan
Local talent tops bill in laughter festival
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