Interview: Eli Matthewson on Night Terrors, Comedy, and Crossing Boundaries

Eli Matthewson in Night Terror at Edinburgh Fringe 2025

Eli Matthewson is no stranger to turning life’s chaos into comedy. Known for his sharp stand-up, heartfelt honesty, and historic run on Dancing with the Stars New Zealand as one half of the first same sex pairing, he's back at the Edinburgh Fringe with Night Terror. In this exclusive interview, Eli talks about the bizarre moment that sparked the show, the joys and jitters of sharing a stage (and a bed), and why he’ll always choose board games and a wrap over a nine-to-five.

Night Terror is a striking title. When did you realise the strangest night of your life might actually be the start of a show?

Night Terror is about an intense night terror my boyfriend had, which led to me waking up to him trying to kill me. For real. He was trying to strangle me. Full on stuff! It all came after a buildup of anxiety from us being robbed four times in just a few weeks, and it was one of the scariest moments of my life... until I woke up and it almost immediately became funny. The more I told the story to friends, the funnier it became, and I realised how much the event itself was a result of so many of the unusual things that had been going on in my life. The show built quickly once I started putting it all together.

A lot of your work is rooted in your own life. How do you decide when something personal is worth putting in front of an audience?

I think, luckily, some of the funniest stories and performances come when people are their most raw and vulnerable. Often, the yarns we tell at parties are about mortifying experiences, moments we did something embarrassing or had some kind of unhinged emotional response in public, and these are the sorts of stories that show us at our most human. I’m not a good enough liar to make up funny stories, and I almost always have an immediate urge to share my most embarrassing moments with as many people as possible. Luckily, that has worked in my favour as a comedian.

Long-term relationships come with all sorts of quirks. What is it about those strange couple habits that make them perfect onstage material?

I love finding the commonalities between different couples. We spend so much of our lives with our partners, and we build so many behaviours together, that it can be a lot of fun figuring out whether those things are common or unique to your own freaky little partnership. A big part of this show is about the debate my partner and I have had about who sleeps on which side of the bed. Throughout my tour, I’ve talked to so many other couples who have had bizarre takes and unique arguments about this eternal issue.

You were part of the first same sex pairing on Dancing with the Stars New Zealand, which was a landmark moment. Has that kind of visibility changed how you think about your work or what stories you want to share?

Eli and Jonny on Dancing with the Stars New Zealand (TVNZ)

I just feel super blessed to have been in the right place at the right time to get that opportunity. It was the most terrifying gig I’ve ever had, but also the most exciting. Standing side of stage just before dancing live on television for an audience of over a million was truly the most insane feeling I’ve ever had. My dance partner Jonny was a straight man who threw himself into the challenge so wholeheartedly and without even a fragment of embarrassment, and he really taught me a lot. It wasn’t just about dance technique but about showmanship and selling your performance as hard as you can, and I’ve definitely taken those lessons into my stand-up.

Did any of the responses you received after that moment in the spotlight surprise you or stay with you longer than expected?

I got an incredible amount of messages, so many of which made me cry. I basically had to spend a whole day going through them, reading and replying. Best of all were the messages from parents of young kids who got to see that a man dancing with another man could be totally normal and even cool. One of the best was from a parent who told me their son had a fight at school because he was playing Dancing with the Stars with his friends, and all of them wanted to be Eli and Jonny.

Audiences vary widely depending on the room and the city. Has touring this show shifted your sense of what connects across those spaces?

I’m happy to be heading back to the UK because I find people are more ready to have a chat there! My show is barely interactive at all, but Kiwis and Aussies both get terrified of even the smallest bits of audience interaction. Outside of that, I’m always more surprised by how everything translates. Despite living on opposite sides of the world, we find a lot of the same things funny. Thank God!

Some of the topics in Night Terror aren’t ones people usually talk about on stage. What pushed you to dig into those areas and how did that feel in the writing process?

Eli Matthewson offstage, but always ready to entertain

It’s always a bit daunting talking about money. I haven’t had a lot for most of my life, then I finally made enough to buy a house with my partner, and for some reason that makes me feel weirdly guilty. It’s such a weird faux pas to talk about how much money you have. People avoid talking about it or being specific, but I think it can be kind of exciting and helpful to break those barriers down a bit. I’ve seen comedians who I know are pretty rich talk as if they aren’t onstage before, and I wanted to avoid doing that. So I challenged myself to write about my financial situation without lying or softening it. The truth is, no one is getting paid exactly what they deserve, and I think it can be pretty helpful to bring it out into the open. Also, I’m definitely going to be poor again from doing the Fringe, so I may as well talk about having money in the last month I still have any.

There’s something about the Fringe that keeps pulling artists back in. What does making a show in this setting offer you that other platforms don’t?

Stand-up has always been my biggest love and, while doing a festival like this certainly doesn’t have the financial security of a telly writing job, there is nothing more fulfilling for me than doing a comedy festival. I love how the show builds over the month, and I love being amongst all the other performers. I love getting up at 2pm, eating a wrap from the same place I’ve eaten at every day, getting my short black and whiskey combo, and then doing my show to a new audience. There’s nothing better, and at the end of the Fringe I always find I’m sharper and faster onstage, like I’ve just been through a comedy boot camp.

When you’re not on stage or writing, what’s your go-to reset? What’s your ideal off-duty day?

Honestly, board games. I love games so much, and if I could play board games full time, I’d be all in. Settlers of Catan. Bananagrams. Betrayal at the House on Haunted Hill. Pandemic. Wingspan. I love playing games with friends, getting sassy with each other, eating too much cheese, and then being in bed by 9pm.

And finally, if someone’s scanning the Fringe guide over breakfast and lands on your show, what’s the one thing you’d tell them to make them book?

I’ve come all the way from New Zealand, the literal other side of the freaking world, to bring a show that I’m super proud of and that I promise will have you laughing for a full hour.

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🎟️ Eli Matthewson: Night Terror

📍 Underbelly’s George Square, Wee Coo

📅 30 July – 24 August 2025 (not 11th)

🕗 8.50pm

🔗 Book tickets