Montreal has a long-standing reputation for its comedy. From the annual Just For Laughs festival to jokes about the Habs or the driving skills of Quebecois motorists, it seems as if the city is practically teeming with comedic promise. But while any number of Just For Laughs press materials or TV spots may tout her as the "funniest city on the planet" and though the July comedy festival, the largest of its type in the world, may provide a more-than-ample number of palpable outlets for your chuckles, chortles, titters and guffaws, many feel that much of Montreal's latent comedic energy lies largely dormant.
Such is the view of David Schultz, local stand-up and the architect behind Comedy on St-Laurent, a new weekly comedy showcase on the Main. "It seemed to me, " says Schultz "that Montreal had a lot of untapped talent and potential." Whereas larger central-Montreal clubs such as the Comedy Nest may quell any labouring comedic longings of Montreal locals, and though West Island venues provide opportunities for emerging comics to present their material, downtown Montreal was lacking comparable spots for new talent. It was this necessity, ever the mother of invention, coupled with Schultz's ambition and passion for live comedy, that birthed Comedy on St-Laurent.
Located at 3 Minots on St. Laurent, this weekly Sunday-night joke fest provides a chance for comics and comedy fans both to indulge their shared, unadulterated love of laughs in a casual, comfortable bar atmosphere. The venue, which Schultz rightly touts as being "great for comedy", is quite nice: big enough to accommodate a sizeable crowd without feeling sprawling, or foregoing the intimacy of the comedy club (which vitally accommodates all manner of
audience mockery).
As far as the quality of the performances go, the show on Aug. 26th, hosted by Ali Hassan, provided a rather hefty lineup of ten comics. The material ran the gamut from absurd, bone-dry musings (Chason Gordon, Matt O'Neil), to liquor-injected musical comedy (Tim Rabnett), pointed observations on the handicapable (Gemini winner Mike Ward), ruminations on the difference between "crackheads" and "crack enthusiasts" (Kris Bonaparte) and anti-hippie jokes which were both smart and incisive (Comedy on Saint Laurent founder Schultz, who, as it is often said in the industry, killed his set). On the more dismal end of the spectrum were a bunch of sloppy bits about incest, borderline racist barbs aimed at foreign highway drivers and distasteful (and wholly unfunny) poems about bestiality and AIDS.
2008 Woodie Awards
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
David Schultz
posted 9/05/07 @ 8:42 AM EST
Thanks for the great article! I just wanted to add some contact info for people looking into the group rates:
comedystlaurent@yahoo.com
There's a Facebook group too, which I put as my website for this comment, if you'd like an invite with the lineup each week. (Continued…)
DeAnne
posted 9/05/07 @ 12:47 PM EST
Hey guys,
Just wanted to add that Comedy on St. Laurent is not the only comedy show in the Plateau.
Comedy OFF The Main (previously Comedy On The Main) is about to celebrate it's 2nd year anniversary on September 26, with two specials shows at 8 p. (Continued…)
Derick Lengwenus
posted 9/06/07 @ 9:36 PM EST
I'm really proud to see the new wave of Montreal comics taking the initiative and starting all these rooms. I couldn't agree more with the opening points in this article. (Continued…)
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