Phil Wang New Zealand Tour 2023

Hot off the heels of his critically-acclaimed Netflix special, David Letterman appearance, role on Life & Beth with Amy Schumer, and sold out runs in the US, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the UK, Phil Wang returns to New Zealand with his hit show Wang In There, Baby!.

Phil begins his tour exploring race, family, nipples, and everything else that’s been going on in his Philly little life in Auckland on 2 November.

The news arrives shortly after it was announced that, in response to demand for tickets, Phil will embark on a major UK tour extension this September, which will now see him play 63 shows across the country to a capacity of 75,000+ tickets.

Phil makes his debut film appearance alongside Timothee Chalamet in Wonka, set to be theatrically released by Warner Bros. on 15 December. He was the first UK comedian to tape and release a Netflix Original stand-up comedy special during the pandemic with Philly Philly Wang Wang and the only non-US comedian spotlighted on That’s My Time With David Letterman (Netflix), adding to countless show credits including Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC), hosting Live at the Apollo (BBC2), Have I Got News For You (BBC1), QI (BBC2), Would I Lie to You? (BBC1), 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Ch4), Drunk History (Comedy Central), The Great British Bake Off: Extra Slice (Ch4), and series 7 of Taskmaster (Ch4). Previously, Phil recorded a fifteen-minute stand-up special for Netflix as part of The Comedy Lineup, one of only two non-US acts in the series.

Phil’s first book, Sidesplitter, was released last year to critical acclaim, featuring on The Times and Sunday Times’ Books of the Year list. In this combined comic memoir and observational essay, he reflects on his experiences as a Eurasian man in the West and in the East.

Phil has also written and starred in his own BBC Radio 4 special, Wangsplaining which won Best Scripted Comedy (Longform) at the 2020 BBC Audio Awards, and in two series of Daphne Sounds Expensive for BBC Radio 4 with his Foster’s Newcomer Award nominated sketch trio, Daphne. Additionally, he fronted an original audio series on Audible called Phil Wang Hates Horror, co-hosts the hit podcast BudPod, and recently presented an episode of Radio 4’s Archive Hour entitled Disorienting.

Phil has performed at international comedy festivals including Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. His critically acclaimed live show, Philly Philly Wang Wang, broke records at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, selling out its entire run before the festival even began, and subsequently selling out a final extra show in the 750-seater Pleasance Grand. His ensuing national tour was extended due to phenomenal demand and included two shows at the London Palladium. Phil also recently completed his first ever US tour, performing to sell-out crowds across the country, including 2 sell-out shows in Los Angeles as part of the Netflix is a Joke festival. Due to phenomenal demand, Phil returned to play a sold-out show at New York’s Gramercy Theatre in December last year.
 

What the press have said about Phil Wang’s new stand-up show so far:-

“at the top of his game…One of the fastest-rising international comics around… inspired work from a comic who just gets better and better”
Nikki B, Time Out

“an irresistible set of smart and silly jokes…high-end offering…considers his and our lives from ever-surprising new angles”
Brian Logan, The Guardian

“my god, we’re lucky to have him… Wang’s world is so inherently charming you can’t help but be sucked in”
Isobel Lewis, The Independent

“vivid mental images and excellent punchlines…beautifully absurd…a comic who combines intelligence and insight with dumb jokes, and a healthy streak of self-deprecating humour”
Steve Bennett, Chortle

“Wry observations treated with an understated physicality means Phil Wang's onto a winner with this new hour…physical comedy is irresistible; low-key but artful…He skims seriousness here and there: touching upon political scaremongering in the UK and abroad by criticising Tory narratives about immigration and highlighting US exhortations to stay alert to human trafficking, for example. Both are punctured by that comically peeved tone – a kind of skillful ordinariness he applies with ease… finely judged silliness that he aspires to, and with an audience lost to helpless giggling, it’s an approach that clearly works.”
Emma Sullivan, The Skinny

“His new show is sure to cement his reputation as one of the standup greats of his generation”
Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian

“a frankly ludicrous set that spans the comedy trifecta of personal, political and topical anecdotes …keeps an incredible pace… accomplishes a real feat of managing to be both logical and illogical at the same time...completely original viewpoints as well as tapping into a kind of common understanding among us about everyday bothers, providing a mental release that only comes from the knowledge that we’re not alone in our frustrations”
Sascha Cooper, Broadway Baby

“Wang is a well-oiled joke machine”
Polly Glynn, The i

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