What
other people said:
"...it
was lovely...I really enjoyed it." Pam
Ayres
"...a
cross between Lynn of Tawa and Graham Norton....bossy,
shameless and hysterical.....she has the audiences belly
laughing....Highly recomended." Express
“This is Antipodean Sex in the City except funnier;
Hot Pink Poetry poked sly fun in a slick performance that
made us laugh at our own experiences.”
bFm
“This is poetic graffiti in cabaret form at its best.
She presents the acceptable face of poetry, using it as a
means of creating brilliant images of life.”
John Daly-Peoples, NBR, Friday 22.11.02
"…deliciously
naughty rhyme." NZOOM
"Mothers, lock up your sons. Hot Pink is in town." NZOOM
"Ashton could very well be New Zealand's answer to Renee
Zellweger. After all, she has the social life of Bridget
Jones and likes to sing songs from Chicago." NZOOM
"…the packed audience … enjoyed the ribald rhymes and artful
alliteration - sorry, it's contagious - and warmed to Dirty
Pink's obvious delight in performance at Bats." Dominion
Post
"…like a sick Sex and the City episode, but funny." Dominion
Post
"…the house often shook with laughter." Dominion Post
"The Hot Pink poet had the audience in the palm of her hand.
Original, good audience rapport and colourful! Her set transformed
the performance space into a riot of plastic flowers. Penny
is a great communicator who is always willing to get out
amongst the media and sell herself." Philip Tremewan
- Lake Taupo Festival of the Arts
"Hot Pink was very well received by the Nelson audience.
Penny is a professional and presents a funny show that has
broad appeal and the poetry is great. Her presentation and
personality is fantastic…" Annabel Norman - Nelson
Festival of the Arts
"Penny Ashton…works the Bridget Jones subject area very well
and has created an art-form out of being single. As a comedian
she is warm and funny…" Waikato Times
"…infectious energy and a large dollop of oestrogen…..a full
fat fix of pure talent." Wanganui Chronicle
"Terrific original poems and songs effortlessly melded…" Wanganui
Chronicle
"Penny created a comic persona to MC for our "winter wonderland"
event, warmed up the crowd, did the links between our management
team's respective speeches, and even recited her especially
penned poem on Heritage Hotels, to the delight of the audience;
all without one swear word or off colour joke!
The use of Penny Ashton's MC talents, in our opinion, added
a further enjoyable dimension for our guests and we would
not hesitate to recommend Penny for other corporate event
work." Susan Gibson - Heritage Hotels
"Ashton is the kind of comedian I really love...the
type of woman you'd want to be friends with..." The
Package
"What an amazing entertainer Penny Ashton is. She certainly
is a cabaret poetry performer, especially with her opening
song "All That Jazz". What a tremendous singer!
She captivated the audience all the way." River
City Press
"In confronting the ordinariness of life she has conceived
some brilliant poems..." National Business Review
2004
"..enough energy onstage to push a barge up Lyttleton
Harbour...the audience was in the palm of her hand." Christchurch
Press
"...brilliant....Poetry
to make you hungry, horny and happy.” Three
Weeks - Edinburgh - 5 Stars
“…fabulous…hilarious verse…pacy,
fun and entertaining…Comic verse for the Bridget Jones
generation.” Hairline - Edinburgh
- 4 Stars
“…ruder than a sausage sandwich…easily
wins over her crowd.” The List - Edinburgh
- 3 Stars
“…sexy demeanour and flirtatious smile…impressive
vocal skills.” Fest Magazine - Edinburgh
- 4 Stars
“…vivacious…highly entertaining…sheer
charm and energy…a show and a performer that you can't
help liking.” The Scotsman -
Edinburgh - 3 Stars
"...this
fizzing, Antipodiette powerhouse who bursts out of herself,
on to the stage and into the audience is a wee treat
for those of us who are fed up with same old stand up
and loathe wimpy sentimental poetry... a both passionate
and thoughtful performance...the rhyming pop tart can't
fail on a stage in the English speaking world. If you
like your women real, hot and pink but not Barbie, Penny
Ashton is well worth the ticket money." edinburghguide.com -
Edinburgh - 4 Stars
"...hilariously
funny...amazing knack at reciting poems...incredible...this
