JUST FOR LAUGHS - Part 2

Danny Bhoy Photo © Eric Myre

The Just For Laughs Festival is now over! This year was quite different than last year for me. Somehow I went to almost all the Galas. There was a lot going on and the weather was magnificent. The food we ate at the festival from the Europea Camion de rue was succulent. I enjoy comics very much so I had a grand old time.

Carrie Fisher

I ended the Festival with two Galas; The Mega Stars of Comedy Gala and The Carrie Fisher Gala. I was very happy to have seen Lewis Black and Greg Proops in a few places during the week as they are two of my favorites. For some reason the excellent comic JB Smoove could not stir the crowd at The Mega Stars of Comedy Gala. He followed Lewis Black and Danny Bhoy who did political humor that seemed to resonate more with the mood of the night while Smoove got personal focusing on his marriage. The Donald Trump presidency campaign has disturbed a lot of people even in Canada. One comic said " The whole world is looking at us in disbelief! " about Trump's run for the White House. On the other hand when Australian comic Dave Hughes came out to the same unenthusiastic reception, he turned it around by saying he was more well known down under and the crowd loved it. Iliza Shlesinger, Gerry Dee and Ralphie May rounded up this line-up.

The next night we went to The Carrie Fisher Gala. She looked very nice and fresh when she came out and we were enthralled! She is so funny and honest about her life struggles with mental illness and drug addiction. 

Nathan Macintosh, Jim Norton, Joel Creasy, Cristela Alonzo,  Ronny Chieng,  Ivan Decker,  Brian Posehn  and Celia Pacquola formed the entire cast of funnies. My two favorites that night were Cristela Alonzo with her story about her mom adapting to American culture: " I am Santa Claus! " the mom says when she gives her daughter a Christmas present not wanting to give credit to "...a fat white dude dressed in red! "; and Ronny Chieng talking about being a minority: " I come from China, I was not a minority over there! "

My cheeks hurt I laughed so much!

-LENA GHIO