Third Beat

I’m tempted to say the second group of New Faces performers was slightly stronger than the first one I saw, but based on the improvement in audience energy that may be an unfair assessment.

The list:

Andy Ritchie
Good joke writer. “I remember when college girls used to look at me. Now they just keep an eye on me.” On his shower head being stuck on the massage setting, “I feel like a ’60s civil rights activist”.

Matt Knudsen
The man wore a suit for us! We’re honoured! Good stuff, including a bit about spending 2 months’ salary on an engagement ring but picking 2 months from 1986, and a nice extended closer about all-you-can-eat buffets which is one of those bits that you know he’ll be rewriting and adding tags to for years to come.

Mary Mack
Sounding just like Maria Bamford is probably both a blessing and a curse for her. She deals with her high-pitched voice off the top, but is able move on quickly. My favourite line: “Stay positive! Every time I catch myself being negative, I cut myself.” I dug her vibe and her connection with the audience, but found the closer (playing Don’t Fence Me In on the recorder) a little more offbeat than funny, and maybe best kept to alt shows.

Chris D’Elia
It may have been an odd setlist construction coincidence, but the bulk of his material centred on stereotypes. His friend buying him pants for his birthday (kinda gay), black guys getting away with wearing anything, and how Germans sound like they’re talking in rewind. On paper, it doesn’t sound amazing, but delivered it went over huge. Good material coupled with fantastic physicality equals the biggest ovation of the night.

Mike Bridentstein
Started off with some standard I’m-an-average-guy stuff about being the fattest he’s ever been right now, but my favourite bit of the night was his impression of his commercial agent’s assistant leaving him voicemails. If you’re going to do that bit, might as well do it infront of an industry crowd!

Kumail Nanjiani
I think this guy is more recognizable to New York comedy tourists than the Naked Cowboy. He does every show in town, and thus the only guy on the bill who I’ve seen before. I already liked him. I still like him. He’s one of Variety’s 10 Comics To Watch, so does he really need more ink?

Renee Gauthier
See my review from the previous New Faces; not sure why she was on both shows, but I wasn’t complaining about seeing her again.

Alex Koll
This guy looks like Zach Galifinakis fell asleep for 100 years. “Welcome to wizard comedy night,” he appropriately greeted us. He did bits on April Fool’s Day, Prince, and alchol before surprising everyone with a move that I won’t ruin here. My favourite joke: his girlfriend rolled out of bed onto the floor, so he yelled “5 second rule!” and kept fucking her.

Myq Kaplan
It’s rare to watch a young comic be somewhat improvisational and have it not come across as sloppy. He opened with 2 jokes, one visual in response to one of Alex Koll’s gags, and another in reference to a joke told by host Adam Hills. Always risky, but it worked and certainly endeared the crowd to him. Standout bit: how losing your cell phone is like losing a child (a child who knows all your friends’ and family’s numbers, so it’s like losing an autistic child).

I should note that it’s hard to do a proper assessment of New Faces. These guys for the most part ARE new, so you can’t review them up against the other acts at the festival. But they’re not open micers either. My expectations going in were closer to the open micer realm, so I’m pleased. For what they are, they all did very well. No overwhelming nerves, no bombs, no tragically stupid mistakes.

Renee Gaulthier at New Faces, Thursday

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About a year ago, a British comedy nerd friend of mine recommended Ross Noble. I didn’t pay much attention, because people are always giving me advice on what I should check out, and less than half of that advice is any good. But after my exposure to Ross Noble last night, I feel quite the fool for ignoring the recommendation.

Infront of a giant greyscale psychedelic poster of his own head, Noble had worked up a sweat within the first 2 minutes. A woman walked across the front of the stage at the very beginning, and Noble latched onto the idea of her being lost while on a tour of the JFL Museum (the show’s venue), leading to the expectation of schoolchildren and Japanese tourists being not far behind. This, I would discover, is his style. Audience-inspired tangents using the improvisational “if this, then what?” frame of mind.

It was completely impossible to tell which moments were scripted. Some of them had to be, and surely he would direct his stream of consciousness slightly to end up where he wanted to end up. But for the life of me, I couldn’t identify where the improv ended and the prepared material began. I believe I’ve been outsmarted. Well played, Mr. Noble, well played.

