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Just for Laughs returns from the dead with a money-back guarantee
Mommy, it's not over: Just for Laughs is back from the dead.
It was a tumultuous 2024 for the city's premier comedy fest. In March of that year, the fest was abruptly and shockingly cancelled and the old ownership group sought protection from its creditors. Later, it was saved by Quebec City's ComediHa!, who delivered a small but mighty version of the fest to laugh-starved Montrealers.
A year later, Just for Laughs' owner Sylvain Parent-Bédard and program director Nick Brazao, who joined hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand on this week's episode of The Corner Booth at Snowdon Deli, are bringing a star-studded lineup to Montreal this July 16-27.
'It's a massive undertaking, but we want to do it with humility and resilience because it's not easy,' said Parent-Bédard, who called it a 'a dream come true' going from the francophone comedy world to the anglophone one.
'And thanks to the JFL team that used to be there, who built this great Canadian institution.'
One of the remaining team members is Brazao. He first started working at the fest in 2009 and said comedians were just as eager to sign up this year.
'There's been excitement about the news of it coming back. It's a testament to the power of the Just for Laughs brand for 42 years,' Brazao said.
But wait, there's more. If you bought a ticket for one of this year's galas — Fortune Feimster, Michelle Buteau, Roy Wood Jr., Mikey Day are your hosts — and didn't feel like you got your money's worth in belly laughs, then you get your money back.
Seriously.
'I think it's important to make something with the anglophone community that has built this brand and who can have maybe some questions about what we're doing this year,' Parent-Bédard said. 'And to prove we're secure in the programming we've done. I know people are going to laugh, they're going to have fun, and those galas are the cornerstone of the festival.'
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Montreal Gazette
17 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Photography exhibition focuses on the people of Montreal and Shanghai
To mark the 40th anniversary of Montreal and Shanghai becoming sister cities, Montreal photographer Daniel Wiener has created an engrossing photo essay highlighting the urban landscapes of the two cities and honouring what he calls the shared humanity of the people of both. Pas de Deux: A tale — in three parts — of two cities features a series of 20 photographs set in Montreal, 20 in Shanghai and 20 featuring pairings based on subjects captured candidly in poses depicting daily life in the two cities, half a world apart. The City of Montreal is hosting the exhibition, being held at the Conseil des arts de Montréal, from Aug. 12 through Aug. 23. At first glance, Montreal and Shanghai seem to share little beyond an agreement signed in 1985 affirming their status as sister cities. But what if there is something more, Wiener wondered, 'something ubiquitous that reinforces our shared humanity?' Whenever he and his wife, who is Shanghainese, travelled to Shanghai to visit her family and friends, he'd wander around the city with his camera. As a commercial photographer, he thought: 'Maybe I can take some interesting photos and sell them to Air Canada or Air China.' Then he had what he calls 'a light bulb moment. The cities had more similarities than differences,' he realized. Myriad differences do exist between the two cities, of course: differences in language, geography, history, climate and political systems. But beyond that, the similarities are remarkable,' said Wiener, 71. Both cities are major ports and economic engines of their respective countries, of course — but that's not what this photo essay is about. 'Being a people watcher, that's where I pointed my lens,' he said. Residents of both cities share a joie de vivre, for one. 'Montrealers and Shanghainese, despite life's adversities, are optimistic and know how to have a good time,' Wiener said. 'Whether at a festival, botanical show or just going about their daily lives, through my camera's eye people are often enthusiastic in letting me see how good their lives are.' Another thing: The populations of both cities are diverse. 'More and more, Montreal is a city of immigrants,' Wiener said. Although Shanghai does not have significant foreign immigration, 'it is home to millions of migrants from rural areas who are essential in keeping the city running,' he said. 'Some areas are proudly Shanghainese, while others have a vibe much like Côte-des-Neiges,' said Wiener, who has long lived in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. The Shanghainese speak a Shanghai dialect among themselves and migrants speak Mandarin — but, because Mandarin is taught in schools throughout China, both groups are able to converse with one another. Residents of both cities share a love of food: While Montrealers line up for poutine, smoked meat and bagels, Shanghainese queue for moon cake, dumplings and Chinese doughnuts known as youtiao. 'We don't need the approval of the Michelin Guide to know Montreal is a culinary centre for everything from street food to haute cuisine,' Wiener said. 