A new comedy trio is bringing new perspectives to who is seen as funny.
LGBT+ Toronto-based comics Brandon Ash-Mohammed, Ben Sosa-Wright and straight ally Natalie Norman performed their show, ICONS of Comedy, at Ottawa’s Arts Court Nov. 12. In front of a crowd of mixed ages, genders and sexualities, the trio made jokes about anything from horse-riding cops to drag queens’ ideal tuck techniques.
Through the show, the three comedians said they aim to demonstrate that Canada has come a long way in representing marginalized groups using comedy.
“[Seeing queer comedians] doesn’t happen a lot,” Sosa-Wright said in an interview with the Charlatan. “In a lineup you might get one queer comedian or a queer headliner or—dare I say two—if it’s pride.”
Audience member Stephany McBride said she appreciated the diversity in the comedians’ identities and jokes.
“There’s a lot of discourse nowadays about straight white comedians getting cancelled,” McBride said. “But maybe [the jokes those comedians tell] aren’t funny to everyone. Maybe we actually need more diversity in comedy.”
Sosa-Wright said the trio enjoys performing in front of the more diverse audiences ICONS of Comedy often attracts.
“Sometimes you have to explain stuff to a straight audience, whereas there are whole little idiosyncrasies that queer people are aware of and there’s a joy in that,” he said.
The Arts Court provided an intimate atmosphere to the show. Sosa-Wright’s aunts were in the audience and witnessed their nephew’s most explicit jokes—including one about being mistaken for a sex worker by his mother.
While the show places an emphasis on diversity, Norman said there is a fine line between making jokes based on her own identity and misrepresenting someone else’s.
“I know the line very well,” she said. “I’m Jewish, so I can talk about that because it’s my lived experience. I don’t want to talk about things that I have no relation to, because I would be worried that I’m going to misrepresent them.”
Norman, the founding member of ICONS of Comedy, also began Crimson Wave Comedy in 2008, a comedy show that continues to run at Comedy Bar in Toronto.
“[Norman] started producing [Crimson Wave Comedy] when there were almost zero shows that were centred around women, queer people and people of colour in comedy,” Sosa-Wright said.
“[Working in a trio is] cool, but then it’s also weird because I was kind of alone for a long time,” Ash-Mohammed said. He recently appeared on LOL: Last One Laughing on Amazon Prime Canada and is a head writer for Canada’s Drag Race. He started his standup comedy career in 2010, becoming the first openly LGBT+ Black comedian in Canada.
Sosa-Wright said Ash-Mohammed’s comedic skills and his warm personality make him an invaluable member of the trio.
“[Ash-Mohammed] is all about community and lifting people up,” Sosa-Wright said. “He’s so supportive and [is] really one of a kind.”
The supportive team dynamic shone through in the trio’s performance. As the smaller venue provided the opportunity for many audience interactions, the members of the crowd got to know each other well—from their zodiac signs to their prescription medications.
“I really enjoyed it,” McBride said. “It’s so refreshing to have different perspectives in comedy.”
By the end of the show, the trio was already talking about coming back to Ottawa in the future. In the meantime, Norman said she hopes the trio can tour as much as possible throughout Canada in the coming year. Information on upcoming events can be found on their Facebook page or on the comedians’ individual Instagram accounts.
Featured image by Nina Zajac.
