WHAT TO WATCH: Allyson Smith at Yuk Yuk's Ottawa

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

WHO TO WATCH: Christina Walkinshaw & Kathleen McGee

McGee

This week JH5 was indecisive about which of  two amazing women to profile for WHO TO WATCH.  Both Christina Walkinshaw and Kathleen McGee are coming to Ottawa this weekend to provide down and dirty comedy with a slight touch of class. The decision has been made, and BOTH talented women will be profiled.  They each have their own style, flair, and originality.  They each have their own unique voice, but together they are a force of female power; and most importantly, they are hilarious.

This interview was admittedly a lot of fun. It was at times hard to get the questions out, as when these two get together, it is a party waiting to happen!  One liner after one liner, these two women feed off each other’s energy and no doubt use it to write new material once they are home.  When questions were asked, they answered candidly, and were respectful that not everyone is knowledgeable about all things dark and dirty.  They excitedly described words when not understood, such as Bukkaki & Blumpkin.  (and, um, ewww)

Kathleen McGee started comedy five years ago.  The “funny one” with her friends in Edmonton, Mcgee always knew she was going to do something on stage, and moved her dream of Vegas lounge singer to stand up comedian.  She was heavier set, lost weight and gained the confidence to try comedy, and fell in love with the stage. She moved to Toronto two years ago, and her star is on the rise.  JH5 was first introduced to McGee in the summer of 2010,  opening for Darren Frost. McGee, from the first moment on stage, has the audience in her hand.  She has an abundance of charm, her jokes are well written; but beware, she is not for the faint of heart.  Once JH2 (Jenn) watched McGee’s set, she sent JH1 (Josh) in the next night to see her, and that was it, JH5 was a fan.  

Christina Walkinshaw began her comedy five years before McGee.  At age eleven Walkinshaw was already writing in her diary, which now reads as a strong comedy set.  One liners come easy to Walkinshaw, even from an early age.  She wrote continually, and began her career as a very young woman.  JH5 was introduced to Walkinshaw on Mother’s Day weekend, 2011.  Walkinshaw hosted a strong evening of female comedy for Yuk Yuk’s Comedy, sharing the stage with Wendi Reed and Jen Grant, both also very funny women.  As an aside, big thumbs up from JH5 to Yuk Yuk’s for understanding that NOT all female comics are the same and for continual mentoring of comedic talent, both male and female.

Mcgee and Walkinshaw met in Montreal a few years back while standing in line for Last Comic Standing Auditions.  McGee was flown in from Edmonton, Walkinshaw drove from Toronto, and when they met, the party started.  The auditions were held on St. Patrick’s Day that year during a gigantic snowstorm, and they joined other comics for a night they will never forget.  McGee then moved back to Edmonton, and they met up again when McGee moved to Toronto.

To maintain their lavish lifestyle of a comedian, and by lavish, they mean slightly below the poverty line, both comics have day jobs.  Walkinshaw is a bartender at Irish pub, and McGee for the past two years was a barista at Starbucks.  (She has since quit looking for another location, so is now a full time comic,  otherwise known as unemployed.)  Both women use their humour in the day jobs, having regulars who become repeat customers solely to visit these funny women.  

Both women admire comics such as Louis CK who can make horribly dirty things accessible, and is not afraid to say what is on his mind and take risks.  Walkinshaw listed Heidi Foss as one of her Canadian favourites and McGee cited Darrin Frost as her absolute favourite.  Both Foss and Frost are amazing comics, but also mentors, making them well liked by Walkinshaw and McGee.

When asked about the comedy scene in Toronto, both women state it is very supportive.  They state the comics in Toronto are regular people cheering for each other.  They are friends unwinding after shows, and helping each other out where possible.  When McGee moved to Toronto she worried that the women would not accept her, as their is a stereotype of women and competitiveness, but found all the women welcomed her with open arms.  She is friends with most of them, brunching often.  McGee, Walkinshaw and their friend Clare Brosseau often go out partying together, but in the end just sit and text each other back and forth, so the world can see their fun exchanges on twitter.  

