Rad Dads an Off-JFL First and Home run Smash!

I love when an intimate venue can feel like an auditorium. As far as comedy show intros go, the Rad Dads Walter J. Lyng and Reese Turner knocked it out of the park at Café Cleopatra’s for Off-JFL/Zoofest this past Thursday night! It was a nice nod to their love of wrestling, the offstage microphone introduction blaring into our ear holes, the crowd cheering with anticipation before there was even anyone on the stage.

Lyng and Turner entered from the back, sporting Hawaiian shirts, Lyng also sporting a baby carrier full of giveaway items: bottled beer and baby onesies with “Rad like Dad” on them (as seen on their babies on social media). But all of these audience engagement tactics take a back seat to the endearing back-story that makes this show so easy to connect with.

They jumped right into the story of two friends chuckling in the back of the prenatal class and becoming fathers within a week of each other. There were questions thrown to the audience along the way, “Who here knows what a doula is?” They really got the show rolling with some electric energy, which sometimes doesn’t happen with stand-up comedy.  The anecdotes were hilarious and someone in the crowd even shouted out “It’s true, I was in that prenatal class!”

Opening Acts!

The opening acts Steve Patrick Adams and “Rad Mom” Ellie MacDonald continued to add more good to the good, with Ellie dropping the memorable line, “I don’t want that dick in me, I want to get into that dick!” Things were getting dirty, NASTY even. And the room was full, with some latecomers jamming in near both bars.

We were entertained by Lyng’s hosting skills and “Demon Baby” lullaby songs, one enthusiastic audience member even yelled out “more songs!” There was a great vulnerable moment when he acknowledged that there were lots of friends of the family in the crowd when speaking about his wife. I let out a big laugh at that one.

Proudly wearing a half sleeve Batman tattoo, Turner spoke about his love of the beloved superhero. He then gave us all a walk through his experience with fatherhood thus far and demonstrated his “forgetfulness” with a callback joke that had the audience rolling.

Getting Nasty!!

The Nasty Show’s Derek Seguin, a proud Montrealer, and veteran Rad Dad, stopped in and tore the roof off!! The packed cabaret show bar had their jaws on the floor. It was the familiar sound of roaring laughter that I definitely miss from my years working at The Comedy Nest. Those St. Patrick’s Day weekends with Derek headlining to semi-drunk audience members dressed in green are some of my favourite comedy show memories in Montreal. Then Derek threw the mic to New York comic and new rad dad Aaron Berg, and he continued with lots of energy and crowd interaction. It felt more like a Midnight Surprise show mid-fest, it really didn’t feel like I was at an Off-JFL show!

Wrapping it up!

Closing out the show was Ali Hassan, former Montrealer, JFL veteran, and Rad Dad to 4 children! His parenting stories were a great juxtaposition to the new dad stories told by Lyng and Turner. The whole night definitely felt like a celebration of fatherhood. All of the acts dropped truth bombs about parenting and were beaming. I am so grateful to have been in the room to experience it.

This was surely the first of many Rad Dads shows to come, as Lyng and Turner have expressed interest in touring the show concept on Canada’s East Coast and in the General Toronto Area (where Turner is from!). All in all, the show was a clear home run, and it is no doubt that these dads will continue swinging for the fences in fatherhood and comedy! Rock on Rad Dads!

Check out the Breakfast Television Montreal interview about their show:

https://www.btmontreal.ca/videos/rad-dads-invade-off-jfl-with-unique-brand-of-parenting-wisdom/

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