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Over the last 23 Julys, Montreal's Just for Laughs Comedy Festival has been splitting millions of sides as some of the funniest performers from around the planet have passed through the city. This year alone, Bill Cosby, Margaret Cho, John Cleese, and Jason Alexander are just some of the big names scheduled to make appearances.
But what happens after July's joke-apalooza? Where will you go in, say, October when you're in need of a good laugh? For a town that hosts the largest comedy festival in the world, your comedy-outlet options are strangely limited once the comedy festival leaves town.
Stand-up comedy is now popping up at places like Pub Quartier Latin, Grumpy's and Kandy Ba.
As far as English comedy is concerned, Ernie Butler's Comedy Nest and the Comedyworks on Bishop Street are the only two official comedy clubs in Montreal. Are two rooms enough? From the spectator's perspective, two rooms often mean repetition. A good stand-up comedian makes an audience feel as though they're involved in a spontaneous conversation, where brilliantly hilarious insights seem to roll off the comic's tongue. It can be disappointing for the fan, however, to return the following week only to find themselves sitting in a different seat but involved in the exact same conversation. Meanwhile, the comic will often recognize people in the audience from the week before, and will deliver his material with "you've-already-heard-this" staleness. In short, two rooms can lead to overexposure for the comic and a lack of desire on the part of the fan to return.
The positive side to this is the fact that two rooms force the local comics to work harder. Comedy fans are loyal, as long as the acts are fresh. With this in mind comics are pressured to write more material; to consistently perform to the best of their abilities; and to eventually hit the road. Stand-up comedy is a craft and the only way to develop is to get on stage. Touring the cities and performing to a wide variety of audiences is what sculpts a comic's act. So when a few months have gone by and the comedian returns to Montreal, the comic's jokes are polished and the fans are excited to see them.
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| © Just for Laughs Festival, Gilles Menon |
Surprisingly, what's happened as a result of the two-room stage scenario is an alternative comedy scene has begun spreading to other bars and cafes across the city. Suddenly, stand-up comedy is popping up at places like Pub Quartier Latin on occasional Sundays, or at Grumpy's on Tuesdays, Kandy Ba on Wednesdays and so on. On a good week, you may even see a new comedian perform at two open-mic nights at 5 minutes a piece. Rather than move to New York, many young Montreal comics can now legitimately scour the city for stage time. And, in more cases than one, these alternative venues are better places to catch local talent on the rise because they're set in more intimate settings.
The Montreal comedy scene may be relatively small but it's alive and well. So come September or October, when you're in need of a laugh or two, check out the local comedy circuit with Montreal's resident jokers, before they become too famous and only visit in July.
Ernie Butler's Comedy Nest
AMC Pepsi Forum
2313, rue Ste-Catherine St. O
Montreal, QC
Phone: (514) 932-6378
Comedyworks
1238, rue Bishop
Montreal, QC
Phone: (514) 398-9661 |
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