Wondering if there is anything negative about the comedy scene, the women are asked what drives them crazy about the comic’s life.  McGee gets frustrated when others get ahead of her, when she does not have a show, or was not put on a festival when others were.  Walkinshaw agrees, stating that they work hard, get good laughs and fans by the day, then nothing for a month, then poof, a magical phone call comes and she is opening for Russell Peters at Casino Rama.  Both lament that comics have to stay positive to keep their edge.  JH5 has thought about this, and what comics seem to go through for every job is the same stress level of a job interview.  Most people have a job interview maybe once a year if that, and comics do it each and every day to gain work for a craft they love.  Kudos.

Both women are affectionate and supportive of each other.  Walkinshaw is supportive of McGee’s fun bid to try and gain Charlie Sheen’s attention to open for his show (and stop the emails people, we are not supporting Sheen, but rather McGee.  If a woman can get ahead on the back of a misogynist and the public that will pay to see him, then all the better.  This will be a show where she is definitely the classiest person on stage!).  McGee also supports Walkinshaw's blog and her projects.  When Walkinshaw got the call for Russell Peters, McGee was thrilled for her.  This support will help them get through the good and the bad times of comedy.

Both women are realistic about their futures. They understand that stand-up comedy is not the highest paying career choice; they chose it because they are talented and they have a passion for it.  Their end goal is to continue to perform stand up comedy, and hopefully one day not have to live on Kraft Dinner.  While not aiming to be rich, they would both enjoy a shot to move above the poverty line!  Both women are excited to be a small part of a Dirty  Girl’s tour, led by the original Dirty Girl Shannon Laverty.  Both women cite her as being a ground breaker and paving the way for them to enter comedy and perform dirty comedy. Walkinshaw also adds she wishes to star in porn movie directed by Aaron Berg.

JH5 is exceptionally proud to present both of these women.  They have talent, they are generous and exceptionally nice people, but more important than all of these things:  they are funny.  Take or leave their style of humour, but JH5 will ALWAYS support a comedian who takes risks and says what they want to say as an artist.  As women they will continue to take hits for some for their humour as long as we still live in a society that has both spoken and unspoken roles that women should play, and lines women should not cross.  Both women can be found at Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club this weekend.  Please call (613) 236-5233 to get more information or reserve a table, and tell them JH5 sent you.

This week both McGee and Walkingshaw are JH5’s guest bloggers, and on Saturday night JH2 will undertake a special project of partying with these women, and blogging about it on Sunday.  Reporting on a full day in the life of a comic will be an interesting article, so hope you join us this week for an entire week of these two amazing women.

Until next week.

JH2

WHO TO WATCH: JEN GRANT

The Fabulous Jen grant

Jen Grant preforming at JH5's Chickles

Twelve years ago, a young woman already experienced in the performance arts was asked to try her hand at comedy.  A friend supported her in her first endeavour with stand up, and helped her get the confidence to give it a try.  As Jen Grant hit the stage at a New Talent night, it was clear to everyone that she already had the stage presence to go far, and it was clear to Grant that she was already in love with the thrill of being on stage and making people laugh.

Throughout her 12 year road with stand up comedy, Grant has had a range of experiences; from throwing up before an important gig before performing 15 minutes of material to a silent and hostile audience, to flying to Egypt and Israel to perform for Canadian troops!  She has had these experiences, and everything in-between.

Grant was scared her first time on stage, but performed quite well.  Given her experience in Second City Acting classes, she had and still has a natural ability on stage.  When watching Grant you see an extremely talented stand up comedian who flows from joke to joke with the ease of regular conversation.  She performs on average four times per week, and no longer feels the jitters on stage.

Grant’s process for developing material is to get inside her head, isolate, and try it on stage.  She states there is no other way to find out if a bit works than to try it a few times.  Grant’s peers actively challenged and pushed her to improve her craft, and with focus and hard work she has evolved into an amazing performer.  Her advice to new comics is to separate yourself from your material, no matter how personal.  One thing she never engaged in, and advises aspiring comedians to never do a ‘hackey’ joke just to get a laugh.  This can become habit, and it is better to write and find your own voice and be confident in who you are.