show is well worth going along to." The
Daily Post - NZ
“...a
whirlwind, energetic show...clever, fresh and genuinely
entertaining." The New Zealand Herald
2005
"...her
cascade of jokes and one-liners was as explosive
and dazzling as Guy Fawkes." National
Business Review 20.05.05
"This
lady likes her breasts. In fact, she likes them so much
she’s made a rap about them. And why not when you’re
this funny? ....an evening of extreme amusement. Not for
the misogynists out there, who would quiver at the sight
of such a ballsy female, this is a perfect night out for
anyone who loves women....plus, anyone who can get two
seemingly straight laced men thrusting at each other on
stage is worth a look." Three Weeks -
Edinburgh 2005 - Five Stars
"....a
potty-mouthed Pam Ayres." Metro - Edinburgh
2005 - Four Stars
"MC
Hot Pink Busty Ryhmes grabs the audience by the collar
and stuffs their faces down her cleavage for a hour of
fun and rap-poetry. Her Double D cup runneth over! The
grateful audience shakes the Pleasance Hut with it's roar
of approval." VERSEVEND - Edinburgh 2005
- Four Stars
"...a
gutsy, busty entertainment babe." edinburghguide.com
- Edinburgh 2005 - Four
"...astonishingly
good...pink or blue she's hot." The Adelaide
Advertiser - 2006
"..I
found myself lap-dancing on a table for eight strangers..." Sunday
Mail - Adelaide 2006
"...hysterical
from beginning to end...a wild ride." Rip
It Up - Adelaide 2006
"...one
of the most engaging, warm yet rude shows of the Fringe." DB
Magazine - Adelaide 2006
"Poetry
has never been as funny....the pink lady had the crowd
in hysterics....Perhaps the highlight of the night was
when she dragged the poor Mayor up to the stage for the
finale...." The Gisborne Herald - 2006
"She
was funny, charmingly friendly and warm - just the person
you'd want to cheer you up if you needed a good laugh at
life......Pure class." The Nelson
Mail - Hot Pink Does Vegas 2006
"Clever
and larger than life, Penny was just hilarious. Side splittingly
and irreverently funny, she got the whole room involved,
and her bra-cup head-fitting skit is a lasting memory.
Bring her back!" Participant Local Government
Conference Nelson 2006
FOR
HOT PINK BITS - History of the Sex Industry!
“…
Hot Pink Bits is cheerfully irreligious, and delightfully
disrespectful of politicians, celebrities and many other
desperate wannabes. The full spectrum of perversion is
delicately sampled, with a wit that is sharp without
ever being cruel.” Scoop Review, Wellington
February 2007.
“…this
polished and confidently performed show takes an irreverent
look at sex that is far from dirty and very, very funny.” Dominion
Post, Wellington February 2007.
“Ashton
was a ball of confident energy; singing, dancing, mincing
and prancing her way around the stage and up into the audience…” Lumiere,
Wellington February 2007
“…a
sumptuous and carefully selected buffet of juicy material...It's
just really refreshing to see someone having such a ball
broaching every imaginable angle of sex-for-sale without
a hint of shyness, or resorting crass gags. Obviously the
audience weren't that squeamish or they wouldn't have come
to an act called Hot Pink Bits, but anyone that was a bit
timid at first was put at ease by the end of the show by
Ashton's warm, enveloping, gutsy and fun manner.” Theatreview,
Auckland May 2007
“…see this show..” BLOGTO,
Toronto July 2007
“…
delightfully sleazy …Ashton is as warm and self-deprecating
as she is bold -- and hilariously sexy.” 4 1/2 Stars
- Winnipeg Sun, Winnipeg July 2007
“Hilarious!
Hilarious! Hilarious! Some audience members were laughing
so hard that they were in tears. A true gem, this show
may certainly be the best comedy at the Fringe this year.” UMFM
Winnipeg July 2007
“The
writing snaps like a garter belt strap, and Ashton's energy
never gets flaccid.” 4 1/2 Stars Saskatoon
Star Phoenix, August 2007
“Honestly,
I am just so grateful that I was able to see this seasoned
performer at work! Penny Ashton is probably the most intelligent,
sharp-witted comedian at the Fringe this year!” CBC
Saskatoon, August 2007
“…a
veritable hoot.” 4 Stars The Edmonton
Journal, August 2007
“…an
extremely talented and hilarious New Zealand comedienne
with a tight show … that left the audience in tears.”
