He will be making his solo debut at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year, and we thought we should have a chat to him about life, love, and Lord of the Fries. And comedy, of course.
It’s worth making a point of just how far Sampson is from a one-trick pony. “I currently write and perform in a few New Zealand TV shows: Funny Girls (an awesome sketch show you should check out) and Jono And Ben, AKA New Zealand’s Hamish And Andy,” says Sampson. “I also play a detective in a cop drama called The Brokenwood Mysteries. I still got a speeding ticket the other day though so it hasn’t given me as much sway with local police as I feel I deserve.”
Sampson’s show, Nic Sampson Has Fallen Down A Well, marks his first solo performance at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, but he is no newbie to the event. Sampson performed with New Zealand collective Snort Improv in 2015 and 2016, and will be doing so again in 2017.
“I used to come here equally for the comedy and Lord of the Fries but they’ve just opened one back in Auckland so I’m only here for the comedy now,” says Sampson. “What I love about the Comedy Festival is the diversity and inventiveness of the shows that people really embrace here. Often it’s the weirdest or most challenging comedians, or shows that get the most attention and love. That’s so inspiring to see. I’m always in awe of everyone.”
Whether or not you’re already familiar with Sampson’s comedy, his solo show will be good chance to check it out. The uninitiated can expect a blend of stories, sketches, and an insight into the brain of the man himself. “I’m a big fan of silliness and absurdity,” Sampson comments. “Taking something mundane and unpacking it to the point we’re all a bit confused as to how we got there.
“Nic Sampson Has Fallen Down A Well is a stand-up show that turns into something a little more high concept. I don’t want to spoil it, but clearly a lot of it is in the title: it’s a show about me telling stand-up from the bottom of a well, and it just goes from there. I can’t wait to show it to Melbourne.”
By Samuel Gaffney
Venue: The Tuxedo Cat
Dates: Thursday April 13 – Sunday April 23 (no show Wednesday April 19)
Duration: 50 minutes
Tickets: $12 – $18.35
