Tom Sainsbury: Kiwi comedian and actor talks new play 'A Christmas Crisis'

Tom Sainsbury and Lara Fischel-Chisholm have teamed up with some Kiwi celebs and entertainers for a new festive spectacular.

A Christmas Crisis promises big spectacle and big laughs, and it's ready for Kiwis to check out at Auckland's Q theatre.

Tom Sainsbury joined the Afternoons tea to discuss further. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:17):
Co written by the brilliant Tom Sainsbury alongside longtime collaborator
law Official Chisholm, a Christmas Crisis explodes onto the stage
as a high kicking, sleigh riding disco ball soaked spectacular.
How good does that sound? The pair have crafted a
world brimming with interpretive dance, chaotic festive energy, and more
tinsel than any reindeer should safely be near. And they've

(00:39):
even wroped in Matt Heath to play a little part.
To chat more about this, we are joined by Tom Sainsbury.
Tom get a, how are you hi?

Speaker 1 (00:46):
Hi?

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Well, listen openly night tonight with Matt, he says our narrator.
And it's all new.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
It is for Matt Heath. Yeah, absolutely, he's got a
script there, he's been going through it diligently.

Speaker 4 (00:57):
It's just great to be back treading the boards where
I started. Hey, Tom, tell us about Christmas and chaos crisis. Sorry, jeez,
I've already I've already got some word wrong.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Get him out now, mate, get them out now.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
So me and me and We've been doing kind of
comedy dance fifty years now and this is our first
kind of Christmas one. We've been really inspired by the
kinds of the outrageous pantomimes from the UK or even
Wellington's been doing them, and so we were trying to
tap into that market. So we've gone for a really
kind of outrageous dance show. It's got Santa but we've
got Santa Claus and Missus Corse kind of breaking up

(01:32):
in one storyline, and then we're taking the path out
of the kind of Hallmark love movies of the cupcake
Maker falling in love with the Prince, and then they've
got the Alps causing chaos. So it's all kind of
a big, bonacious, loud, colorful dance spectacular. So has it.

Speaker 4 (01:45):
Always been your dream to bring panto to our shawes?

Speaker 3 (01:50):
Has it always been my dream? Listen? I just go
with a kind of you know, with the audiences, go smart.

Speaker 4 (01:57):
Well, speaking of audience, is there a lot of Christmas
spirit there? I'm just I've just fired up the Boublet
records for my kids and I'm trying to pump pump
some up and put the three up? Is there enough
out there for.

Speaker 3 (02:06):
You, Tom, is But the thing, I'll tell you what
when you're doing a Christmas show, because we kind of
start working on it to temper and when you're already
listening to kind of Christmas carols and pushing people Christmas cheer,
like tonight, we'll be fine. I reckon next week, I'll
be sick to this of it.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
So the show has got everything Tom, comedy, dance in
a bit of absurdity for good measure. Do you have
to train for this? Because it sounds like a really
physical show. There's a lot of dancing going on. It's physical,
it's fast paced. Have you been down at the gym
for the past couple of weeks preparing for this?

Speaker 3 (02:36):
Well, I'll tell you what. Because we say it's like
really funny, and it is really funny. But we've got
a cast of like a dozen and we've got some
trained dancers in there, but we've also got kind of
comedians who aren't traded us. But we try. We go
so hard, and I'm the kind of task master and
so I'm like going no, no, left left right, left,
left right, So we take it really seriously. But because

(02:58):
I'm usually stepping out and watching it, so these last
few days where I've been trying to catch up on
my dance, I'm like, oh, puffed.

Speaker 4 (03:04):
You know, just to bring it back me to me
for a second, I was, I was, I've done my
due diligence, but I missed a few bits. And then
I was just looking through some of the notes and
then at one point, I've got a dance. I didn't
know that.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
From the start of act too.

Speaker 4 (03:19):
I danced along Sir Santa Claus is coming to town.
And that's that's really it's really peaked my nerves. That one,
what are you expecting?

Speaker 3 (03:29):
Wait, look, do you there's there's no You don't have
to dance with anyone. You don't have to be in
sync with anyone. And you know what, you can kind
of do a boublet kind of like kind of kind
of a shuffle to the side. You just kind of
interpret it how you want.

Speaker 4 (03:43):
Okay, all right, there's no no judgment here. But I
just want to share a story I was in. I
signed up to Modern Dance Club when I was an
immediate and just so I could wag, and then the
teachers found out and then they they made me perform
a dance by myself in front of Assembly for punishment
for not going to Modern Dance Club. So there was
there's a little bit of history there, but but but

(04:04):
but I'll work through it now. Christmas in Crisis, it's
got a theme around ordering online and Christmas consumerism in
one of the stories. Are you making your own presence
this year? Are you buying keywears at secondhand?

Speaker 1 (04:17):
How do you?

Speaker 3 (04:18):
How do you?

Speaker 4 (04:18):
You know your art?

Speaker 3 (04:21):
I'm keeping through to my look sometimes, you know, you
start with the best intention and I've gone for key
we made mostly. But you know, once it gets to
you know, to twenty third, twenty fourth, you're like, oh,
this person just throw money at the problem.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Yeah, yeah, I thought you were doing account you know,
if it's money that the thoughts there.

Speaker 4 (04:39):
Yeah, money, and you're doing your bit for Christmas as
it is with Christmas and Crisis. You're a busy man, Tom,
your stand up, your TV feature films and theater. Are
you going to take a break. It's been a huge
it's been a huge ten years for you, Tom.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
It's been pretty bad. I do get so December the
twenty third from men on, I think it's just going
to be lying on the couch, steering at the steeling
for a good three weeks.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
That sounds like a good time. Fantastic. Hey, Tom, all
the very bit and you too as well. Matt, go
well tonight. This is a big role for you. This
is this is your moment to shine, as they say.

Speaker 4 (05:14):
Oh just just here's the first line that I've got. Okay, okay,
warmis welcome, dear friends, sweetest lovers and foes. Here's a
Christmasy tale of four different woes.

Speaker 3 (05:25):
You pick the right man, Tom, Is that the top
those dolts at Tome.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, there's only another two hundred lines that you've got
a nail, but that first one is pretty good.

Speaker 4 (05:33):
All right, I'm excited. Thanks for having me time. I
appreciate you thinking of me.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
Tom.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
Wait, Tom, great to chat with you. Go check it out.
It says called a Christmas Crisis opens tonight. Matt Heath
is the narrator tonight. There'll be a different narrator each night.
It's at the Q Theater and runs until the twentieth.
It will be a hell of a great time. So
if you want to get your tickets, just go to
Q Theater dot co dot nz. You're listening to news
talks the b back very shortly.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
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