“My Boyfriend Tried to Kill Me in His Sleep”: Eli Matthewson on Turning Terror into Comedy

New Zealand comedy favourite Eli Matthewson is returning to the Fringe with Night Terror, a sharply observed and absurd hour about relationships, anxiety, and the chaos of modern life. At the heart of the show is a single, unforgettable moment: waking in the dead of night to find his long-term boyfriend unintentionally trying to strangle him. Drawing on a string of unsettling break-ins, an overactive sense of danger, and the strange intimacy of living together, Eli mines the terror for laughs and finds something tender (and very funny) in the process. We caught up with him to discuss his new show, and how to stay grounded during the Festival.

Night Terror turns a very real, scary moment into something hilarious. What made you decide this was the story to build your new show around?

This was a story I just kept telling all of my friends, and the more times I told it the more I realised it was getting enough laughs that it could be stage worthy. I think everyone has probably experienced someone near them having a night terror but maybe not one where they woke up to their partner strangling them. I am very blessed to have a boyfriend who has been happy for me to turn his most embarrassing night terror into a show I have taken it around all of Australia and New Zealand and will now bring to the UK. 

What do you hope to take away from this year’s Edinburgh?

Every single award and all the money there is. But if that doesn’t happen I hope to see some amazing stuff, kill my show every night and ideally have a diet that doesn’t just consist of the nutella and banana crepes from George Square.

You've toured internationally and won big awards - how has your comedy evolved since your early stand-up days?

I think in my original form I had a bit of a nervous virgin energy and now I am much more of a scathing bitch. My original stand-up was probably a lot more about telling some funny yarns from my childhood, but these days I am much more drawn to talking about grittier subjects and trying to draw every gag I can out of them.

You explore the idea of safety at home - especially as a couple. Did writing this show change how you see relationships or trust?

This show chronicles us trying to set up our little slice of domestic bliss together, only to be robbed a bunch of times and live in a constant state of anxiety around our house being broken into. The thing I learnt really, looking back at it all, is that the stuff we own isn’t really the important part of our relationship - it’s each other. Is that a bit cheesy? Maybe. I guess that’s why now we are abandoning most of our stuff and making the move to live in London with a couple of suitcases between us.

Fringe can be intense—what’s one thing you do to keep grounded during the run?

Last time I was in Edinburgh I stayed in a similar student accommodation with eight other kiwis, and when we would get home instead of talking about tickets sales and how the gigs went we would compete in a much healthier way: playing the phone game where you are dropped somewhere randomly on Google Earth and then each of you has to put a pin on the world map where you think it is. A bit of healthy competition away from the unhealthy competition of fringe. 

I’m also hoping at least one day will be sunny enough to go to Portobello beach - imagine if I can get a speedo tan in Scotland! That would be the dream

This is your second time bringing a show to the UK - what do you think UK audiences respond to in your work?

Hopefully not just my funny accent! I think there’s something about kiwis weird way of phrasing things and low-key energy that is appealing to UKers. I think New Zealand as a country has ‘little brother’ energy, and at 5’7” i also embody that energy no matter what I am talking about.

Eli Matthewson’s Night Terror will be at the Edinburgh Fringe each night at 8.50pm in Underbelly George Square.

For tickets and more information, visit: https://underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/event/eli-matthewson-night-terror