Jim Gaffigan takes whitebread comedy to new heights at Rogers Place
Thousands of well-dressed suburban upper-middle class white couples in Edmonton decided to venture out in the cold for evening date Friday night in the company of fellow thoroughly white American comedian Jim Gaffigan – smack in the middle of his “Quality Time” Tour. They made a wise choice. Gaffigan reasserted his A-list status at Rogers […]
REVIEW: Ed the Sock getting game back
Yes, Children of the ‘80s, it’s true – we’re old. But if we are at all like Ed the Sock was on Wednesday night at Union Hall, maybe, just maybe, we are still relevant – not to mention all these years later able to appreciate good, honest comedy. As part of Ed’s current “War on […]
John Cleese, not quitting after all, returns to Edmonton
John Cleese is just about the coolest old guy we know. Aside from his abundant post-Python fame playing hilariously unpleasant dad characters in sitcoms like Speechless, he’s proven himself a potent liberal voice on social media – tearing apart stupidity and cruelty with his keen yet subtle wit. Just one example: On the current trend […]
REVIEW: Scottish comic does his people proud
Craig Ferguson did a remarkable show at the Winspear Centre on Thursday night – considering that he appears to have no appreciable career plans since his talk show ended in 2014, beyond doing stand-up dates. On what calls the “Hobo Fabulous” tour, Ferguson is a dyed-in-the-tartan Scot, for sure, and left absolutely nothing on table […]
REVIEW: Edmonton Comedy Festival math adds up
Down at the ATB Financial Arts Barns Saturday evening for the last night of this year’s Edmonton Comedy Festival, the comic math added up pretty good: during the 4 Days of Funny, those in attendance this 1 night got 2 solid hours of gut-busting comedy from 4 great comics, and 1 who needs some work. […]
A Visit with the Puppet Master
Some puppets broke the (local) internet recently in what appeared to be a professional television commercial for the Bear’s Worst Show Ever, starring puppet versions of Scott McCord and Yukon Jack. It turned out to be one amazing contest entry for the “Worst Ad Ever.” It didn’t win the $10,000 prize. Puppetsmith Trevor Duffy says […]
PLAYBOT: 2 Amigos live for comedy
“When Marty and I fly together,” says Steve Martin of his friend Martin Short, “we save a lot of money because Marty fits conveniently in the overhead bin.” Short says, “You look like Anderson Cooper frozen to death on New Year’s Eve.” Steve plays his banjo and sings, “Let’s count the awards you have won: […]
Jim Jefferies crosses the line in Edmonton
Anyone who made it to one of Jim Jefferies’ two shows at the Jubilee Auditorium on Friday knew they were in for a night of boundary-violating, button-pushing, self-deprecating hilarity. But how many would have guessed the Australian comedian would make it through his 90-minute performance without mentioning the name “Donald Trump” once? Because he did […]
Local comic makes serious study of comedy
Lars Callieou has been studying comedy longer than he’s been a comedian – thanks to his long-running weekly show on CJSR radio. He’s had on every area comic you could name during the last 11 years; they’ve plumbed every angle, dissected every joke, shared many a gory road story. As such, he is uniquely qualified […]
FRINGE: Drag deity does deadly Devil
Mike Delamont: The Devil By Mike Delamont, Victoria, Venue 37 (La Cite Francophone) Veteran comic Mike Delamont has once again elevated stand-up comedy into a high art form at the Edmonton Fringe festival. In contrast to his other hit show, God is a Scottish Drag Queen (returning to Edmonton in October), this time he’s that […]
Dead Troll homecoming a Fringe triumph
Get Me the F*ck out of Edmonton, and other ramblings of a Fringe has-been By Wes Borg, Victoria, Venue 8 (Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre) Sure, Wes Borg did manage to get the f*ck out of Edmonton, but the most important thing right now is that he’s back in town with a new Fringe show […]
April Fool’s Day cancelled
Because we have reached a tipping point in society where there is more fake news than real news – and not only is the fake news more popular but it often reveals more truth than real news, fiction being less strange than truth – April Fool’s Day has been cancelled by Order of the Government. […]