Grant started out in Ottawa, but now lives in New York City.  She comes home regularly to visit family and perform for her home town.  She also enjoys performing with some of her colleagues in the business, such as Don Kelly, Wendi Reed, Julien Dionne, Alex Wood, and Martha Chaves among others.  It is in Ottawa she is truly home, performing sold out shows to audiences who can’t get enough of Jen Grant.  You can watch her act many times over and there is always laughter!

One experience Grant shares is performing for the troops in Egypt.  The English speaking Canadian troops totalled 25, out of an audience of 200.  Most of the other performers on the tour were singers and dancers.  Grant went on stage, gave the performance of her life to entertain the hard working Canadian men and women, who responded with laughter and applause.  The rest of the non-English speaking audience thought Grant was just a long winded woman introducing the next dancing act!  It is a good thing she is attractive as well, or this crowd of non-speaking individuals may have gotten a bit rowdy!  These experiences she has in life could only have been brought to her through her hard work, determination, and natural skill.

Grant loves performing comedy, and thinks the best thing about comedy is that she doesn’t work in an office, confined to cubicles.  She knew from an early age that she was creative and free and needed to find a career to match this.  The challenge to being a full-time comedian is the instability of the lifestyle.  To make it as a comedian, it requires sacrifice and determination, along with time on stage.  Jen travels across North America to a variety of audiences.  This must be done to work consistently and wait for the “big break”.

In an ideal world, in ten years Grant will  be the biggest star anyone has ever seen or an organic farmer in Wakefield, Quebec.  She jokes, but she is talented, hard working, and ambitious, and will likely end up far in this business.

Grant is still a young woman, and has an amazing career ahead of her.  JH5 is proud to present Jen Grant as the first “WHO TO WATCH’ segment, and rest assured, when Grant is in town, JH5 will let you know.  If you have not had the pleasure, you are in for a wonderful treat.

WHO TO WATCH

Something exciting is afoot! As most of you know, Fridays we post a recap, a review if you will, of the shows at Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club, and Absolute Comedy Club. This gives you, the readers a view of "WHAT TO WATCH".

We are excited to launch "WHO TO WATCH" coming at you on Mondays, starting February 21rst. While WHAT TO WATCH is subjective, and really more a recap of the show, WHO TO WATCH is us interviewing our favourite comedians, and those involved in the comedy business! While we at JH5 focus mostly on female comedy, we will highlight some of the guys we like! (Don Kelly, Trevor Thompson, and one of those Carter boys are just to name a few)

Why are we doing this? If you have read any of our previous posts, you will see that we, all of us at JH5, LOVE comedy. We love to watch comedy almost as much as we enjoy "smooching" with our spouses. (almost) We want to help energize the Ottawa community about comedy, and highlight those working hard on their craft, to give a bit of spotlight to them. We average 100 people per day on our site (let's make it more people!!) and we take 10 of those away for our mom's who are so proud, that they continue to click our site to see if we mentioned them. (trust us, if we mentioned them the comedy would STOP). We want this readership to grow, and help Ottawa become excited about comedy! We want to let you know who we like, and will have a Q & A with our faves, updating weekly! Perhaps this is just the comedian you have been looking for at one of your events? We will also provide their booking information!

So tune in here, bright and early Monday mornings, for WHO TO WATCH! Do you have a fave. that you want us to interview? Then post it in the comment section! We will do comics not in Ottawa as well, pending their desire to be interviewed. Our one rule on "WHO TO WATCH" is that we must have seen them live ourselves. We will not interview someone we have not watched live, because live is where it's at baby, and live is what we are promoting here at JH5!

See you on the 21rst where we have our first WHO TO WATCH with our red headed comedy Goddess, Jen Grant!

As always, thank you for your support, and spread the word that JH5 is the best place to find out about comedy in Ottawa, and hopefully soon in all of Canada!