ComedyWorks Stand-up Tuesday Kicked Serious A**

Comedyworks had their weekly “Stand-up Tuesday” yesterday night, and they certainly did not disappoint!  I got to the venue a little earlier than I intended to and had half an hour to kill until showtime. I perched myself on a seat at the bar and ordered a rum and coke (which, by the way, was one of the better rum and cokes I’ve had in my day) I met a few new faces there while I waited and everyone was very welcoming and friendly. I love the venue a lot. It has a really relaxing atmosphere and the bar service is fast which is always a plus.

After many pleasant exchanges had, eight-thirty finally rolled around and I made my way upstairs to the ComedyWorks room. I was one of the first few to get in the door so I had the run of the lot as far as seating goes. I chose a seat in the front row, mere feet away from where the comics would be standing. I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me before that by choosing a seat so damn close to the stage was like volunteered suicide. It suddenly dawned on me that I had signed myself up to be direct target for comedians to heckle me. If I said I was horrified by this, I’d be lying. In fact, I loved every minute of it.

Present that night (in sequential order) were comic’s Mike Paterson (as headliner), Geoff McKay, Greg Schoder, Uncle Fofi, and Jimy Cassidy. Each and every  individual that graced the ComedyWorks stage last night absolutely nailed it! The energy that night remained consistent and upbeat.

Mike Patterson did a fantastic job opening up and setting the tone for the evening. He has to be one of the most charismatic and charming comedians that I have had the pleasure of seeing live. He is friendly, passionate, and has an undeniable ability to pump up a crowd and get the party started. I’ve only ever heard good things about Mike, and meeting him proved all of this to be true. What an amazing comic. He stepped out on stage rocking a blue and white checkered flannel, between his outfit and his grizzly facial hair, he resembled a lumberjack. A really charming lumberjack.  He left me in hysterics when he sang a Christmas parody he wrote to –wait for it– Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”  Needless to say, Mike Patterson certainly charmed the pants off of the audience.

Geoff Mackay right off the bat had a fantastic energy about him, which I quite enjoyed. He was eloquent in his delivery, and his punchline’s were certainly “punchy.” He questions the origins of Christmas, and subtly reminds us that it’s slowly evolved into this monster of a consumerist holiday. Geoff has incredible stage presence and stature and appears very comfortable on stage. I enjoyed his jokes a lot, and I hope to see him perform stand-up in the future. Great job, Geoff!

It was unfortunate that by the time Greg Shrouder appeared on stage that my bladder could no longer hold out, so I had to leave my seat. I actually left my seat twice, once to get a drink, and then the second time to piss. He cracked a few jokes about it, which made me laugh. Hey Greg, if you end up reading this just know it wasn’t personal! A girl’s ‘gotta do what a girl’s ‘gotta do, right?
Part-time comic and part-time school teacher, there is no doubt that Greg has an uncanny ability to take on the role of characters and act out scenarios. This is definitely one of his strong-points that I took note of, and it’s an important one too. He talks about dealing with students as a teacher, relationships, and overall covers a decent range of topics which adds to his appeal as a performer. I like that he has variety in his set and is very consistent.

I stumbled upon Uncle Fofi by accident when I had left during Greg’s set to go to the restroom. He seemed like a pretty down to earth guy, and when he took the stage I had no idea what to expect. Uncle Fofi is the first Arab that I have ever met that speaks with a French accent, and it’s really neat. He is  extremely captivating, and although struggles at times to translate French to English there is something about the way he interacts with the audience that is very mesmerizing. When he makes a joke transition, it is always when you are least expecting it, which in a way keeps you reeled in.  I think that these components are indicative of his experience in the world comedy, and this definitely isn’t his first rodeo… that’s for damn sure!

Last but certainly not least, Jimy Cassidy was the closing act of the night, and did a wonderful job of tying the evening together. This “ginger wolverine”  is a hilarious comic, with an unmistakable relate ability, which is quite the endearing quality for a comic to possess. Unfortunately, there were three ladies near the front of the stage, each of them looked not a day over eighteen who may have begged to differ. For some reason, they just didn’t seem to “get” him. That’s expected though in this kind of thing, not everyone is going to like all of your jokes and that’s O.K. Although, I think above all, The funniest part was how Geoff Cassidy made them a part of the joke. This man might as well be a walking enigma! I thought it was ingenious how he made the fact that someone didn’t find his jokes amusing, comical! That to me is a true comic. He carried himself so well and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him.

The conclusion?
WHAT A GREAT NIGHT! I can’t wait to come back to the next show! If you’ve never been to ComedyWorks then I highly suggest you do so. For more upcoming events and information you can check out there official webpage here.

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Happy laughing!

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Grace Shaw