Montreal's Just For Laughs comedy festival to showcase Canadian and American stars
Tom Segura, Russell Peters and Russell Howard are among the headliners booked for a revamped Just For Laughs that its new owner says he hopes will bring the summer festival back to its position as an industry powerhouse.
JFL president and CEO Sylvain Parent-Bédard outlined a revitalized focus he called a "comedy first" approach while announcing a summer lineup that includes Toronto's Mae Martin, Pakistani-American comic Kumail Nanjiani, and U.S. comics Fortune Feimster, Michelle Buteau and Adam Ray.
"The team has worked so hard in the last few months to build back and put in place a great festival, a stable festival," said Parent-Bédard, reached by video call before hosting a press conference in Montreal.
For comedian Steve Biko, getting a spot in the festival is a dream come true.
"It's really big for me who came from Cameroon and now I'm doing stand up here in Canada," he said.
Mix of new faces and well-known artists
Just For Laughs filed for bankruptcy in 2024 citing myriad financial troubles including fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and a changing entertainment industry.
It was purchased last June by Parent-Bédard's group ComediHa!, a francophone comedy company which last year mounted a scaled-down version of JFL that included shows in Vancouver and Bermuda.
Parent-Bédard said this year's edition will offer audiences a mix of new faces and well-known artists as the team works toward rebuilding JFL's venerable legacy.
"One day we hope to be recognized again, as it was the greatest and the biggest comedy festival in the world, but I know that we are going to do great this summer and the most important thing for us is comedians having fun, fans having fun," he said.
In addition to solo standup shows, plans this summer include two free outdoor comedy shows and the return of the festival's comedy club series.
JFL is also reviving its gala series featuring breakout acts accompanied by industry veterans, with two shows each hosted by Feimster and Buteau and taped in front of a live audience, to air on CBC.
Meanwhile, CTV Comedy Channel's Roast Battle Canada will be taped at the festival for the first time, featuring Peters, Sabrina Jalees and K. Trevor Wilson as judges and Ennis Esmer as host.
'We are back in full force'
Nick Brazao, JFL's head of programming and talent, said there will be a range of concerts and comedy.
"You can't go wrong with what we have got in store," he said. "We are back in full force."
Parent-Bédard said his passion for comedy will drive this new iteration of the festival, which was founded in 1982.
"I have my hands on the wheel. We can make our own decisions, and we are going to make decisions about love for comedy, about passion," Parent-Bédard said.
JFL is set to run from July 16 to 27 and tickets go on sale on May 12.
Like Biko, knowing she will be performing during JFL is a dream for comedian Pascale Marineau,
"If I need to speak to my little inner child, I would say 'you go girl, you did it! You're here and you get to know people who inspired you all your life,'" she said.
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