First of all it is worth making clear that the Cracker International Comedy Showcase brings to Skycity Theatre four highly polished comedic acts from Canada, America and Ireland.

It is hosted by Andrew Stanley and features Sugar Sammy, Tony Woods and Jeremy Hotz.

As he launched onto the stage Stanley was confronted by an infamously and predictably reticent New Zealand crowd who offered monosyllabic answers at every turn.

However, he dealt with this with a comedic grace that was admirable.

The crowd were quickly warmed up as he shamelessly poked fun at a birthday present one of the men in the front row was given by his friend, taking what the man called his, "man-bag" onto the stage and posturing as a medic in light of the large black cross emblazoned upon it.

There's nothing New Zealand audiences like more than a bit of schadenfreude.

The first act Stanley brings on is Sugar Sammy, with a stagename one would expect more from a stripper than a comedian I wasn't sure what to expect.

Sugar Sammy won the crowd over immediately by making fun of Henderson, then Mt. Roskill- prompting one to wonder if he simply transposes local town names for gags he tours around the world and the result was the material grew quickly stale.

However his observational comedy hit the funny-bone by often ringing too true, as he made fun of the way white people call up their Indian friends whenever they do something rather Indian, i.e., watch Slumdog Millionaire or eat some Vindaloo.

Just when you thought someone should let the two polished, smooth first acts in the lineup down- on comes Tony Woods- and you just couldn't get smoother.

He delivers his comedy with a soul singer's croon, often compromising his attempts at an Australian accent (I don't think a voice so funky will ever master that twang) and in a similar vein to Sugar Sammy before him, talks about society's bizarre behaviour when it comes to race.

He talks about how white people get excited when introducing him to another black man- and even if he doesn't know the "brother" he'll still check and see how he's doing.

The final act in the set - Jeremy Hotz- caps off the set with an affected self-deprecation that is antithetical to the men who proceeded him.

This isn't to suggest his performance is any less slick. Like all the acts before him his audience interaction is effective, not a waste of stage time as it can be in some situations.

He spends some time bemoaning his physical inadequacies -an elbow for a nose, hair above his arse- and as he reaches his dissatisfaction with his height he points at a man in the audience saying he looks about 6"3 and asks for confirmation.

The man replies he is about 183cms. This throws Hotz as he struggles to convert this into feet and inches enforcing an involuntary -but funny- hiatus to his flow.

His performance is very slick, very quick-witted and a satisfying end to a solid line-up, my personal favourite of the four.

The Cracker Comedy Showcase is an incredible line-up of four men who have honed their comedy art and will not leave you disappointed. You can take your friends, family and workmates and not worry they'll disown you after the show. 

Cracker International Comedy Showcase runs until 9 May at Auckland's Sky City Theatre