Jay: OK I think Hot Spot was the best thing we've seen at The Classic Comedy Club for a while, eh.

 

Val: I'll say! Not a single poos or wees gag, and no white men talking about wanking.

 

J: Well there was a white woman talking about wanking…

 

V: And what a bloody hilarious and refreshing change that was!

 

J: hehe. So what we had was a relaunch of a regular monthly show at a new venue.  New start, new audience, sold out and turning people away at the door.

 

V: Yes.  Upstairs in the Studio at The Classic.  A lovely chatty crowd who hung around drinking at the bar long after the show finished.  Nice wee stage and cabaret style seating.  Fresh, experimental acts getting up and giving it a go or reprising some tried and tested winners.

 

J: Changing the time to 8.30pm on a Friday was a good move for me at least!  I'm just too bloody old and lazy to go to things that start at 10pm very often. I need me Milo.

 

V:  I loved that Bryony Skillington MC-ed it as 'herself' rather than Lola La Bombe because I reckon she has several more stage presences in there that need a chance to get out and shine.  She's a multi-talented individual.  And starting off with a few laughs and then belting out a venue-ised version of "Maybe This Time" was the perfect crowd warmer-upper.

 

J: Can we big up Mr Andy Manning who provided the musical accompaniment throughout.  He's a bit of a star.  Apparently he had one quick run-through with the acts ahead of time, and then proceeded to match every singer, every audio joke and every link impeccably. He was also the go to ginger person for the night :-D

 

V: Yeah, I really like this music/comedy mix that Hot Spot encourages.  Whether the songs are sung 'straight' or adapted to the story in the routine - it's a fantastically quirky way to play around with material.

 

J: Act 1: Nomi Cohen with her reluctantly nomadic, attention-seeking pussy.

 

V: Yes!  Slick, groomed to perfection, definitely done the act many times before.  And sharp teeth too.  That pussy's a total pro.  A brilliant bit of physical comedy.  And for a cat she had a wonderfully tuneful voice.

 

J: *chuckle*  She totally inhabited that role didn't she. I think she really would actually be happier as a cat.  Although I did question the authenticity of her depiction of the mean streets of Mount Albert.  Perhaps its got a lot more scarey since I lived there.  Or maybe it was a specifically Remuera Cat perspective…

 

V: And then we got Kit Haines telling his life story in pictures and song.  Of growing up as a Crayola crayon.

 

J: I'd just never considered how hard it must be for young crayons to find their place in this unforgiving world.  Weird and imaginative.  Totally hat-stand.

 

V: And the concept worked didn't it.  It was a running gag that kept up the pace for the full 15 minutes. 

 

J: And it was actually a double act of course!  Interactive drawing book supplied and page-turned by the wonderful Morgan. She actually drew the pictures for the act, and was then *ahem* randomly picked from the audience. One of the most thinly disguised plants in the history of theatre ;-)

 

V: The whole thing was witty, well-delivered and thoroughly enjoyable.  And who made the costume?  The crayon costume was awesome!

 

J: The third act was the very suave Jessie Cassin.  And I really liked what she put out there.  She appeared to be taking risks to see what she could get away with on stage. I'd love to see where that act goes.

 

V: She was the masturbator wasn't she?  I laughed so hard.  Her comedy was great, and the look she chose worked so well too.

 

J: I reckon her voice was the real jewell of her act.  The singing was wonderful.  Who would have thought you could ballad-ise "Too Drunk To F**k" by the Dead Kennedys to such moving effect? Hi 5!

 

V: And her accents and impressions were superb.  I thought Smeagol was in the room.  Oh, which reminds me.  Her physical comedy was great too.

 

J: I'm not sure if it all came off 100% as Jessie planned, but that didn't matter at all to me.  If Hot Spot is a place where performers can experiment with ideas and hone them later, then it's providing a great service.  Hot Spot, Hot House, whatever.

 

V: And it was frikkin hot wasn't it?  The air con was on the fritz that night and the room was packed wall to wall.  A pretty moist experience for punters and stage acts alike.  You need to get that sorted Classic!  Because we definitely intend to make this a regular date in out night-out diaries.

 Z I N G  !