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The pace and energy of the Montreal edition of the Sketch Show was vastly superior to its Toronto counterpart (I made the decision in advance to not review that one, which I’m happy about). The show was hosted by the hilarious duo Garfunkel & Oates (Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci) who opened with what should be a childfree anthem, Pregnant Women Are Smug. The highlight of the Imponderables’ set was a an action movie trailer parody, with Waldo (of Where’s Waldo) as the villain. As fate would have it, the Idiots of Ants opened with a bit featuring Waldo as well, which may have actually benefited by the parallel thinking. Birthday Boys supplied 3D glasses to the crowd for an “experience” that may have worked better for those seated directly infront of the thrust stage, but was mighty cool nevertheless. And 2 White Guys – aka Rebecca Drysdale (one of my favourite people to watch anywhere, anytime) and Jordan Peele – went all-out with their upbeat sex educators schtick which I’m bummed I can’t find video of to show you. But I will show you the trailer from the Imponderables. Half a million hits on YouTube, and justified.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg4ztJ32iPI]

This is my 5th Just For Laughs Festival, and amazingly last night was my first ever New Faces show. New Faces is relevant primarily because of its former relevance. It’s a relic leftover from a past reality, when agents and managers would flock to Montreal (still happening) to hand out sitcom development deals to the first unknown to impress them (not happening). Does this one-stop-shopping show, always scheduled so it’s the first thing industry people see after flying in, still need to exist in this format?

I wasn’t the only one to notice how the show’s heat factor has worn down slightly over the years. Host Dan Levy reminded the sparse crowd that in recent years New Faces has been hosted by the likes of Drew Carey, Anthony Clark, and Kevin Pollack.

“I think it’s clear there are no development deals left in Hollywood,” he said.

The lineup:

Mose Kasher
A unique look and a unique style, delving into fast-paced rants that can’t not get applause breaks when he stops to take a breath. Would be interested to see his progress in a few years.

Al Jackson
Comfortable conversational style, talking mostly about his experiences as a school teacher in Miami and having to teach sex ed. Led into a bit about erectile dysfunction (“like trying to put a marshmallow into a coin slot”), which was not as cringe-inducing as you’d think it would be. I’d watch him for an hour.

Duncan Trussell
Took a risk by opening with something new: a bit about the creepiness of the JFL mascot and how it haunts his dreams. It paid off, though he lost the easy-to-lose crowd somewhat by going into a tangent about letting suicidal people die.

Pete Holmes
One of the few recognizable names on the bill didn’t disappoint. He established his character firmly, efficiently, and hilariously. His “I act like ‘fun dad’” bit is golden. 7 minutes, and we know without a doubt who this guy is. This is how a New Faces set is done — and 10 years ago, he’d have had a deal inked by sunrise.

Andrew Lawrence
I can’t imagine he’d be offended by being called “odd”, because there’s no other way to describe his awkward appearance and speedy yet monotone delivery. The lone Brit on the bill did talk about his appearance (a common theme through the evening, as it’s requisite part of the young comic’s repertoire) and his relations with his girlfriend. Response to him was positive, but could I handle an hour?

Renee Gauthier
Insert standard “bold female” descriptor here. Brazen? A firecracker? You get the idea. She’s polished, energetic, and went balls to the wall when delivering her musically-inspired opener and closer. She’s definitely a performer, and probably the most cast-able one on the bill.

Rory Scovel
When he took the stage and asked for “more applause for Dan,” I cringed. I’m in the camp that views that type of solicitation as an amateur move, and when you’re trying to impress a very jaded industry it’s best to erase all reminders that you’re relatively new at this. People I was with LOVED Rory, and I did like a few bits (like holding surprise parties for blind people), but for some reason I just didn’t connect with him.

Eric Krug
By contrast, Krug initially gave off an air of calm confidence that suggested he’s been doing this a long time, whether he actually has or not. A bit about celebrity knights being forced into service as actual knights was fantastic, and his closing audience participation bit about guessing who quotes were attributed to – Anne Frank or Tupac – could use some beefing up but is a great premise. My only complaint: rushing to spit out a very racist joke (about how black people don’t work hard) before bolting from the stage. Dude, you were doing so well. Why??

Dan Ahdoot
Why is Dan on New Faces? He’s young, but he certainly isn’t new. Wasn’t he on the first season of Last Comic Standing? It was pointed out to me later that he doesn’t have representation, so that could be the key to his name on the bill. Regardless, he spit out a solid 7 on his Iranian/Jewish heritage and being single. Nice to cap of the show with a sure thing.

This was half of the New Faces lineup this year; I will be seeing the other group later tonight, and will of course report back.