4 Stars See Magazine, Edmonton, August 2007
“Up
there with the Rimutaka Mountains as one of New Zealand’s
greatest natural resources.” The Edmonton
Sun. August 2007
“…she's
a bumping, grinding dynamo on stage who's onto something:
Mother Nature is one kinky gal.” Vancouver
Courier, September 2007
“Ashton
is a great cabaret performer with plenty of energy to lead
us all in some decidedly silly games.” Vancouver
Sun, September 2007
Australian Tour Reviews 2008
“Sex. Penis. Vagina.” 4 Stars Adelaide
Advertiser
“This show is hot, horny and hilarious.
It is the funniest show this reviewer has seen so far in
the Fringe. It will be very hard to top.” 5 Stars Adelaide
Theatre Guide
“…wonderfully shameless.” The
Age
“Ashton is irresistibly charismatic,
her humour is infectious and her razor sharp wit incisive
and exceedingly saucy.” Adelaide Independent
Weekly
“Her naughty ditties are sung beautifully…” Arts
Hub
“the entire audience was applauding
and cheering wildly…” The Groggy
Squirrel
Back to NZ for 09
“…brilliant…” Otago
Daily Times March 09
“A sure sign a comedian
is good is when you’re hitting yourself uncontrollably
in an attempt to shift the gut-cramp pain induced by laughter.” Southland
Express March 09
"Ashton is an engaging performer who
simultaneously put the audience at ease while demonstrating
just what a corset can do for a gal.
" Waikato Times
FOR
BUSTY RHYMES with MC HOT PINK - CANADA 2008
"MC Hot Pink A Kiwi comedienne extraordinaire!
Resplendent in a hot pink gown, pink heels, pink sparkly
eyeshadow and fiery red hair, MC Hot Pink will make you laugh
and make you think. She's classy, sassy, raunchy and downright
rude........ Hot Pink and Bootyful!" Plank
Magazine Vancouver
Globetrotting Fringe favourite Penny Ashton
(aka MC Hot Pink) blazes fire across the stage in all her
big-breasted glory in this racy one-woman show. A genre-busting
performance poet, singer, dancer and savagely funny raconteuse
specialising in tales of relationships and inevitable heartbreak,
she confronts, pummels and overcomes over and over again.
At the same time, Penny never forgets that she’s a lady,
even when discussing her huge “norks” or the multi-species
dating scene in her particular corner of New Zealand. She
educates as she gyrates, putting bad men in their place without
sinking to their level. She loves men, but she does have
a lot of advice for them. In less talented and more earnest
hands, her messages could alienate, but at the performance
I attended, she charmed our pants off whether she was exposing
her vulnerabilities in measured tones or dancing up a butt-slapping
hip-hop storm. The finale alone is worth the price of admission." 4
Stars - Barry Bristman, See Magazine.
"She’s a funny, bawdy babe in a full-length
pink ballgown with a great singing voice." Pat
Donnelly – Montreal Gazette
"Ashton's super-sassy high-energy rhymes
should still have everyone tickled, well, Pink." Lindsey
Ward – Winnipeg Sun
Penny Ashton has really big boobs. So big,
in fact, her G-cup bra fits over her head. It's easy to remember
her lovely lady lumps - but so much more fun to experience
her live show and alter-egos MC Hot Pink and Busty Rhymes...
" Cassandra Kyle, TheStarPhoenix.com - 4
Stars
"As you may have gathered, sex is the
game here in this raucous, high energy and often hilarious
view of the procreative urge. Ashton's potty mouth could
blister paint, her metaphors are graphic but the aim is to
entertain. She is a funny lady and, despite her down-and-dirty
delivery, is so resolutely disarming that it is hard to take
exception. ... Apparently the word "roots," associated with
a sportswear logo in Canada means something quite different
in New Zealand, leading to much merriment Down Under when
our entire Olympic team wore Roots shirts.....In my notes,
I wrote, "This is not a show to bring your mother-in-law
to," but because of some scheduling problems, I brought mine.
She's 90 years old. She told me later that she was laughing
so hard she couldn't get her breath. Perhaps that is a measure
of just how saucy and just downright comic this Down Under
import is. --- Colin MacLean, Edmonton Sun -
4 Stars
FOR
HOT PINK TEETH 'N' TITS - AUCKLAND & WELLINGTON 2011
“Yes, Hot Pink Teeth 'n' Tits is a romp. The visuals – and I include Ashton in this – are stunning and the laughs roll over us…” Auckland – Theatreview
“Fizzing comedy served with a side of smarts and lycra.” Wellington Theatreview
If you love pomp and pageantry, tiaras and tinsel, and your camp high, you'll love this show." GayNZ.com
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