The Comedyworks’ Best of Montreal Stand-Up Special gives Just For Laughs a little friendly competition
That the Just For Laughs festival was born and is based here in Montreal (despite its siblings in Toronto, Chicago and Nantes) suggests that Montreal is a comedy town par excellence. Somewhat paradoxically, however, it’s precisely during the massive, career-making festival that many of this town’s best comics get their spotlight usurped by out-of-towners.
The obvious question is why.
“I guess because they see [locals] as just that: local. We’re not exotic,” says comic Dan Bingham, who performed at JFL last year and will be hosting/presenting Eat My Shorts at Comedia, the JFL film festival. “We’re not from Australia or the U.K. or the U.S. - people from Montreal have probably seen us a lot already, so maybe [Just For Laughs doesn't] think people will spend the cash to come see Jeff Schouela or Dan Bingham.”
This article was written by Dave Jaffer from the Hour, and you can read the rest of it here.
