In the early years of Just for Laughs, one of the unquestionable highlights for locals was the annual showcase of Montreal comedians. The Montreal Show, hosted for a period by Terry DiMonte and Ted Bird, was one of the fest’s hottest tickets, up there with the Nasty Show.
But in later years, the Montreal Show got lost in the shuffle, often relegated to a single show at an ungodly hour in an unfamiliar venue toward the end of the fest.
No longer.
As the 44th Just for Laughs fest officially opens Wednesday with the launch of the Nasty Show and Culture Show series at Club Soda, it’s worth noting that the Montréal Series will now be getting its due up front. There are four shows Thursday and Friday, featuring 24 local standups — the majority of them up-and-comers — at the Comedy Nest, the mecca of anglo comedy in town for five decades.
“We have a duty and responsibility to support and celebrate our local comedians, who can hold their own with comics anywhere,” JFL head of programming and talent Nick Brazao has declared. He should know: He was a standup here before moving to the fest’s exec side.
The hosts of the four shows — John Cotrocois, Rachelle Elie, Mike Paterson and Tranna Wintour — are in an ebullient state at the Comedy Nest.
“I am always Team Montreal,” beams Wintour, a longtime staple on the local scene who will be hosting JFL’s first-ever all-queer Montréal Series showcase, Thursday at 9 p.m. “I love this city. There is so much incredible talent here. I’ve always championed it and it’s why I never left. As challenging as it can be, it’s so much worth investing in. It’s our time now and we deserve to shine.”
Wintour points out that the city’s queer-comedy scene has evolved over the last decade. “The scene is home to some of the most inventive, avant-garde, exciting voices around. I’m so proud of the show we are getting to do now — a show we could never do before in this series.”
Cotrocois, who has toiled for seven years on the comedy front after plying his trade on the theatre scene, marvels at the camaraderie among fellow wits.
“We’re the underdogs, but we’re making it,” says Cotrocois, who hosts Friday’s 7 p.m. spectacle. “The fact that all four shows are nearly sold out in advance of the festival speaks to the support we’re now getting.”
Elie is marking her 30th year in the comedy trade, the last 15 as a standup on both the anglo and franco sides. She has worked throughout the country, but insists Montreal really stands out.
“Sure, a lot of local comedians have left, but what amazes me is that there is a new breed of talent that has come in and is making its mark,” says Elie, hosting the 7 p.m. Thursday show. “This city never seems to have a shortage of comics.”
Paterson concurs. His 9 p.m. Friday hosting gig marks his 20th JFL appearance. Among the best-known of this city’s comics, Paterson, also celebrating his 30th year in the biz, has branched out into film and TV and, like Elie, has become a fixture on the franco side, notably working with Mike Ward.
“On Friday when I’m hosting here, I’ll first be doing a French gala at Place des Arts and then I’ll be biking on a Bixi as fast as I can over to the Nest for this show. And I couldn’t be more thrilled to be introducing this mostly new group of locals here,” enthuses the hirsute Paterson, who, with his cowboy chapeau and wild shorts, looks like he just slipped off a Calgary Stampede chuckwagon.
“This is how I got my start in the business, doing a Montreal Show so many decades back,” says Paterson, who appeared in the Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There, starring Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale, and supplies the pipes for Keanu Reeves’s character in the franco versions of Toy Story 4 and 5.
“Audiences will be seeing the cream of the crop here this week, but the fact is the cream of the crop is here every week throughout the year,” says Mike Paterson, left, with fellow Montréal Series hosts John Cotrocois, Tranna Wintour and Rachelle Elie, right, in the green room at the Comedy Nest. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
So, what is it about Montreal that brings out all this whimsy?
Wintour nails it: “The city is tragically hilarious … also tragically hip. As much as we love it, there is also this ongoing tension, whether it’s language or culture-related, or whether it’s simply trying to navigate this city physically through all this never-ending construction. This constant tension naturally lends itself to hilarity and informs the comedy that is being made.”
Adds Elie: “I actually think it’s hilarious that all these streets are closed for festivals and all these other streets are closed for construction that is still going on after two years. It’s like a war zone here. We’re all so impatient.
“And yet Montreal is also such a multicultural city, such a melting pot that reflects the comic diversity here. There is such a fascinating mix of great people here, allowing comedians to speak their truths even deeper — and funnier. I’ve lived in Toronto, I’ve lived in Ottawa, I’ve lived in Vancouver, and dare I say Montreal is the best? Yes, I dare say it, even in spite of all the construction.”
And that’s what keeps many of us here — even non-standups.
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“Now that we’ve got this series, we can’t stop,” Cotrocois says. “We are strong and are killing it here. Now we have to move on and show the world what we’re capable of. That’s the goal.”
Adds Paterson: “Audiences will be seeing the cream of the crop here this week, but the fact is the cream of the crop is here every week throughout the year. And the cream always rises to the top … so said late pro wrestler Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage, and who dared argue with him?”
AT A GLANCE
The Montréal Series takes place Thursday and Friday at 7 and 9 p.m. at the Comedy Nest, 2313 Ste-Catherine St. W., third floor. The 44th Just for Laughs festival starts Wednesday and runs through July 26. For tickets, schedule and more information, visit hahaha.com.