Live at Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre
1 April 2025
Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall
Graham Norton: A Night of Stories, Sequins, and Sharp-Witted Banter.
Graham Norton doesn’t just walk onto a stage he owns it from the moment he appears. On Tuesday night at Auckland’s Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, the talk show maestro and king of camp storytelling emerged in a dazzling black jacket adorned with sequins, shimmering under the stage lights like a disco ball primed for mischief.
For over two decades, Norton has ruled late-night television with his signature blend of razor-sharp wit, unfiltered humour, and a knack for prying out the most outrageous confessions from the world’s biggest stars. Tonight, the live stage was his chat-show couch, and we the eager Auckland audience were the guests.
He kicked off the night with a nostalgic trip down memory lane, reminiscing about the early days of The Graham Norton Show, which launched back in 2007 and quickly became a global phenomenon. But it wasn’t just about the show’s evolution; Norton generously peeled back the curtain on the backstage chaos, the unscripted moments, and the unforgettably wild guests that have graced his infamous red couch.
There were tales of the ever-iconic Grace Jones, whose unpredictable antics made even the most seasoned producers sweat. He regaled us with memories of the late, great Joan Rivers, whose biting humour was as fearless as it was timeless. Mark Wahlberg, who once turned up a little too relaxed (read: tipsy), was another highlight. But it was the Robbie Williams story that truly stole the first half of the show. Norton painted a picture of the pop star at his most unfiltered an anecdote so outrageous and hilariously unrepeatable that it left the audience roaring with laughter and vowing never to look at Williams the same way again.
With a cheeky grin, Norton wrapped up the first half, instructing the audience to make full use of the bar, as he himself intended to do the same. "Go grab a drink, because I sure will!" he quipped before strutting off-stage.
True to form, he returned for the second half, now sporting a vibrant, multicoloured jumper a bold fashion pivot that only he could pull off. The costume change was more than just a style statement; it signalled a shift in tone. If the first half was a raucous tour through showbiz mayhem, the second was a more personal, heartfelt look at his career, life, and the absurdity of fame.
As if his talk show anecdotes weren’t enough, Norton then turned his attention to another of his legendary gigs—commentating the Eurovision Song Contest, a role he inherited from the great Terry Wogan. Wogan who was a master of wit and intellect, a man who could fire off comebacks so fast, Doc Holliday would shiver in his boots. Norton then starts to reveal a truly entertaining antidote.
He reminisced about the irreverence of past broadcasts, lamenting that some of the things he once said on live television would never fly today. Case in point: the time a brother-and-sister duo took the Eurovision stage, both playing violins. “And I, in my infinite wisdom, said well, the brother loves fiddling with his sister.” The auditorium exploded in laughter, as Norton chuckled at his own wicked genius, recalling the moment that aired to millions across Europe.
The night wrapped up with a rapid-fire Q&A session, where Norton fielded questions from the audience with the same quick wit that has made him a legend of late-night television. From gossip to gaffes, from celebrity encounters to his own unlikely journey to fame, he left no stone unturned and no drink undrained.
As the lights dimmed and the applause thundered through the theatre, one thing was clear: Graham Norton isn’t just a talk show host. He’s a master raconteur, a comedy heavyweight, and the kind of entertainer who could turn an ordinary Tuesday night in Auckland into an evening of unforgettable storytelling.
Cheers to that, Graham see you at the bar.
Reviewer: Paul Marshall
Photography by Paul Marshall
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