Opening weekend at JFL Toronto 2023

Posted by: Melanie Dahling  •  September 26, 2023 @ 10:12am

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Review: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Posted by: Matthew Ardill  •  October 31, 2022 @ 8:08pm

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.

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Album Review: Sally Brooks - Street Bird

Posted by: Matthew Ardill  •  October 11, 2022 @ 7:24pm

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.

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JFL Toronto Review: Joel Kim Booster

Posted by: Andrew Lizotte  •  September 29, 2022 @ 11:15am

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.

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JFL Toronto Review: Craig Ferguson

Posted by: Matthew Ardill  •  September 26, 2022 @ 11:02pm

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.

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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.

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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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