Canadians at JFL!! Cheer for the Host Country! Canadians Tune in at JFL This Year

Published by Marty Younge at August 1, 2021

Cheer for the Host Country! Canadians Tune in at JFL This Year

When it comes to the Just for Laughs Festival this year the show must go on. Well kind of.

There will be no massive assembly of the comedy industry too much would have had to gone right for that. The Canadian border is still with exception closed clubs have been darken since early October. The festival this year thankfully has not been reduced to one giant zoom show. It is a pivot that mirrors the industry as a whole scaled-down online. Shows are available to be streamed online now at hahaha.com

The programming keeps the pillars of the festival intact The Award Show, The Variety 10 Comics to Watch and there are club shows including the New Faces showcases , Andy Kindler’s Alternative Show, the Nasty Show and some showcases streaming from Montreal, New York and L.A respectively. The lineups are comprised of sure things. Best bets comics that have proven they have what it takes to deliver big laughs in a time that has been no laughing matter.

It is a hard truth that for the second summer there will be no massive descent on Montreal that turns the few streets surrounding Place Des Arts theatre complex into a hidden moving picture of everyone who matters in comedy.

Despite the largest comedy festival in the world taking place on Canadian soil it can feel as though the Canadians actually on the festival are an afterthought. Yet it has largely been a trade secret to pay attention to the Canadians as they often require very little development — rather just opportunity. Due to complicated touring visa issues Canadian comics face and border closures, the digital incarnation of the festival is a very unique chance to see comics that span the landscape of the funniest Country in the world.

So we’ve created a guide to get a snapshot of some of Canada’s best who will be featured at Just for Laughs this year. Congratulations to all of the comedians participating this year!

Sophie Buddle ( Crave TV taping).

Sophie is among 7 Canadians recording specials for the Crave TV streaming service (HBO max’s Canadian incarnation) she is an exciting contemporary comic from Vancouver. Sophie has been a pioneer in the shifting scene there with a host of female comics taking inspiration from her persona and presence which can range from sweet to scathing. She evokes glimpses of Dolly Parton, Phoebe from friends and Laugh In era Goldie Hawn.

Her material is layered and nuanced and takes notes from the style of her American contemporaries Hannah Einbinder and Nikki Glazer have both expressed encouragement about this special. Of the seven chosen to record specials she was the most public about her readiness and in the months leading up to the announcement there was a visible maturation in her online presence.

In her previous televised festival appearances she played to her youth and filled out lineups with largely unassuming subtle material, but this time the spotlight is fully hers. Despite having very little time to actually work her hour in front of an audience Sophie is in a very good place heading into this recording that could manifest in several directions; audiences should anticipate a reworking of a small amount of material from her 2020 Juno award winning comedy album alongside the strongest ideas from her podcast and writing gigs Sophie herself promised via social media “This will be the filthiest comedy special to ever come out of Canada.

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Dave Merheje (Crave TV taping)

Dave Is a comic who is the latest example of seeing success stateside and coming home to share the love. He bounced around between Toronto, L.A and New York but after landing a major role on Hulu’s critically-acclaimed series RAMY he’s experiencing a well-deserved leveling up that was decades in the making.

He is also a Juno winner, his style of Comedy quite simply is the flyest anxiety attack you will ever witness weaving together where he’s been and where he’s going into what can seem like one giant explosive entertaining breath.

This special is certainly the most anticipated of all the Crave tapings with actual tickets in Montreal selling the quickest. Now some of the challenges facing Dave as he is going into this is that he has had two specials already 2018’s Good friend Bad Grammar (Amazon) and 2019’s Beautifully Manic which was included in the comedians of the world collection for Netflix that was also recorded at Just for Laughs.

So this leaves him in a position where a great deal of his strongest material is already recorded. He has had the advantage of the most warm up stage time of anyone taping because of the states resuming shows quicker. There is a contrast that exists in Dave as a person and as a performer offstage and online he is chill quietly announcing outdoor warm up shows in Toronto and selling them out. Posting about Lo-Fi hip pop and vintage t-shirt purchases (he recently did a drop-in set rocking and black and white Bi-way shirt if you know you know) On stage he is a build of controlled chaos audiences can anticipate this special will be a reflection on new fame and old times.

