The Definitive Guide to Comedy
Russell Brand‘s show proved the toughest ticket in Montreal last week, but would Americans (and our ex-pats) react with similar enthusiasm to his New York City debut? Brand’s first two shows, Sunday-Monday at the 600-seat Blender Theater at Gramercy, served as a promising introduction for the comedian who already is …
Is it possible for the host of New Faces to bomb? If your name is Dana Gould and the show in question happened Saturday night, then yes, very much so. Word on the street had it that both groups of New Faces felt more at ease in their second go-arounds …
Where would The Comic’s Comic be in Montreal without an interview with one of the comic’s comics, Andy Kindler? A meeting of the minds was in order after Kindler delivered his annual State of the Industry address on Friday afternoon at the Just For Laughs fest, which this year moved …
Anything and everything is up for grabs in the hour-plus riffathon here in Montreal called Stiles & Proops: Unplanned. As the sign behind Ryan Stiles and Greg Proops reads: "Two Guys. One Sofa. No Script." Both skilled improvisers, Stiles and Proops have no problem carrying a conversation and letting it …
After running around the city on Wednesday night, I decided to make my Thursday much easier to digest by camping out at Theatre Ste-Catherine for three of the Flying Solo one-man shows, which just so happened to feature revered comedians Mike Birbiglia, Brendon Burns and Patrice Oneal. It’s a narrow, …
This year’s festival added that two-day Just Comedy confab to attract industry, and they also enticed comedians to come in a pay-for-play tease…you pay us for a pass ($500 for industry) and we can guaranteee you face time with the players who can greenlight your pitches. Quite a difference from …
Many comedians come to Montreal and joke about the preponderance of strip clubs in the city. But it’s infinitely more amusing to watch off-duty strippers (call them exotic dancers if you like) ordering cheeseburgers at McDonald’s at 4 a.m., in both French and English (insert your own joke here about …
Thoughts and quotes from the first day of the Just Comedy confab at Montreal’s Just For Laughs fest… On "Finding the Comedy Audience," Comedy Central’s Lou Wallach set the tone early by cracking, "If anyone can find the comedy audience, please let us know." So we’re going to learn a …
Readers looking for a recap of tonight’s episode of Last Comic Standing? Good news and bad news, I have for you. Well, maybe just good news. I won’t be able to give you my full recap until I return from the Just For Laughs fest on Sunday, but as you …
This week’s issue of Time Out New York, out today, includes my new interview with British comedian Russell Brand, who just so happens to be arriving in Montreal today for Just For Laughs hot off sparking a new controversy over in the U.K. Coincidence? I’ll have to ask Brand about …