“Some of my friends were talking about pap smears, and I didn’t know what those were. Naturally, I turned to the one girl I knew who could tell me about them—my mom,” Toronto-based comedian Gabriel Koury said. “She told me, ‘It’s just when they take some pliers and look inside of you.’ ”
Koury’s pap smear tale was one among many anecdotes shared during Brew-Ha-Ha, a local monthly comedy and music open mic that celebrated its one year anniversary at Raw Sugar Cafe on Sept. 5.
The event also featured local Turkish cuisine provided by Sarp Kizir, an Ottawa foodie and the host of the Roughchop Ottawa Podcast.
Brew-Ha-Ha was a part of Support Local, a month-long ongoing series of events hosted by Apartment 613 encouraging Ottawa citizens to support local businesses, particularly those in food service.
Local comedians sharing personal stories about family and awkward sexual experiences were the highlight of my first time at a comedy show.
“I’m really into doctors because I want a well-off life,” said local comic Jimmy Cassidy, telling the audience about his experience being in the hospital for sepsis. He also talked about the potential indignity and frustration of being attached to a “pee bag” when meeting a hot doctor.
There were some off-colour moments during the show, like when one comedian cracked a joke about calling his child’s Japanese-German friend “World War Two,” or when another made a spiel about women wearing niqabs.
But Brew-Ha-Ha’s comedians veered away from politics and mostly focused on the odd, awkward, and self-deprecating moments in their lives.
The night closed off with a musical set by Kaylie Seaver, a tattoo artist and local musician who did a hilariously soulful electric guitar rendition of Technotronic’s “Pump up the Jam” from the 1996 movie Space Jam.
With Raw Sugar’s eclectic and homey atmosphere, Brew-Ha-Ha felt akin to being at a hipster house party where people decided to share funny stories, good music, and great food.
“Open mics are like band practice,” Koury said, talking about how he liked the intimacy of performing in smaller, local venues like Raw Sugar. “You could relate to people a bit easier . . . There’s no real gap between yourself and the attending audience.”
Andrew Larabie, a Carleton student, said he enjoyed the interaction between the comedians and the crowd, and that it “really helped build a sense of community.”
Brew-Ha-Ha organizer and host Greg Houston said Ottawa provided a good outlet for supporting local talent and businesses.
“Ottawa is a big town but it’s really like a small town at heart because you can get to know a lot of people and you know where to spend your time and support local things and people who are trying to do good things in the city,” he said.
