REVIEW The beloved British comedian has been entertaining audiences around the country, but what’s the verdict on her first Auckland show? The word twat is one not often used in New Zealand yet in Dawn French’s home country of Britain it’s a much-loved gentle admonishment. And in this live show she’s clearly hoping to convert her Kiwi audience to add it to their everyday vocabulary - it’s used approximately 462* times in these two hours of chortle-inducing comedy. Striding onto Auckland’s Civic Theatre stage on Wednesday night, dressed head to toe in black, complemented by a silver sparkly neckline and sharp grey bob, French’s form is so familiar it’s almost as if the Vicar of Dibley has walked into your living room.
“I’m roly-poly 80s comedienne Dawn French ,” she said with trademark grin, as if any introduction was necessary. “Buckle up, because here we go!” Words to heed - there was no time for pleasantries or chat about Auckland’s day of stormy weather ; French immediately launched into her tightly-performed show of amusing anecdotes about her life and career, accompanied by archival video clips and photos. French has been beloved by audiences since the 1980s, with TV shows like The Comic Strip , French and Saunders and The Vicar of Dibley , and more recently, Audible podcast Titting About , and novels like Oh Dear Silvia and A Tiny Bit Marvellous .
And yet she would like us to believe she is actually - in more Kiwi parlance - a bit of a dick. .
