Derek Seguin will bring his brazen brand of comedy to St. John’s
Google Derek Seguin’s name and you’ll find that “peanut allergy” is one of the most common things people connect with him.
It’s not that he’s in danger of anaphylaxis himself; he just finds the allergy ridiculous.
“They cracked down on smoking in Canada, right? But I can smoke a cigarette 10 metres from the kids’ school,” Seguin says in what has turned out to be one of his most popular bits as a standup comedian. “But I have to leave the neighborhood to eat a Snickers bar.”
Seguin is equally as frustrated by allergies to gluten and eggs.
“How are you allergic to eggs?” he asks of his kid’s Grade 1 classmate. “Seven years ago you were an egg.”
Seguin, a half-francophone, half-irish anglophone comedian from Quebec, is often inspired by life with his kids when it comes to his onstage antics — and life with his Newfoundland girlfriend, too.
In fact, his first comedy album, “Newfie Octopus,” was named in honour of material he has about their, er, enthusiastic sex life.
Seguin is one of the country’s fastest-rising comedic stars. He’s a “Just For Laughs” veteran, but became betterknown in the past few years as the winner of Sirius XM’S Top Comic competition for Canada, a regular Yuk Yuk’s comedy club headliner and a regular on CBC’S “The Debaters.”
Last year, Seguin partnered with local comedian Mary Walsh and others to write “Canada, It’s Complicated,” a satirical show full of music and skits examining the country’s history. Produced by Walsh, the show toured every province and territory last fall.
Seguin’s second album, “43.0Warning: May Contain Nuts,” was released last year and was also followed by a tour across most of the country. This weekend, Seguin will bring three shows to the LSPU Hall in St. John’s.
“Bold and brazen,” is how the Hall describes Seguin’s brand of comedy, calling the shows a “90-minute laugh riot” complete with coarse language, flights of fancy and audience interactions.
Hosted by local comic Jason Card, Seguin’s shows will happen Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
There are a limited number of tickets available at the LSPU Hall box office, by calling 7534531 and online at rca.nf.ca.