This Time Next Year

MEDIA RELEASE
11 January 2006

Fringe Audience Part of the Show

Fringe ’06 sees Paramount’s new intimate Bergman theatre put to comedic use with a stand-up comedy “work in progress” in which the audience will participate.

This Time Next Year stars award-winning Wellington stand-up comedians Matt Elliott, Alex Hawley and Mike Bodnar. Over three nights they’ll be knocking their mutual bad-habit procrastination on the head with the help of audience participation.

“I joined the Wellington lethargic society last year,” admitted veteran comic Matt Elliott. “Haven’t been to a meeting yet.”

Alex Hawley, Wellington’s stand-up Rookie of the Year (1873) admitted that he’d also put things off in his life. The youngest of the trio, he recalled numerous early attempts to go to the dairy to buy porn magazines.

“In the end I couldn’t bring myself to go anywhere local, so walked half way across the city to a dairy where they wouldn’t know me,” he said. “Looking back, it would have been a lot quicker if I’d had a note from my mum explaining that I was allowed to buy the stuff.”

Mike Bodnar, who claimed to be gruntled and gusted at the prospect of working with two fellow comic procrastinators, said his delaying tactics can be traced back to his disastrous school days.

“When they held the school cross-country the principal never timed me with a stopwatch - he always used a calendar. The only place I really made a name for myself at school was in woodwork. It was about three inches long and made of balsa wood.”

As a result of their lethargy, Mike, Matt and Alex have called their show This Time Next Year, in anticipation of not having anything remotely ready for their three-night run in February.

“We’re relying on the audience to supply the topics,” said Matt. “That’s always the hardest part. Together we’re confident we’ll have a show worthy of, well, staying for.”

“Or turning up for,” added Alex.

This Time Next Year plays at the discreetly plush Bergman at The Paramount in Courtenay Place at 6.45pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 28 February, 1st & 2nd March.

Don’t put off buying a ticket.

ENDS

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