Despite having a reputation in certain circles as being the city where fun goes to die, Ottawa had a lot of reasons to laugh in 2015.
Last year, I made a resolution to check out as many live comedy shows as I could. After a year of viewing and laughing, here are my picks for Ottawa’s top five comedy shows of 2015:
1. Ron Sparks at Absolute Comedy—Sept. 15-20
One of the country’s best comedians, Sparks blew the roof off Absolute Comedy with a consistently hilarious set, including lengthy riffs on the club’s unfortunate platypus logo and Ottawa’s “train to nowhere.”
After the show, our waitress shared that the girl at the next table discarded her undies in the ladies’ room because she literally laughed until she peed herself. It was one of those rare chances to see a master of his craft in his prime at what is hands down the city’s best comedy venue.
2. Jeremy Hotz at Yuk Yuk’s—Feb. 26-March 1
Jeremy Hotz is one of my favourite comics, not just in Canada, but anywhere. He turned in a great show as usual at Yuk Yuk’s in February with tons of new material, including characteristic Hotzian jabs at the awful weather, the city, people in the audience, and even his own 50th birthday. Only Hotz can make all things miserable so funny—I make sure never to miss him when he’s in town.
3. CBC’s The Debaters at Centrepointe Theatre—Feb. 10-11
If there’s a guaranteed good time in comedy, it has to be when CBC Radio’s The Debaters rolls into town for a live taping. Quick-witted host and two-time “Best Male Stand-up” Canadian Comedy Award-winner Steve Patterson is worth the price of admission on his own.
Patterson presents a series of debates (using dozens of so-bad-they’re-funny puns), where pairs of comedians argue such silly-serious topics as “Can men be feminists?” The show’s format may be simple, but as my dad puts it: “Boy, is it funny!”
The edited radio version on CBC is great, but doesn’t quite do the live show justice.
4. Shaun Majumder at Yuk Yuks—July 3-4
With the patriotic feelings of Canada Day still lingering, I thought there could be no better way to celebrate than by watching my favourite This Hour Has 22 Minutes cast member do a live show, and I was right.
Majumder’s likability on stage can’t be matched and his jokes about being a fish-out-of-water Canadian in L.A. and his experiences as a Pakistani-Newfoundlander were a hit with the sold-out crowd.
5. Just for Laughs Canadian Comedy Tour ‘15 at The National Arts Centre—Nov. 7
The Just For Laughs tour is always good for, well, for laughs. The show was presented by Gerry Dee (creator and star of Mr. D).
Dee delivered solid material as usual in this special “Relationship Edition” of the tour, with great support from Cristela Alonzo, who delivered a standout set of well-crafted jokes in what was the most memorable performance of the night.
Look forward to when CBC’s The Debaters returns to Ottawa’s Centrepointe Theatre for two more tapings Feb. 9-10, 2016.
