Tom Sainsbury: The man of many wigs

Comedian Tom Sainsbury became a social media mega star with his satirical skits on politicians including Jacinda Ardern, Bill English and Paula Bennett  — but there are plenty more strings to his bow.

He has two stage productions coming out in February and all the politicians he has made fun of are invited.

This week, as part of the Auckland Pride Festival, he has Gays in Space starting at the Q Theatre and at the end of the month he has Wigging Out at the Basement Theatre, as part of the Auckland Fringe Festival.

The first production is described as a ridiculously camp, intergalactic Space Odyssey Musical and the second is based on the world of female friendships.

Sainsbury hopes to take both internationally, together with his drag sister Hamish Russell. And he’ll be taking at least some of his 40 wigs, some of which he admits are a bit tatty these days.

They will be of use for his latest plans of International political satire. We hope these include UK PM Theresa May and US President Donald Trump.

Local politicians have had a mixed reaction to Sainsbury’s impressions.

“Jacinda Ardern urged me to impersonate her any time I want,” Sainsbury said. “I met Julie Anne Genter and she was very prickly towards me . . . my video had been quite cutting I suppose. “Gerry Brownlee was quite dismissive of me, but I’ll have the last word on that one.”

“I reckon Paula Bennett, Jacinda and Nikki Kaye have brilliant senses of humour about the whole thing. I reckon a lot of the other ones either don’t get it or are offended. I feel Judith Collins wouldn’t fully get it. But I don’t know her very well to make that call. Perhaps, beneath it all, she has the best sense of humour of them all . . . ”

Sainsbury will soon be on the small screen after filming the What We Do in the Shadows spinoff TV show at the end of last year. He has also been in Pork Pie, Filthy Rich and Australia’s True Story with Hamish & Andy.