comedy

Local comic in top 8 for Canada’s Next Top Comic! Vote now

Written

on Thursday, August 26, 2010

I always find writing about comics somewhat intimidating since I always feel the pressure to be funny, which always results in awkward puns and even worse sexual innuendo. So you can imagine my chagrin when I decided to do this short post on Geoff MacKay, an Ottawa-based comic who beat out thousands of pro and amateur comedians to make it into the final round of Canada’s Next Top Comic. Geoff has been a standby of the Ottawa comedy scene since 2004, and has played venues all over North America and the UK. With a pedigree like this, I’ll try to be on my best pun-free behavior from this point forward.

Canada’s Next Top Comic is a national contest run by XM Canada, a satellite radio company. The winner will get a spot at the the Global Vancouver Comedy Fest, a trip to Vancouver and $2,000 in spending money. So why should all this go to Geoff?

“People should vote for me as Canada’s next Prime Minister of Comedy (aka as Next Top Comic) because I already promised every Canadian an Aurora Borealis. Not sure I should have committed to that as my big issue…not enough Aurora Borealises….but it is…and I can’ t go back on it now. So…if you vote for me (and I win) I will deliver an Aurora Borealis!* Also I am from Ottawa and am the only local comic to make the top 8.”

Click to continue reading “Local comic in top 8 for Canada’s Next Top Comic! Vote now”

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Swimming in the Shallows at Arts Court provides an intimate look at Man/ Shark love

Written

saxby

on Friday, August 20, 2010

Sharks are awesome. Swimming in the Shallows - part of the new Arts Court Summer Fling theatre series - explores the intricacies of human relationships (including man/ shark love) through a humourous and well-constructed series of characters.

A couple facing transition in a troubled (but loving) marriage, a lesbian wedding, and a man jumping from one guy to the next (until eventually to shark) - all showed the audience something about how complicated and tedious our relationships can be.

Overall, Swimming in the Shallows is a successful production. I particularly enjoyed watching Margo MacDonald (from Fringe Fest fame with her production Shadows) try to quit smoking. The dream sequences were certainly a comedic high point and Bob, the somewhat-clueless husband played by Richard Gelinas, portrayed honestly and movingly the middle-aged husband who just doesn’t get it.

Swimming in the Shallows runs until Aug. 22. Full details and ticket prices are online at www.artscourt.ca.

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Wolfe + Montcalm = Inseparable

Written

apartment613

on Wednesday, August 11, 2010

inseparable

Post by Britt Novakowski

I vaguely remember chewing on the end of my bic pen while Mr. Lopuck, my grade 11 history teacher, prattled on, and on, and on about some “Wolfe Man” and “Montcalm dude” duking it out on on the Plains of Abraham. Something about the French, the English and reshaping Canada’s destiny….

In my defence, if Mr. Lopuck had been as animated, humorous and all-around enjoyably presented as last night’s performance, I may have remembered the details more clearly.

Inseparable, the latest Arts Court Production, is about Wolfe and Montcalm and the battle that joined the two names at the proverbial hip. A historical rewrite and a chance encounter between the two Generals sets the stage for 90 minutes of witty banter and historical homage. The bilingual comedy by Ottawa playwright Louis Lemire is not a history class… it is much more enjoyable than that.

Inseparable, runs August 10 to 22 - Tuesday to Saturday @ 8 pm and Sundays at 2pm, with a pay-what-you-can show on August 14th at 2pm. Adult tickets are $25 and seniors/students are $20. Warning! There will be gun-shot sound. Details are available online at www.artscourt.ca.

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Blog Watch: Ottawa’s answer to The Onion

Written

Katie

on Saturday, August 7, 2010

Screen shot from the-o-dot, Ottawa's newest blog.

“Bridgehead Opens New Location Inside Existing Location“, “New Ikea Store Delayed; Missing Allen Key Blamed” and my personal favorite, “Larry O’Brien Reveals He Is Actually Lex Luthor”. These are some of the headlines featured in the-o-dot, Ottawa’s newest comedy blog. Written by the mysterious Tommy Talker (some investigative blogging may be in order), the-o-dot combines the wit of The Onion with an insider’s knowledge of the Ottawa scene.

