Tony Lyall is a kiwi comic who’s a writer for the TV show 7 Days so his entire career is steeped in comedy. His solo show, Crowd Work Solo Kia Carnival, deftly shows he’s not afraid to put himself out there. The title may be a mouthful, but it sums up what is an hour of friendly crowd interaction as well as pre designed titbits from his own life.
Pre-show, the audience is invited to write topics or names on post-it notes and drop them into jars labelled with various topics such as ‘Famous Person You Admire’, ‘Something Fun’ or ‘Scariest Thing You Can Think Of’. Lyall then picks these at random and riffs on them. The show he claims is unplanned, and while that is true to a point, but I suspect there are some set pieces up his sleeve.
When it came to a famous person someone admired there were post-its for the Queen, JLO, Hitler, and Stalin. The latter two led to some very funny jokes and interactions with the crowd. After a while and somewhat tongue in cheek, Lyall made the disclaimer he wasn’t ‘pro-Stalin’ just in case any reviewers were in the house. I was, and there it is, I’ve mentioned it.
The post-it technique gave him a surprising variety of things to talk about such as spontaneous combustion and a story of an in-laws relative being struck by lightning. He also spoke about former cabinet minister Stephen Joyce being hit by a dildo. Years after the incident, it’s still funny.
His physical similarity to deceased fugitive Tom Phillips came up, as it did in his appearance in the Comedy Gala a few days before. He joked he hadn’t been able to go for a bush walk or camp with his three kids for a few years because of that. It was very funny and mostly directed at himself, but apparently that kind of comedic reference is too soon for the broadcaster who has cut it from the televised version of the Gala they will air this month.
That decision is a shame because comedy is meant to be challenging. it seems disingenuous to censor moments from our own country’s history yet allow references to Hitler, sexuality, sagging body parts and many other on the edge jokes from other comedians in the Gala.
I admire Lyall’s commitment to the craft, he is confident and personable and can seemingly take any topic presented to him and share an amusing anecdote or opinion on it. His interactions with the audience are clever and funny and his infectious laugh instills a sense of fun throughout his show. His is one entertaining hour of comedy.
6-9 May 2026
Q Theatre Loft Auckland
