Comedy tour promotes Schumer’s Trainwreck
Standup nights feature bevy of stars from upcoming film
What a concept: a group of comedians are on a seven-city tour promoting their upcoming movie by hosting (what else?) a night of standup comedy.
Amy Schumer, the current queen of American comedy, is the writer and star of Trainwreck, her first feature film opening July 17.
She was the headliner of Wednesday’s Massey Hall stop of the Trainwreck Comedy Tour, which also included director Judd Apatow and costars Vanessa Bayer, Colin Quinn, Mike Birbiglia and Dave Attell, thrilling the near capacity crowd. All proceeds from the tour go to charity.
In the movie, Attell plays a homeless man living outside Schumer’s building and Quinn plays her father living with multiple sclerosis. Schumer opened for both of them in her early days on the standup circuit.
Saturday Night Live player Bayer — who stars as Nikki, a co-worker at the magazine where Amy’s character is a staff writer — was the opening act at Wednesday’s show. She was followed by Birbiglia, a friend of Schumer for more than 10 years who plays her brother-in-law Tom. Quinn and Attell followed.
After an intermission, writer/director/producer Apatow ( The 40-YearOld Virgin, This is 40), who began doing standup at age 17, performed, followed by Schumer, who received a standing ovation both before and after her set.
Here’s a snippet from each performer:
Vanessa Bayer: “I think it’s funny you can name your kid Christian but you can’t name your kid Jew.”
Mike Birbiglia: “All yoga class is trying not to fart while stretching, which is my life already.”
Colin Quinn: “People say it (Earth) is so beautiful. You have the Grand Canyon and a couple of waterfalls. The rest looks like s---.”
Dave Attell: “Toronto is one of my favourite cities. I can’t wait until you guys are done building it.”
Judd Apatow, on the controversy over the film The Interview, starring Canadian actor Seth Rogen: “Can you believe he almost caused a world war? Canada nearly ended the world.” Amy Schumer: “I thought I had a good body. And then I had a man as my stunt double in the movie.”