With Just For Laughs Montreal, the laughs and the laugh makers keep on coming!
Earlier this week, festival organizers unveiled a second wave of shows and comics who will be part of the line-up for this year’s 41st edition, which runs from July 14 to 29.
Starting with its flagship galas, three more star-studded shows have been added at the Theatre Maisonneuve that are going to be headlined with the following hosts: SNL alumnus Leslie Jones (July 29, 945 p.m.), one of Britain’s greatest and innovative comics of the past 30 years Eddie Izzard (July 28, 9:45 p.m.), and Mae Martin, the Canadian comedian/actor/writer/producer whose comedy/drama series Feel Good can now be seen on Netflix (July 29, 7 p.m.).
A number of festival favorites and newbies are scheduled to headline their own solo shows at JFL this summer: Ronny Chieng at the L’Olympia (July 27, 7 p.m.); festival veteran Neal Brennan with his new show Brand New Neal (July 28, 9:30 p.m.); Ramy Youssef, creator and star of his hit Hulu show Ramy who will be performing at the Gesu (July 28 and 29, 7 and 9:30 p.m.); the duo of Darcy & Jer will prove to JFL audiences why their videos average 50 million viewers a month (July 28, 7 p.m.); Nasty Show favorite Brad Williams returns to the festival in a blaze of glory with his solo show at the MTELUS (July 26, 7 p.m.); one of the most popular features of SNL with their original viral comedy videos, Please Don’t Destroy goes live at Club Soda (July 28, 7 p.m.); The Irish sketch comedy group Foil Arms & Hog (aka, respectively, Sean Finegan, Conor McKenna and Sean Flanagan, goes beyond their YouTube, Facebook and Instagram platforms to take the stage at the MTELUS with their show Hogwash (July 27, 7 p.m.); Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner bring their popular podcast Giggly Squad to a live audience at Club Soda (July 27, 9:30 p.m.); and Hannah – who was featured at last year’s New Faces showcase, goes solo with her own stand-up show at Le Studio TD (July 28, 9:30 p.m.); Jessica Kirson, a constant favorite on the Ethnic Show/Just for the Culture Show line-up, returns with her own solo show (July 27, 7 p.m.); UK comic Joanne McNally makes the transatlantic trek to JFL with her show The Prosecco Express (July 28, 9:30 p.m.); Joe Dombrowski (aka Mr. D) makes the transition from the Ellen DeGeneres Show to Just For Laughs as he takes the stage at Club Soda (July 29, 7 p.m.); American comic Felipe Esperanza broke into the comedy world in a big way by winning Last Comic Standing 13 years ago, and now we see how he has evolved since that victory with his own one-person show at Le Studio TD (July 26, 9:30 p.m.).
For the Club Series, there have been several new developments. Controversial Quebec comic Mike Ward joins the line-up of this year’s Nasty Show on the heels of his Guinness World Record-setting podcast at last year’s festival, which sold over 20,000 tickets. Also joining that line-up is 2016 New Faces veteran Geoffrey Asmus. The Brit(ish) series of shows just announced its line-up, with host Jen Brister, special guest Alan Davies, and across-the-pond comics Josie Long, Reuben Kaye, Jamali Maddix and Gina Yashere.
And the always popular OFF JFL series will feature the following shows that will invade the intimate settings of Theatre St. Catherine, Le Balcon, Café Cleopatre, Newspeak and the Salle Claude Leveille of Place des Arts: on the heels of her successful Netflix special Overqualified Loser, Urzila Carlon will present her show It’s Personal (July 20-23, 25-27, 10 p.m.); Keith and Kenny Lucas, aka The Lucas Brothers, brings their brotherly style of comedy that earned them the distinction of being one of the top acts of JFL 2017 (July 20-23, 25-27, 8:30 p.m.); the sketch comedy duo of Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher, who perform under the name of BriTANick, will perform at the Theatre St. Catherine (July 20-23, 25-27, 7 p.m.); Addison, Illinois native Kyle Kinane, who has been seen on a number of TV shows including Drunk History, takes the stage of the legendary Café Cleopatra (July 26 and 28, 9 p.m.); Los Angeles-based comic, actor and writer River Butcher goes from YouTube to the Salle Claude Leveille with his unique stand-up show (July 27, 9 p.m.); Australian comic Tom Ballard offers JFL audiences for the fifth time a new stand-up show called It Is I (July 28 and 29, 7:30 p.m.); Nath Valvo, who hosts the Australian Just For Laughs TV series, returns from his storming of the Tiffany Haddish gala four years ago with his first solo show (July 27, 9 p.m.); New Zealand comic Melanie Bracewell, who certainly knows how to tell a good anecdote, will be sharing some choice stories with her show Forget Me Not (July 29, 7 p.m.); the popular festival series of shows Best of the Fest returns with a selection of specially chosen comics who will certainly live up to the billing (July 25-28, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.; British comic Gina Yashere’s solo show The Woman King of Comedy retells her story from London to Hollywood (July 27, 10 p.m.).
Stay tuned for additional Just For Laughs Montreal line-up announcements within the next few weeks.
Tickets go on sale to the public as of May 26 at 10 a.m. by going to www.hahaha.com.
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