New shows | Ben Elton live in NZ 2025

GOLD welcomes Ben Elton, the undisputed godfather of modern stand-up, and his new show, Authentic Stupidity, to New Zealand this April and May.

Due to popular demand, a new show at SkyCity Theatre Auckland has just been added on April 29.

The world has changed a lot since Ben last toured—a whole new existential threat has emerged to challenge our very existence: artificial intelligence. Apparently, it’s going to render all human life meaningless, but Ben is here to warn you that AI is not the greatest threat that we face; it’s Authentic Stupidity.

Sat 19 April | Hamilton, Clarence St Theatre
Tue 22 April | Rotorua, Sir Howard Morrison Centre
Wed 23 April | Tauranga, Baycourt Addison Theatre
Sat 26 April | Wellington, Michael Fowler Centre
Mon 28 April | Auckland, Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre
Tue 29 April | Auckland, SkyCity Theatre - NEW SHOW
Wed 30 April | Napier, Napier Municipal Theatre
Thu 1 May | Dunedin, Town Hall
Fri 2 May | Christchurch, Town Hall

Tickets on sale now. Full details at LiveNation.co.nz

Ben Elton’s multi-award-winning career spans over four decades and includes seminal and groundbreaking television shows (The Young Ones, Blackadder, Upstart Crow), West End plays (Popcorn, Upstart Crow), West End musicals (We Will Rock You, The Beautiful Game, Close up: The Twiggy Musical), best-selling novels (Stark, Dead Famous, Two Brothers) and feature films (Maybe Baby, Three Summers, All is True).