British Musical Comedian Brings Two Shows to Auckland

British Musical Comedian Brings Two Shows to Auckland For NZ International Comedy Festival

British musical comedian Rainer Hersch brings two hit shows to Auckland in May as part of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival.

Former Touring Manager of the London Festival Orchestra, Rainer Hersch gave up his high pressure job in 1992 to make a profession out of his hobby – stand-up comedy. He has been poking fun and getting his audiences to see the funny side of classical music ever since.

Hersch’s solo show Rainer Hersch’s Victor Borge is on at the Comedy Chamber, Auckland Town Hall from 2-11 May. On Sunday 12 May he leads members of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in Rainer Hersch Meets The APO.

In Rainer Hersch’s Victor Borge – the man, the music and the comedy – Hersch skilfully retells the story of Danish/American conductor, pianist and funnyman Victor Borge, with whom he is often compared. In a remarkable turn of events, Borge fled the Nazi regime in Europe, going on to become the highest paid entertainer, and according to The New York Times, the “funniest man in the world”. This season, audiences can expect plenty of clowning around and onstage antics as Hersch plays the role of both himself and Borge in the biographical show which sold out its 2012 run in London’s West End and festivals from Edinburgh to Adelaide.

Rainer Hersch Meets The APO is a one night only, laugh-out-loud performance where Rainer the conductor tackles all the pressing questions audiences are too shy to ask: What are they singing about in opera? Why is organ music so boring? Is it hard to play the triangle? Rainer and members of the APO have some great music and all the entertaining answers as they debunk myths around classical music to prove how silly, stupid and ripe to have the mickey taken out of it, the whole business is.

A classically trained pianist and conductor, Rainer Hersch has become an acclaimed comedian, writer and performer. He is based in London and tours all over the world either in his solo shows or with guest musicians, his own madcap, eight-piece band, and full symphony orchestras. Hersch writes columns for newspapers and magazines, has starred in many TV and radio series for the BBC and has toured extensively across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.

Rainer Hersch’s Victor Borge is at the Comedy Chamber, Auckland Town Hall from Thursday 2 to Saturday 11 May. Rainer Hersch Meets The APO is at the Comedy Chamber, Auckland Town Hall on Sunday 12 May at 3pm. Book by phoning 0800 BUY TICKETS (289 842) or www.buytickets.co.nz

‘Splendidly silly - Britain's new musical guru’ –London Time Out

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