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Cassie Cao. ( Just for Laughs live in Montreal) Cassie is one of the most genuine organically occurring performers to come out of the Toronto scene in the past 5 years. She made New Faces Canada in 2019 but it was her new wave of stand-up special recorded at JFL Northwest for the CBC network that was really a breakout moment for her. She is candid and charming on social media about her struggles with mental health. Adorable breakdowns

and beautiful complicated self actualized moments are distilled to always shine on stage audiences can expect very solid joke writing alongside a quirky relatability all her own her cat Penny will be so proud.

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Meg MacKay- (New Faces Canada)

Any JFL veteran will attest, New Faces hardly means new to stand up. Rather they are comics who have honed their craft enough to be pushing the industry in exciting new directions. This is certainly the case for Meg. There’s an immediate likeability to Meg. That smile, That hair. But she’s so much more than that she has a quality you just cannot teach. Her stage presence is alluring and compelling in the most subtle way a mixed-race indigenous comic from Canada’s East Coast she hardly lets identity politics be every punchline. Full shine or laid-back her performance will be interesting and hilarious.

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Kyle Brownrigg ( Crave TV taping)

Kyle’s strength is in his timing he made New faces Canada in 2018 which is widely regarded as a sort of all-star year for the list.

His delivery of well-crafted material is unmatched. It’s the sort of whiplash laughing that has you in stitches before you really know why. He is indicative of a new sort of queer comic that has progressed beyond the hyper flamboyant screaming gay man. Showmanship and polish are ever present with Kyle the question remains will he take this opportunity to televise well treaded material or emerge with a bold new body of work either way audiences are in for a show.

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Juliana Rodrigues ( New Faces Canada)

As previously mentioned Just for Laughs this year is curated with sure things in mind. This is certainly true for Juliana. It was no surprise she won a spot. A well-rounded comic who has sex appeal never to the degree of a hot mess; neuroses never to the point of a burden to watch. There’s a candid politeness to her comedy that is the foundation of a very polished emerging style. Over the pandemic she has turned to podcasting. All Good with Juliana Rodrigues became a consistent candid reliable check in with everyone in the Toronto scene. She can be a total left-field weirdo; she can be as chic as a French 60’s pop star. Audiences will have to tune in to see what’s in store.

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Arthur Simeon (Comedy Night in Canada)

In the simplest of terms he is hilarious. A mainstay of the festival for good reason; he is at once showy and casual. His comedy is intelligent but he also has the comedic gift of the funny yell. Especially with largely clean material. It is a style choice he executes flawlessly. There is a political side to Arthur’s work. It will be interesting to see what version of Arthur audiences can expect but you can’t watch Arthur and not be entertained.

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Al Val ( New Faces Canada)

Al Val is a gender bending comedy rock star. Watch them and see what we’ve been hiding in Canada. That’s it, that’s all, that’s Al.

Chris Robinson ( Crave TV taping)

It’s been said black nerds rule culture. Case in point Chris Robinson. In 2016 Chris Won 25K just at the right time in his career to never have to care too much what anyone thought of him. He’s a father, a Caribbean Canadian, a stoner and adheres to no one comedy style these titles warrant. Rather he floats above them softly like a transmission from a world of his own creation. His warm-up sets have been reflective and conversational, a striking presence with an effortless cool. Interrobang exclusive: He plans to wear a maroon shirt with a wolf on it.

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Paul Rabliauskas ( Crave TV taping)

Paul is a comic with boundless charm and energy. He makes every second count on stage. No long walks to a punchline he’s a club,comic that has fought for his reputation by lighting up the darkest bars on long cold nights in Winnipeg Manitoba. He has and engaging Def Jam-like coolness to him and is has forged his own path by not relocating to any major city he. He has had some Canadian TV appearances but audiences will be in for a treat when the funniest man from Poplar River First Nations is finally given the space to show us what he can truly do as a comic.

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Nitish Sakhuja ( New Faces Canada)

In Canada weed has been totally legal for 4 years and even before that the country had a blazing circuit of weed rooms. Nitish has been a mainstay headliner in those rooms; there’s a grandness to his comedy and personality. A laid-back swag that puts audiences at ease he’s very observational and stoic. Never forgets what he’s talking about because he’s too high. Part of the echo generation of East Indian comics to Russell Peters destined to be more than the racialized punchlines they grew up adoring. He is also at a very transitional period in Life he got engaged, he got in shape and has a great deal of newfound focus. It’s just a good thing they don’t drug test for JFL.

Just for Laughs is different this year how could it not be. As audiences navigate the streamed festival. The parties and booming laughter may have the year off. But the heart and resilience of comedy can never be tarnished. So as the industry gathers from the comfort of it’s corners, remember it’s polite to cheer for the host country.