Although the blog only started this July, it has already amassed a hilarious collection of articles. Yuppie mecca Westboro seems to be a popular target, as are the typical bugaboos of life in the national capital: roadwork, obnoxious parents and hog weed, as mentioned in the following post:

The dangerous weed plant stormed into the branch at the corner of Bank and Rideau Rd. at approximately 3:15pm. Demanding the teller hand over $2000 in cash, the plant threatened to “Give everyone a rash and maybe put sap in someone’s eye” as reported by staff teller Kelly Langois who was confronted by the huge plant. “I was scared but remained calm. The thing was about 8 feet tall and had a raspy voice. I could tell it was out of control and desperate.” Wielding its toxic leaves at the staff members, it grabbed a bag of undisclosed cash and ran out to a waiting car.

The is definitely something we wish we thought of first! The-o-dot is hilarious and without a doubt worth checking out!

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Ottawa Storytellers present: Time To Put My Socks On: A New and Daring Romantic Comedy

Written

Francois

on Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Time To Put My Socks On: A New and Daring Romantic Comedy

Created by Alan Shain and Michele Decottignies (Stage Left Productions)

Directed by Michele Decottignes & Nicole Dunbar (Stage Left Productions)

THE IRVING GREENBERG THEATRE CENTRE STUDIO, 1233 WELLINGTON (at Holland)

TICKETS $15 /$13 students & seniors/$12 MATINEE
July 8, 9, 10 @ 8PM; SATURDAY MATINEE@ 3PM, Preview July 7, Pay What You Can

CALL 613-236-5196 TO RESERVE

Please specify if you require wheelchair accessible seating

NO REFUNDS OR TICKET EXCHANGES

WARNING: Nudity & Adult Content

Time To Put My Socks Onfollows Marc - a 30-something year old man with cerebral palsy who is about to celebrate his first anniversary with Linda, his nondisabled partner. Marcis bursting with excitement. He loves Linda! Linda loves him! She is poised to move in … Marc is plagued with doubts. Linda has a sock fetish. The more elaborate and colourful the sock the better! But Marc swears by white tube socks. They are quick and easy to put on. Can the love between Marc and Linda survive their war over socks?

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The Royalty’s alternative visit to Ottawa

Written

Francois

on Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Photo (with slight retouch) courtesy of quinn.anya on Flickr.

You’ve probably heard the news already. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of Wales are coming to our nation’s capital between June 30th and July 3rd. They’ll be making stops at the PM’s, the GG’s at the newly renovated Museum of Nature and will unveil the new Oscar Peterson statue outside of the the National Arts Centre. That’s all good and nice, but we thought we’d put our 2 cents in and create, shall we say, alternative plans for her majesty’s pleasure.

Arrival: Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Laureen Harper really wanted the royal visitors to come a bit earlier. Everything was done for them to land in time for the Doing It 24/7: The Basics of Everyday Dominance and Submission workshop at Venus Envy, but alas it was not to be (Prince Philip breathes a sigh of relief). Her royalty’s official visit begins Wednesday night as she hits up the famed Mayfair Theater with PM Harper to catch hoser-classic Fubar, heading to Irene’s afterward for a pint of Beau’s Lugtread Lager.

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Weekend roundup

Written

Karen

on Thursday, June 17, 2010

Photo courtesy Martha Wainwright's website.

Well, tonight’s the night, and it feels like we’ve been preparing for this forever… the Fringe kicks off with its first plays tonight, and Apt613 will be there all week - check out the full coverage and reviews of all of the performances at fullyfringed.ca.

There’s so much else going on in the city besides this theatre extravaganza - the dragon boats are taking over Mooney’s Bay, and all of you Franco Ontarien fans, your festival is this weekend, too. Italian Week wraps up this weekend - to really get into the spirit, head on over on Sunday at 10am. Italy’s playing New Zealand, and it’s guaranteed that if they win, Preston Street will be one big celebration.

Need to dance away this week’s woes? Head over to Timekode or the No Pants Dance Party, set to rock Babylon for the third year in a row. There will be another happening party at Ritual Saturday night, what with Redman coming to town. For some punk stylings, Mavericks has your show, while Zaphod’s has a bit of a country feel goin’ on. To wrap up your weekend in style, check out Martha Wainwright or the Old Crowns on Sunday - either are sure to please.

To use up some of that creative energy and eat a cupcake or two, Spins and Needles’ birthday bash will be perfect for you.The Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Festival is also happening this weekend, down at the perfect-for-picnicking Victoria Island.

