FUNNY BUSINESS
Comedian looks for the hook
When: 8 p.m., Aug. 19 Where: The Artesian On 13th
Turning an awkward situation into something funny is an art form, one that comedian Kevin McDonald will be putting on display at the Artesian for a performance on Aug. 19.
In addition to the show, which will feature McDonald’s standup comedy and a special improv segment, he will also host a sketch comedy workshop.
During a phone interview from his home in Winnipeg, the 56-year-old Kids in the Hall alumnus said the workshop will teach comedy through the lens of the method of improv.
“That’s how the Kids in the Hall started when we were just a stage troupe before the TV show,” he said. “When we got a TV show, we had to learn how to actually write on these wild things called computers from the ’80s!”
For him, comedy requires “a good hook.”
“When you’re setting up a world and you’re getting a few laughs, and then we hit the audience with what the hook is — the premise,” explained McDonald.
He used the example of fur trappers from the 16th century who are hunting modern-day business people and stripping their suits off and selling them, referencing a classic Kids in the Hall sketch.
As for the evening performance, McDonald said drama will drive the laughs.
“Drama enhances the comedy because people are worried about the characters and the story,” McDonald said. “They are ready to laugh. Comedy is a lot like a horror movie.”
He describes his current act as “more like a one-man show” that includes a segment about an “incident that happened while working on Kids in the Hall.” Followup material will be more like standup comedy, but McDonald insists he is not a traditional joke writer.
“I’m more conceptual, I think … When I perform at theatres like (the Artesian) it really works.”
He said his oddball-performance style can be risky when he takes the stage in comedy clubs. He recalled a past set when he played an exaggerated version of himself.
“When I played famous standup clubs like Punchline in San Francisco or Yuk Yuk’s in Calgary, half the audience was under 30 and didn’t know who I was. They just thought I was an old guy who doesn’t know how to tell jokes, which is true,” McDonald said with a laugh.
Recently, he has extended his comedic prowess into the world of podcasting. Kevin McDonald’s Kevin McDonald Show is a live variety hour that features interviews with famous friends, musical acts and sketch comedy.
“I’m really old school. I’m doing a show that Jack Benny would have done … I have to make it as entertaining as possible. And, much like Jack Benny, I don’t like variety shows, so I’m making fun of variety shows.”
For almost every episode of his podcast, he asks his guests like Mike Myers and TJ Miller for their opinions on Donald Trump. When asked about the state comedy versus the wackiness of current politics, McDonald said, “Comedy will never be in danger. But, we need humanity now more than ever with Donald Trump in the United States.”
Tickets for the workshop and show are available online at https://www.picatic.com/kevinmcdonald_atheartesian. Cost for the workshop, which is open to 30 participants, is $150. It will run from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Tickets for the show are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.