JFL42 Roundup: Friday, September 22

Filed under: Reviews, Festivals

To learn about these daily JFL42 roundups, read the first one! Now, onto Friday's comedy shows, featuring Morgan Murphy, a live taping of The Last Podcast on the Left, and a Feminist Live Read of Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion...

2:30 PM: Feminist Live Reads Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion at TIFF Lightbox Theater

My first ComedyCon event was everything I hoped it would be -- a nice excuse to spend a day inside listening to a talented cast reading the script for a criminally-underrated flick. Live reads are a unique experience, and the crew assembled for this one really delivered. A fun addition to the festival, I hope this becomes a regular thing every year.

Audience Review: Very glad that a dedicated crew came out to this show, and by the sounds of it many had been to previous live reads before, so they knew the lay of the land. After the read was over, I could hear several people commenting on how great it was, and how they had never even seen Romy and Michelle before. That's gold star rolling-the-dice audience member status, right there. 4.5 stars

7:00 PM: The Last Podcast on the Left at Queen Elizabeth Theater

To give a summation of what went down at the Last Podcast on the Left show would be a disservice the the fine gentlemen who provided everything their audience wanted and then some. Truly a splendid evening of merriment had by all. The lucky crowd in attendance learned about cryptids, aliens, murder, and a few choice videos that a podcast-listening audience just can't appreciate without seeing firsthand. It was a glorious nightmare we were all happy to go through. Not to mention, Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, and Henry Zebrowski know each other's comedy rhythm so well, the show never faltered from start to finish.

Audience Review: Rabid. People love these gents. More t-shirts with serial killers on them than in all of the previous shows I've seen combined. Yet also, interestingly, incredibly respectful. Nobody did a thing to derail the very loose proceedings. The Last Podcast has cultivated a genuine fan base that loves them, and it shows. Knowing what these guys bring to the table, and given the structure of JFL42, it's nice that their fans filled the room. 666/10

11:00 PM: Morgan Murphy at Comedy Bar

Murphy did her entire act in the hot, sweaty venue wearing a hoodie and a jacket. That alone made this the most impressive thing I've seen thus far, never mind the fact that she was even better than I thought she would be, and perhaps the best comic I've seen early in this festival. Not sure anyone else can stand toe-to-toe with Murphy on a pure joke-writing level, and her ability to handle a crowd is a sight to behold. Do not miss her if you get the chance.

Audience Review: These are the types of crowds that Comedy Bar has cultivated over the years: people who will enjoy a show at 11 on a Friday and not use it as an excuse to be idiots. From the hop, Keith Pedro and Graham Chittenden had the crowd at full attention, and Murphy never had to deal with anything resembling an inattentive or unruly crowd. Well done, gang. I hope you all are the crowds for everything else I see at Comedy Bar. Grade: A

Loose Thoughts

  • The guy who works security for the QET is awful chatty.
  • I apparently didn't get my barcode scanned "correctly" at one show, and may have lost that credit forever. This new system of having a barcode for every person at every show might be more efficient in some ways, but it might still be a bit buggy. Will update if that's changed.
  • The first tier reward for seeing 4 shows is... well, it's being emailed to me on October 5, apparently. Fingers crossed it's more memes.
  • The Last Podcast on the Left clearly brought their own pre-show music, and I can't thank them enough for that. I'll take Tom Waits and Iggy Pop any day over hearing Ex's and Oh's on repeat until the end of time.

Tags: JFL42, Morgan Murphy, The Last Podcast on the Left, Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, Feminist Live Reads, Romy and Michelle's High School Reuinion, stand-up, Toronto

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J.D. Renaud is a writer, comedian, producer, and visual artist originally from Oakville, Ontario. You can follow his weird thoughts on Twitter at @jdrenaud.

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