'The same holds true for Shanghai.' And both cities are an agglomeration of neighbourhoods. 'In Montreal, perhaps it's our proximity to each other that has led to a feeling of belonging. In Shanghai; there's that — but also the penchant people have for doing activities in groups. Exercise class or dancing in the park? It's highly probable that several times a week, you'll meet and socialize with your neighbours.' And from that neighbourly feeling grows the willingness to help: Wiener recalled observing a senior citizen trip over a piece of metal protruding from the sidewalk on Victoria Ave. near Van Horne Ave. — 'and immediately, a group of teenagers ran over and attended to her. In Shanghai, small courtesies like giving up a seat on the métro are a way of life. In the case of an actual emergency, people do get involved.' Most of the photos in the exhibition were taken during a two-year period, with the most recent shot in July. 'I often walk through the same areas at the same time — and I began to realize you see the same people,' he said. 'My experience throughout China is that people feel complimented if you take their picture.' The Montreal-Shanghai relationship is much bigger than we think — and much bigger there than here,' he said. 'And the Chinese like to celebrate anniversaries.' In 2024, Wiener discussed with the Chinese embassy's cultural affairs department in Ottawa his idea of a photo essay to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the twinning of the two cities. With their encouragement to exhibit Pas de Deux, he contacted Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, mayor of the Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough — and a message was forwarded from the borough to the City of Montreal. A spokesperson for the City of Montreal said that, so far, Wiener's exhibition is the only official event planned by the city to highlight the 40th anniversary of the Montreal-Shanghai twinning. Wiener said he has been told by the Canadian consulate in Shanghai that plans are afoot to mount the same exhibition this fall. The relationship of Montreal and Shanghai as sister cities was formalized in May 1985, when Jean Drapeau, mayor of Montreal at the time, travelled on an official mission to Shanghai, where he and the mayor of Shanghai at the time, Wang Daohan, signed an agreement. That agreement has fostered several tangible achievements, such as professional exchanges, the creation of a traditional Chinese garden at Montreal's Botanical Garden of the Espace pour la vie natural sciences complex and a Montreal garden in Shanghai, the spokesperson said. In 1970, Canada was the second Western country (after Sweden) to recognize the People's Republic of China, then in the middle of its Cultural Revolution. In 1971, the first Chinese ambassador to Canada, Wang Wa, settled in Ottawa; Drapeau, already mayor of Montreal, travelled to congratulate him. This could be one reason why, when Wang Wa became vice-president of China, he agreed to Shanghai's participation in the 1980 Floralies internationales de Montréal, an international horticultural exposition. And during the Floralies, Pierre Bourque, director of the Botanical Garden at the time (and later mayor of Montreal), held meetings that proved decisive in the construction of the Chinese garden in the Botanical Garden. Designed by Chinese architect Le Weizhong, it was built between 1990 and 1991 with materials shipped from Shanghai in more than 100 containers and assembled by dozens of Chinese craftsmen. AT A GLANCE Pas de Deux: A tale — in three parts — of two cities., an exhibition of three series of 20 photographs each by Montreal photographer Daniel Wiener, is at the Maison du conseil des arts de Montréal, 1210 Sherbrooke St. E., across from La Fontaine Park, from Aug. 12 through 23. It is open daily to all, free of charge: Hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Montreal Gazette
5 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
Drimonis: Montreal's multitude of ‘third places' enriches our city and our souls
Last Sunday night found me in a park in Griffintown enjoying the latest free movie offering by Film Noir au Canal. For close to a decade, this local group has been screening moody black-and-white masterpieces on the banks of the Lachine Canal, showcasing a world where women were take-no-guff dames, men sported tailored suits and fedoras, and the verbal exchanges were always razor-sharp. For six Sunday evenings (until Aug. 17) Montrealers can grab a blanket or their favourite camping chair, bring food and drinks and lie under the stars (or in last Sunday's case, an eerie orange half-moon) and watch French or English movies featuring sultry femme fatales who may or may not be up to no good and hapless private eyes who usually can't tell the difference. The crowd — a mix of young and old, large boisterous groups, people on their own, couples out on a romantic evening — all sitting and lying so closely together, that occasionally as we shift positions on the grass, someone's shoe may brush up against someone's hand. No one cares. There's a lingering poetic intimacy to a group of strangers