Star-studded Sta funny business bu in Montreal,
Head north to MONTREAL, the Canadian capital of cracking up
TORONTO may spawn funny folk royalty — Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, Dan Aykroyd, Martin Short and Andrea Martin, to name a few — but it’s Montreal that becomes the world’s comedy mecca every July.
That’s because its Just For Laughs (JFL) festival has launched marquee names like Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Jimmy Fallon and Judd Apatow to fame. Mon dieu!
Running from July 12 to 31 this year, the 35th annual showcase is as celeb-heavy as ever, featuring stand-up sets, showcases and galas with, among others, Jerry Seinfeld (July 26), Colin Jost and Michael Che of “Saturday Night Live” (July 26), Jane Krakowski (July 27), Ali Wong (July 27), Trevor Noah (July 28) and Howie Mandel (July 29).
Check the festival’s Web site ( HaHaHa.com) for a full lineup; tickets start at $16.
Festival organizer Bruce Hills, who has worked for JFL since its inception, says big leaguers sometimes perform surprise sets during lower-profile showcases at smaller venues like Kata
combes ( Katacombes.com). “Two years ago, I had a call from [JFL regular] Louis CK four days from the end of the fest,” Hills recalls. “He said, ‘I want to do spots where I’m not overshadowing someone who is having a breakout moment.’ ”
JFL aside, Montreal is a funny place all year long, with a robust stand-up, improv and open mic scene. A comedy superstar in France, Gad Elmaleh (who co-headlines with Seinfeld and has a Netflix special out now) got his start here, as did longtime Stephen Colbert writer Barry Julien. Current Montreal crack-ups worth catching — in any season — include Joey Elias, David Pryde, Mike Ward and JFL headliner Sugar Sammy (real name: Samir Khullar, performing July 27-28).
Here’s where to get your ha-has on any time. Comedy
Works ( ComedyWorksMTL. ca) and The Comedy Nest ( ComedyNest.com) are the city’s two major Englishlanguage comedy clubs. Billed as a “bilingual DIY comedy night,” eight-monthold Comedy at The Art Loft ( Facebook.com/ComedyAtTheArtLoft) is a successful weekly spin-off from a scrappy arts and activism festival, Montreal Infringe
ment ( InfringeMontreal.org). Cover is $4 and it’s BYOB.
“There was a local poll about the best Montreal comedy nights, and I think Art Loft’s was No. 1,” says Sugar Sammy. A Mon- treal native of South Asian descent, Sammy notes that visitors should expect a unique point of view from Québécois comedians, who draw influence from North America and France as well as the area’s diverse population. That said, international politics currently provide plenty of fodder: “I definitely have some Trump jokes.”
A venue for JFL and early summer’s Fringe festival ( MontrealFringe.ca), the
Mainline Theatre ( MainlineTheatre.ca) hosts humorous productions at other times of year, as does the Theatre Sainte-Catherine ( TheatreSainteCatherine. com), where EthiopianAustralian comedian Joe White (he’s been called Down Under’s Trevor Noah) will reprise his Fringe show “Ethiopian & Still Not Hungry” on Aug. 11. “Off-season, [Sainte-Catherine] does great showcases of local talent: sketch, improv, spoken word,” says Hills.
Theatre Sainte-Catherine’s weekly Sunday Night Improv show at 8 p.m. ($5.50) boasts a “Survivor”-like twist, with
low-rated performers given the boot each round. Mon
treal Improv also hosts several weekly shows ( MontrealImprov.com).
A larger French-language comedy industry flourishes in Montreal, according to Sammy. If fluent, check out Francophone-centric stand-up club Le Bordel ( LeBordel.ca). But bilingual performances rule at some venues, like Wednesday night vaudeville revue Voix de Ville at the Wiggle
Room ( WiggleRoom.ca) and the monthly Cous Cous Comedy Show ( CousCous
ComedyShow.com) at the Rialto Theatre. “They’ll do 10 minutes in either language,” Sammy adds. “And they pack a crowd!”
One thing that comedians take seriously is Montreal’s food scene. Aziz Ansari is a fan of farm-to-table fave
Joe Beef ( JoeBeef.ca) and inventive bistro Nora Gray ( NoraGray.com), while Seth Rogen tweeted his thanks to decadent Québécois cuisine outpost Au Pied De
Cochon ( AuPiedDeCochon. ca) for “one of the craziest meals I ever had.”
As for Sammy, you’ll find him savoring Portuguese chicken at Gril
lades Da Silva, Japanese izakaya fare at Biiru ( Biiru.
ca), Korean- and South American-inspired sushi at
Park ( ParkResto.com) and breakfast at Café Orange ( Facebook.com/OrangeCafe Montreal). “It lends itself well to discussions and chat,” he says of the latter. And laughs, naturally.