Kick it into overdrive _{by Alessia Belsito-Riera}

Strap in for a wild ride with Ocean Denham as she looks inward to determine whether parallel parking should just be illegal – it’s so hard to do. In her New Zealand International Comedy Festival hour A Hot Girl and Her Suzuki Swift, she gets behind the wheel of a show that delves into some of life’s bigger issues and more than just her parking skills.

Excited to perform to Welly audiences whether they drive a Toyota Corolla or a Mazda Demio, Denham says that A Hot Girl and Her Suzuki Swift isn’t about the car you drive, it’s a mindset.

“When I do comedy, my only job is that someone truly enjoys themselves,” she says. “I think comedy is such a stripped-back artform. It’s just me and my mic – if you bomb on stage, it’s all you but if you kill a set, honestly, it’s such a good feeling. I want my audience to feel validated in being their most authentic self, like, you have a haemorrhoid? Same sis, what cream you use? We don’t yuck any yums on my watch.”

With a conversational style, Denham compares her comedy to getting a bevvy with a friend. “It’s hot tea but it’s always said with love. It’s a very no-hold-back approach but I think my comedy is very charming”.

Pulling into Te Auaha from the 21^st to the 24^th of May, buckle up for A Hot Girl and Her Suzuki Swift.