Allyson Smith headlines Yuk Yuk’s Ottawa Elgin location this weekend. As my readers know, I never miss a female comic when they come through town, so out I went last night. I was NOT in the mood for comedy; I was pissy, grumpy, and was annoyed I wasn’t in my jammies snuggling with jh1! Let’s get this over with were my general thoughts.
The crowd was young, and filled with a large birthday party for a young woman. The crowd was filled with spirit and spirits, and they were ready for their host! The music plays and out comes Mr. Mike Harrison, a young comedian originally from my Saskatchewan. No matter my mood, I already like him because we both have Green Pride, GO RIDERS! He was in fact a very good host. He spent a strong amount of time doing crowd work, engaging in banter with the young audience members. He spends a great deal of time focusing on one young lad, because this lad has a smile that does not go away. He could literally grin from one end of the room to the other; it was both appealing and creepy. The host naturally goes after him in a friendly manner and everyone enjoys it. Mr. Smile does not lose his smile during the entire show. Even I, with my grumpiness, am a bit inspired by him. Harrison spends a bit of time educating a young lady not to text in the first row, really folks, don’t text in the middle row, the back row, and if you want to walk out with dignity, never ever text in the front row!
Harrison invites local talent Greg Schroeder to the stage. Schroeder, a teacher from Ottawa, takes the stage with the confidence only an 11th grade school teacher could have! He delivers a top notch performance discussing his children and his life. He has a newer bit on dream catchers that I as an Aboriginal person loved beyond belief. Schroeder has great timing and his comedy is intelligent. The young (and apparently intelligent) crowd gets him, and enjoys his entire set. Great job Schroeder! I am slightly lessened in my grumpiness, so thank you.
Harrison comes back out, and does two jokes and I won’t say what happened, but when he says “this is the most unprofessional I have ever been” I am laughing hysterically because I thought he handled a situation amazingly! If you want to know what I am talking about you have to go to Yuk Yuk’s and speak to Harrison yourself! He then introduces the middle act….
Out RUNS Trixx to perform his comedy. Trixx, apparently famed by Much Music Video on Trial, (like I have cable) is very energizing to the audience. He begins his work by breaking out the fact he is the only black person in the room. Oh boy, I roll my eyes, is he going to do just racial humour for 20 minutes?? My grump comes back a bit, which is ironic as I do many cultural jokes as well! Good thing I was wrong, he has many jokes on various subjects. He is what I would describe as more of a mainstream comic; he does not tackle challenging subjects or thought provoking jokes; however, he delivers what he does with a cool style that makes everyone like him! He is a comic one likes right away, then becomes unsure, then really likes him again. He is in fact retro music. He is playing his entire set at the Prescott, and I am sure he will entertain the masses with more of his humour and style, and leave the young white girls swooning.
Harrison does some more jokes, one that makes me laugh out loud, and I am unsure if grump is gone or not, but for sure it is lessened. The kids (now referring to this young Thursday audience as “the kids”) really enjoy him! He introduces the talented and beautiful Allyson Smith! Five minutes into her set Ms. Smith has my grump entirely removed! She is one of the smartest comedians I have met. She, a former teacher herself, has a commanding presence, energetic voice, and writes jokes that appeal to both genders and all ages. The kids are laughing as hard as I am. In her act she has a few jokes that the youngin’s don’t get because they were not alive to enjoy the music stylings of Kriss Kross (man I want to wear my pants backwards now) and other 90’s references. She smartly pushes aside the rest of her retro kind of jokes and gears her set to the mainstream. When she did veer back into “old people territory”, she looked at me and we had a secret exchange of “oh these kids today”.
I have seen many female comedians, and many of them have been very good, and a couple have been great, but rarely have I taken so quickly to a comic like Allyson Smith. The last time I felt like this in comedy was when I first saw Jen Grant! Talent is talent, and then there are those who are destined to become superstars, and Smith has a strong future ahead of her! I would describe her as a feminist comic. I don’t mean she doesn’t shave her legs or armpits and yells about men, in fact the opposite, she really loves men. By feminist I mean she tackles subjects such as the ridiculousness of Brownies, the stereotypes of women, and takes on pop culture with finesse, style, strength, humour, and amazing vocals! She is a must must must see! That’s right, three musts! I can guarantee you she will be on a JH5 production in the future, without a doubt!
Readers of my blog, of which we are sitting at about 200: This is why I love comedy. I come to a comedy club in a funk almost as big as the size of my derriere, and leave in a great mood. Not just a great mood, a fantastic mood! All the comics were good in their own way, but Ms. Smith is why I support comedy so vehemently. She is talented with her writing and performing, has a natural style, and leaves the stage with everyone in the room, regardless of age of gender, wanting more. There was a line up to purchase her CD at the end of the show, and this is something I have not seen before. No one left that room in a bad mood, and Ottawa was better for having her here.
No matter how you feel tonight or tomorrow, I suggest you get out and see Ms. Smith. She is more than WHAT TO WATCH, she is going to soothe your soul with her talent. For the small price to get into Yuk Yuk’s Elgin, money could not be better spent! To reserve your tickets (GO NOW) call 236-5233.
Jenn hayward
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