Tim Minchin chats about life, music, and his next big show

Following the sweeping success from his mega-hit musical Matilda The Musical, Tim Minchin is back to enchant Kiwi audiences once again.

His new show, An Unfunny Evening with Tim Minchin and his Piano, promises an unfiltered look into the music maverick's life without the jokes.

"Over the past 10 years I've made sure people understand me as a songwriter, separate from a comedian," Minchin said.

Minchin said he was eager to show his fans a different side, reminding himself laughter was not the only currency when it came to his work.

"I've got to be an actor, I've got to be a music composer, I've got to write TV shows, put out albums and do comedy, and so I called it an 'Unfunny Evening with Tim Minchin and his Piano' just to make it super clear this wasn't another stand-up tour," he said.

"Once you've done comedy you get addicted to laughter, and once you've got laughter everything else feels like failure."

But failure is not something Minchin is known for. The composer-lyricist had proved time and time again he had a knack for weaving magic with his words and melodies.

He stunned audiences with his mega-hit production Matilda The Musical.

"I always believed I could do something good, but my goal was purely about the work and making sure I didn't fail the other creatives who are all at the absolute top of their game, don't be the weak link in what I could tell was going to be something special," he said.

And special was right, following a record seven Oliver and five Tony awards, as well as a Netflix reboot of the original film.

"Twelve years later, we do the Netflix movie, and it's incredibly satisfying for me because the wonderful thing about theatre is every night is a challenge and everyone has to get it right on the night and I love that, there's jeopardy, you got to nail it, but film you can keep tweaking until it's perfect," he said.

"When they sing they're saying something about, yes, the world they're in, yes, being a six-year-old genius, yes, being in a loud despotic world of headmistresses and moronic parents, but you'll also hope the song resonates with something a bit broader that there's something to be said about the human condition."

Reflecting on his career, Minchin acknowledged the challenges and rewards of wearing multiple hats in the industry, and his "compulsion" to add truth into anything he produced.

He said his show is a deep dive into everything he's ever produced, with songs not only from Matilda, but from his musical Groundhog Day, his 2020 album Apart Together, and stories from his life.

"I want people to come on a journey with me but across my career," he said.

"Even though I talk about terminal illness and [other] heavy topics, I have a dark sense of humour I'm able to always laugh at myself."

But he said this was an opportunity for him to finally "assert my right to sit on stage and say, 'look at me play the piano. I'm going to play, and you're going to sit in it'. And the reactions are beyond what I could have hoped."

Minchin's show is coming to New Zealand in March next year — Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts at Wellington's St James Theatre, Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival at Auckland's Town Hall and Christchurch's Isaac Theatre Royal.