By Chris Whitworth
Crammed into the upstairs Classic Studio on Queen St, I wasn’t sure what to expect from an hour of FanFiction Comedy.
I knew it would be funny, having heard a hilarious BFM segment titled Fast and the Furious 9, which described a scene between Vin Diesel and Paul Walker admiring a car. Lines like “I feel like my heart is doing an illegal street race around my body” instantly appealed.
But could the premise withstand an entire show? Yes. Hell, yes.
For those unfamiliar with FanFiction, it’s a growing trend among uber-fans of TV shows and movies, where they write alternative story lines involving their favourite characters. Stories range from alternate endings to bizarre sub-plots and unexplored sexual yearnings.
FanFiction Comedy takes this sub-genre and again twists it, not only parodying the people who write fan fiction, but also the shows written about.
A hungover Harry Potter at Rhythm and Vines, groggily waking to find his scar turned into a phallus and rear-end tattooed with “Voldemort was here”, was just one of the twisted realities concocted by the writers.
Or a Bold and the Beautiful spoof where a woman is found on a couch “cut up like sashimi or sushi”, which later turns out to, in fact, be a plate of sushi.
Hosted by the irreverently charming Rose Matafeo from TVNZ’s U Live, the evening had an easy flow, and low key charm.
Each story lasted no more than 10 minutes, ensuring attention spans were kept, and performances were swiftly followed by a post-read commentary, prompting hilarious crowd participation and bizarre tangents by a two-man panel (comedians Steven Boyce and Joseph Harper).
FanFiction Comedy is running the length of the festival and offers audiences an entirely unique show each week, with new stories written for every show.
It was the underground hit of last year’s festival and is well on its way to being a standout this year. So take the plunge, open your mind and you might even be inspired to write your own FanFiction.
For more information visit comedyfestival.co.nz.
3 News
source: newshub archive