For you thinkers and audio recorders looking to make a difference, the Podcasters Across Borders conference is all weekend long, and the line up looks great. You can also see Josh Dolgin, subject of the Socalled Movie, at the Mayfair, or talk about the future of our favourite development project.

If you just want to soak up some rays on a patio, by all means, indulge. After this bit of rain this week, get out an enjoy the sunshine!

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Open mike night at Absolute Comedy

Written

Samantha

on Sunday, June 13, 2010

Photo courtesy of Steve Scap on Flickr.

Post by Samantha Everts, an Apartment613 contributor.

Mondays are inevitable. If you’re not hung over from the previous weekend, it’s not impossible that you might want to go out in order to take the edge off the first work day of the week. Last Monday I found myself in this situation, but the friend I was trying to drag out didn’t want to stay out too late or stray too far from his Little Italy abode. The solution? We went for a walk up Preston Street and eventually found ourselves at Absolute Comedy’s open mike.

Neither of us had been to this comedy club before, but for $4 it was worth a shot. While even the website warns that Monday’s can be bad, there’s also the chance that it will be hilarious! The open mike provides both aspiring and established comics the change try out new material fearlessly. There’s always at least one professional comic hosting the event, so a few laughs are guaranteed. On the night in question Ottawa’s only ‘Prop Comic’ was performing. A few hairs short of Carrot-top, but pretty funny nonetheless.

There was a wide variety of ages in attendance and, unlike the rest of their comedy nights, reservations are not required. I’d recommend grabbing a drink or a pitcher to thoroughly enjoy the night, which conveniently wraps up at about 10 p.m. So before you watch another re-run of Lost, toss in a few coins and support some live local comedy.

Absolute Comedy- 412 Preston Street. Shows start at 8:30 p.m. If you’re interested in being the next Mitch Hedburg, you can sign up at openmicmondays@absolutecomedy.ca

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Weekend roundup: things to do in Ottawa

Written

Karen

on Thursday, June 10, 2010

Photo courtesy of Justin Rutledge's website (he'll be at the Blacksheep this weekend).

I think the echo of fellow Apt613 editor Trevor’s Sloan call is still reverberating around the city - in any case, they’re coming this weekend to Westfest, Ottawa’s own free outdoor concert. (And yes, the weather will hold out for this show. Sloan only brings sunshine!)

For more crazy music fun, Gaga Weekend kicks off tonight - 36 bands will keep you moshing, dancing and swaying for 72 hours straight. Discover your new favourite band amongst acts like Garaga, Chandeliers, Rhume, the Joliettes, Walnut Kids and 31 others - just try not to forget the ones who come first by the end of all of the shows! Gaga Weekend will be happening all over Ottawa - just follow the constant stream of music.

You’d think we’d be too full of music to allow anymore this weekend, but Raw Sugar, the Elmdale, Cafe Dekcuf and the Blacksheep have some great shows lined up. And you can get a preview of the FolkFest experience at their audition finals tonight. For some theatrical excitement, Gruppo Rubato’s Airport Security is still playing, but only until Saturday. (Remember all of those webisodes we posted? Now’s your chance to see the full show!)

For the bookworms among us, Collected Works (in its lovely expanded form) is hosting Montreal writer Dean Garlick’s book launch. The Ottawa International Writers Festival is continuing with an event at the Mayfair tonight, with bestselling author Aayan Hirsi Ali.

And if you just want to stick to old classics, there’s always Shanghai’s karaoke, the Rock ‘n’ Roll pizza party, Trailer Park Bingo and Insensitivity Training improv. Sometimes there’s nothing like a long-standing event that you know will be a good time.

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Neil Hamburger & Daiquiri at the Legion!

Written

Francois

on Thursday, June 3, 2010

Somehow Neil Hamburger has overcome the odds and become world infamous with his special brand of comedy. He’s appeared on Tom Green Live, Tim and Eric, Tenacious D’s Pick Of Destiny, etc. etc.

Daiquiri is rock music that could only come from a psychotic brain. This major group is sure to impress you and/or undress you.

When: Sunday, June 13 at 9pm

Where: Montgomery Legion Hall (330 Kent St.)

Cost: $10

Websites:

http://www.myspace.com/americasfunnyman

http://www.myspace.com/daiquiri

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