STEF DAG

Stef Dag confronted Toronto with a tangled web of relationship histories, including a neverending situationship with her dad, a long-distance open relationship with Brad Pitt (and anybody else who doesn’t live nearby!), and a recurring lineup of six “ugly” dudes from Hinge. She celebrated the cosmic joke of Stephen Hawking’s visits to Epstein Island, and spread her conspiracy theory that there are wayyyy fewer than 8 billion people on the planet. If you’re worried about whether she’ll find her soulmate, she knows he’s statistically somewhere in Shanghai. In the meantime, she’s invested in what she jokes is a military-grade vibrator, which she believes is deeply unfair to all men! Dag played two full houses at Comedy Bar Bloor on September 26th and 27th.

JOHN CLEESE

Comedy icon John Cleese regaled (and re-grailed) the Winter Garden Theatre with a screening of timeless classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail, followed by a very silly Q&A. He was delighted by an audience that left their homes to sit in ‘slightly uncomfortable chairs’ to watch a 51 year-old movie, telling them, “You could all be at home enjoying yourselves!”. He shed light on the Film’s unlikely production, including a first draft that was almost completely thrown out, and a quest for £240,000 ($453k CDN) that was mostly successful due to a tax loophole for rock bands supporting the Arts—Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin among the donors.

Cleese emerged after the screening (wearing official killer bunny rabbit slippers) to take the temperature on his classic. “‘”You still like it, do you? I think it’s overrated. It’s very good for about 70 minutes. Then Terry Gilliam took over.”. He described the struggle between the two director Terrys—engaged in a constant back-and-forth throughout production. One Terry re-editing the movie while the other Terry slept. He playfully questioned the audience’s sanity more than once, and reflected on turning down a knighthood in light of his mortality and the whole idea feeling “a bit silly”. If anyone would know, it’s him.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a childhood dream-come-true for Nicholas!

RAY LAU

This Seattle-based Funnyman who went viral for sharing his Steakhouse Date anecdote, plays his biggest show yet at Just for Laughs Toronto, with sold-out shows at Comedy Bar and Bluma Appel Theatre October 2nd and 3rd. Lau delighted the crowd, getting their buy-in from the get-go, having them partake in increasingly-chaotic wave formations. He brought the laughs with a fun dash of relatability and physical comedy, including stories with his girlfriend driving crazy yet being forced to side with her, and also the time he was the lone guy at a Belly Dancing class. He tested the waters with some new material, including the time he put himself in a scary situation, getting offered J Cole tickets via Instagram. The audience loved it up! The buzz is warranted and Ray Lau has the makings of Comedy’s next big breakout star.

LAUREN LAPKUS & MARY HOLLAND

Lauren Lapkus and Mary Holland brought their fantastic, friendship-fuelled improv to the Randolph Theatre October 3rd in The Lauren & Mary Show. They set their sights on air travel and surveyed the audience for stories before delivering a hysterical longform set revolving around mismatched strangers on a plane, fighting over the arm rest and personal space. They branched off into a dream-within-a-dream about botched fox surgery, and a pair of kids trying to impress each other with their non-existent girlfriends before boarding. Several rounds of truth or dare, bathroom breaks, and futile attempts to sleep later, the audience was gasping for air. Hopefully their return trips won’t bear any resemblance to what unfolded on stage.

JOEL KIM BOOSTER

Joel Kim Booster brought a newly-married comedic fire to Randolph Theatre on October 3rd. He described the persistent pleasure of uttering the word “husband” no matter the context, and how he found himself married to a white guy. He also shared his reasoning behind why Jesus was ABSOLUTELY “an annoying gay guy”, how NASA is the biggest waste of resources when we have an unexplored ocean at home, and the reasons Lady Gaga might want to reconsider the bridge lyrics to “Born This Way”. He pointed his biting-but-playful energy at the audience throughout, poking at the line between monogamy and open relationships, who else was part of the “dead dad club”, and how many straight men were in the audience—unaccompanied by a girlfriend, gay friend, or wife. Yours truly was part of that supposedly next-to-nonexistent demo, so JKB’s profile must be—rightfully—on the rise!

Some highlights so far:

That’s a Wrap! What a comeback for JFL TORONTO! Learn more about the Festival here!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/Nicholas Porteous)