Comedy Review - Stephen K Amos - Auckland - 9th May 2026
Presented by Mary Tobin
‘OK, you didn’t think that was racist? How about this?’
Review By: James BrownPerformer: Stephen K AmosVenue/City: Q Theatre, Auckland, New ZealandDate of Event: Saturday 9th May 2026I had somehow forgotten how much I liked Stephen K Amos. But I own both of his DVD specials, as well as his sketch show, The Stephen K Amos Show, so I suppose I must be a bit of a fan. I last saw him perform 14 years ago, and he was already a veteran then – of comedy generally, but also of the New Zealand scene specifically. I should be careful not to make him sound too old, because despite being in his late 50s, he is amazingly unchanged. One small exception is his new do-rag, which I was pleased he chose to explain, as I will admit was curious – is it just a fashion statement or is he concerned about thinning hair? (The answer is apparently both.)
He has featured repeatedly at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival over the years, and even won Best International Comedian at the 2007 fest. He has a robust Kiwi following – enough to fill two nights at Q’s large Rangatira Theatre. It’s been nearly a decade since he last toured New Zealand, but you can tell he genuinely enjoys coming here.
Stephen has a real affinity for audiences down under. He has a talent for mimicking accents, which he has always enjoyed using to affectionately mock us and our trans-Tasman cousins. His first DVD special, Find the Funny, was recorded at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre, and he has even been on the Australian version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here. While he wrings a lot of material out of our differences, he also understands just how much common culture we Antipodeans share with the British, particularly in our senses of humour.
His latest show, Now We’re Talking, covers a range of topics that feel very relevant in today’s chaotic world. He doesn’t pretend that everything was perfect in the ‘70s, but he does worry about the toxic and stupefying effects of social media. Being Black and gay, it’s natural that a lot of his material features a minority or outsider perspective. What has always impressed me is how effortlessly he can make that perspective feel general and relatable. Observational humour is popular because it’s an easy way of getting a crowd on board when it involves broad topics like airline travel. It takes a more unique talent to make the very personal seem universal. Stephen somehow manages to make you feel that yes, of course you know what it’s like to spend lockdown with your 82-year-old Nigerian father.
Some comics insist on having entirely new material for each tour. Stephen is happy to pepper in the odd repeated joke here and there – some of which he has been doing for decades now – knowing that he has the charm to make them land like familiar old friends.
One of his specialties has always been crowd work. It’s become such an overused crutch for mediocre comics that you wonder whether Stephen might have considered removing it from his act. He couldn’t, though. Not only has he been doing it since before it was cool – if you’ll forgive the cliché – but he genuinely is just too damn good at it. He has the rare knack of savagely roasting selected audience members without it ever feeling mean-spirited. It’s always funny, and the targets always enjoy it more than anyone. It’s how he’s been charming the pants off audiences for 25 years.
A favourite go-to of Stephen’s, which only gets more effective the older he gets, is picking out a particularly young audience member for special ridicule. ‘You know nothing of our world, child.’ When the lucky youngster selected at tonight’s show turned out to be only 13 – a little too young for some of the raunchier intended gags – Stephen was discreet enough to move on quickly, while still giving the boy enough attention to feel like part of the show.
There’s a reason no one can ever seem to talk about Stephen K Amos without describing him as a class act. The NZ Comedy Festival has such an impressive slate of acts these days, and comedy fans probably have a list of shows carefully planned already. But if you had to pick just one act, Stephen K Amos would be a solid choice. ‘Safe’ is certainly not the right word – he freely admits that many of his jokes are bound to offend someone, and he certainly isn’t scared to work blue. But he has the sort of broad appeal which invites the use of words like ‘quintessential’. I really believe that if you don’t like him, you might just have to accept that stand-up comedy just isn’t your thing.
I believe a few tickets are still available for his second Auckland show on Sunday 10th May.
‘When I first heard about the Dunning-Kruger Effect, I immediately understood everything about it.’
Stephen K Amos - Now We're Talking Tour 2026