The Mob at Just For Laughs Comedy Night in Canada

On Wednesday night, it felt very surreal to have plans to go see a 10 pm show at Club Soda! All I knew about Comedy Night in Canada before the show was that it was going to be hosted by Ali Hassan. My friend and I were the first people in line, chomping at the bit to be able to step foot in the iconic venue once again. The protocols were to the letter, and the center of the floor contained only a handful of tables. The rest of the seating was allocated to the high-top tables against the left and right walls and the upper balcony. 

And then it happened…the lights went down and the Festival audio recording began broadcasting, the show was about to begin! Ali Hassan came out with infectious energy and brought us all together with anecdotes about hand sanitizer and Zoom-life. Brittany Lyseng was easy-going and good-natured, the bar-going Albertan had us flowing and ready for more. Kyle Brownrigg was a great fit for the show, with material that proved he was “so Canadian” and poked fun at his experiences as a part of the LGBTQ community. 

Arthur Simeon kicked the door down and threatened several times to lick everyone’s faces (while sporting an ear-to-ear grin) and the audience was so on board! The endearing Courtney Gilmour talked about her colourful dating life and shared hilarious stories about Zoom during the pandemic. Sterling Scott exploded onto the stage with really big energy and anecdotes showcasing his “gangster mom” which was a great layup for the last act.

What a great surprise to hear Derek Seguin called to the stage as the show’s final act! With the privilege of seeing him at a small indie show earlier in the week, I was thrilled to get to see him at Club Soda before the end of my trip! The slip of the word “PanDerek” peppered throughout his set gave me the giggles, and the canoe and fire pit stories had the audience crying with a cathartic release.

There is something truly special about being in a live audience, and even more so after the experiences of the last year and a half.

I want to extend a huge thank you to all of the comedians that I had the chance to see in Montreal in the last week, we missed you just as much as you missed us. Being together, sharing in the magic energy of laughter was just what my soul needed! 

If you missed it, you can watch the show on Youtube and get all the laughs from home!