Summers in Toronto are magical, and the Just for Laughs comedy festival is a perfect way to end one with a bang. It's 10 days of your favourite entertainers, the weather is right, and last call stretches 'til the wee hours.
As someone in the funny business, I often struggle between the urge to see and be seen, and the pleasure of my couch + a cozy list of grievances.
Live Review: Al Val's Big, Brave Comedy Taping
Posted by: Matthew Ardill • September 19, 2023 @ 12:12pm
The first time I saw Al Val perform, she was getting roasted by a vicious panel of her peers at one of Todd Van Allen's "Write 'em Up" shows at Comedy Bar; she was being torn apart by the zippers on her pants.
Review: The Jackie Jenkins Jr. Bootleg Comedy Extravaganza
Posted by: Matthew Ardill • May 18, 2023 @ 7:30pm
Sitting down to listen to Jackie Jenkins Jr.'s album, The Jackie Jenkins Jr. Bootleg Comedy Extravaganza, was one of the things I enjoy most about comedy – experiencing something I've not heard before. Jackie is a New Orleans-based comic who has two self-produced specials: Jackie Jenkins Jr.
Interview: 2023 Juno-winning stand-up comic Jon Dore
Posted by: Andrew Lizotte • March 12, 2023 @ 1:23pm
The main telecast for the 2023 Juno Awards (hosted for the second year in a row by actor Simu Liu) might not be happening until tomorrow, but the trophies for many of the awards started getting handed out last night in Edmonton.
I stood in the audience to see New Order, a band with a dark and tragic past whose phoenix-like rise from the ashes of Joy Division was the source of several documentaries and biopics.
I spent several years working on and hosting a podcast where I listened to comedy albums, so when I was asked to review Sally Brooks' upcoming album Street Bird, I was very excited.
Sally is a touring comic, writer, and podcaster. She was born in Cincinnati before moving to New York and finally settling in Atlanta.
One of my favorite things about Toronto's Just for Laughs Festival is that some of the acts are really great at showing you how the sausage gets made.
Going to a Craig Ferguson show is like going on a walk with a Scottish family member. I know this because I am married to someone who is only once removed from this, and watching Craig Ferguson's set is like chatting with my wife.
JFL Toronto Interview: Stand-up comic Vir Das
Posted by: Andrew Lizotte • September 26, 2022 @ 4:30pm
If you don't know who Vir Das is by this point, that's on you, because he's very busy. Most recently, the stand-up comic released an all-crowd work special which was recorded over Zoom -- two phrases that make him a comedy daredevil. This marks his 4th special for Netflix.
JFL Toronto Reviews: Kurt Braunohler & Alex Edelman
Posted by: Showbiz Monkeys • September 24, 2022 @ 9:04am
Kurt Braunohler
Reviewed by: Matthew Ardill
After having a delightful conversation with the incredible Kurt Braunohler, I felt it was a MUST to make it to his shows (which is a lie – I had tickets to last night's 9 PM show at Comedy Bar and "Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen" well befo
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