sitting together in the shadow of old factory silos watching vampy Marlene Dietrich foreshadow the villain's demise in the 1958 classic Touch of Evil. Charlton Heston, wearing foundation that's five shades darker than his natural skin complexion, plays Mexican narcotics cop Mike Vargas. Not all films age gracefully. In fact, most don't. A few weeks ago, I found myself at Mount Royal Cemetery for the launch of this season's Shakespeare-in-the-Park production, where Shakespeare was noticeably absent. Instead, an Oscar Wilde play is being performed around Montreal parks this year: The Importance of Being Earnest. Once again, I was surrounded by strangers (both the dead and the living) as we laughed at the campy production, an invisible magical thread connecting us. Last week, I ended up on Nuns' Island, squeezing into West-Vancouver Park alongside thousands who came to listen to the Orchestre Métropolitain and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin perform for free under a gorgeous summer sky. I saw people of all backgrounds swaying their bodies to the same delicious notes. There's a name for these spaces and the feelings they evoke. Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term 'third places' in his 1989 book The Great, Good Place. If our homes and places of work are our first and second places, then parks, churches, cafés and libraries constitute third places. Public spaces where people go to simply be with others and connect with their community, mostly for free. Humans are communal animals. Even the most curmudgeonly crave some contact. Montreal's outdoor spaces act like what's been called 'societal glue,' fostering connection and deep attachment to the city we all call home. In our parks, public squares, green spaces and pedestrian-only streets, Montreal has an enviable amount of outdoor third spaces. I feel many people fail to truly understand their importance for a city's social cohesion; how they help build empathy for, and interest in, each other. Third places affirm our own sense of identity and belonging to a place while simultaneously making us feel as if we belong to a world bigger than ourselves. In multicultural and multilingual spaces like Montreal, where people of all backgrounds and perspectives come together, and in a world where people are increasingly living solitary lives online or in their cars, these spaces provide a sense of shared reality. They wage war against loneliness and disconnection. It can be the local basketball court, neighbourhood café or dog park. Or barbecues held in alleyways, cultural events sponsored by the city, or pay-what-you-can yoga in the park. It can be watching the sunset from the Lachine lighthouse or the full moon from the Kondiaronk lookout on Mount Royal. Third places have this irresistible ability to foster connection and tenderness for one another. Now, more than ever, we need that.
Edmonton Journal
7 days ago
- Edmonton Journal
'Uniquely Edmonton': Edmonton's stand-up comedy scene is the gold standard in Canada
Sterling Scott has spent the last 17 years growing into one of Canada's most accomplished stand-up comics, having performed at Just for Laughs and the Winnipeg and Halifax comedy festivals, and made multiple appearances on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Article content If you ask him which Canadian city has the best comedy scene, you wouldn't get the full question out before he enthusiastically answers, 'Edmonton!' Article content Article content He's the first to admit it's a biased assessment, considering he got his start on an Edmonton stage. Still, he's adamant that many lesser-known Edmonton comedians can stand toe-to-toe with the country's top headliners. Article content On any given week, Edmonton comedy fans can see headliners at Yuk Yuks and The Comic Strip, check out one of several open mics operating weekly at Blackdog, Southbound Brewing, or Maki Maki, or learn comedy theory at one of the Grindstone Theatre's seasonal classes. Article content To hear Scott tell it, Edmonton's comedy scene has grown like a rose from the concrete into a community of comics all lifting each other up and pushing through provincial borders and corporate limitations. Article content Article content A post-bust-up boom Article content Article content When Scott came to Edmonton in 2007 from his hometown of Scarborough, Ont., the Yuk Yuk's in West Edmonton Mall was the only major comedy stage in town, and a highly selective one at that. Article content Yuk Yuk's across Canada acted as a pipeline for comedians to travel the country and ply their trade. They would sign you to a contract to perform for the Yuk Yuk's brand, and, if you performed well and impressed, you'd be booked at other Yuk Yuk's across the country. Article content Or at least, that's how it was meant to play out. The truth, according to Scott, was that performers from western provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan didn't receive the same quantity or quality of bookings as comedians from the East Coast. Later on, Yuk Yuk's comics were also contractually obligated to play exclusively at affiliated clubs, severely undercutting a comic's ability to go on the road and make money.
