FTB Weekends: Mid-Summer News Roundup
Jason C. McLean and Dawn McSweeney take a break from talking Montreal festival season to go over some recent news: Ongoing war in Ukraine and war games near Taiwan Pierre Poilievre poised to win Federal Conservative Party leadership Quebec pharmacist refuses to sell woman morning-after pill Follow Dawn McSweeney @mcmoxy on Twitter and Instagram Follow Jason C. McLean […]
A Disappointing Comedy Night in Canada
After speaking with Rick Mercer the week before the Just for Laughs festival hit Montreal, I had high hopes for the show he was hosting. Comedy Night in Canada was unfortunately a disappointing mishmash of ethnic clichés and other safe topics that left me starving for the edginess that so beautifully defined the other shows […]
John Mulaney Comes Clean @ Just For Laughs
They say that tragedy plus time equals comedy. This Thursday, SNL alum and beloved funnyman John Mulaney put that theory to the test with his one-man show, From Scratch, which detailed his recent recovery from drug addiction. The question some JFL attendees were left asking, however, was…too soon? “Hi – it’s me. The comedian from […]
Fearless and Thoughtful: Vir Das’ Wanted World Tour
When I spoke with Indian comedian Vir Das about his Just for Laughs solo show, part of his Wanted World Tour, he assured me that it would have a story and he certainly delivered when he performed at the Olympia. To a packed theatre with an audience so ethnically diverse it would have given Quebec […]
Neal Brennan: One Night in Montreal
So I says to my 24 year old daughter, I says:“Hey, wanna go see some comedy?”She says yes, I say who? She says Neal Brennen, and I was pretty impressed. “Do you know him from the Chappelle show?” I ask.“The what?”“The Chappelle show; with Dave Chappelle”“With who?” After a few more questions, I learned that […]
Trixie Knocks ‘Em Dead (Almost) @ Just For Laughs
Drag Queens pride themselves on being able to startle their audiences. Friday night in Quartier Des Spectacles, however, the stiletto was on the other foot. Rupaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3 winner and songstress Trixie Mattel had to bring her open-air Just For Laughs show to an abrupt halt when two separate audience members required […]
Osheaga 2022 : Day 1
The first day of Osheaga was a positively radiant day of sun, suds and tons of great acts culminating with an Arcade Fire rain dance that ended the evening. The short burst of rain left the crowd slightly soaked but very satisfied with Osehega’s return to full capacity after a brief halt due to the […]
Fine Lines from JFL – Some of the Best Gags of the Fest (So Far)
There’s something about a perfectly-delivered one-liner that just makes life worth living, don’t you find? Lucky for us, the world-class comedians performing at this year’s edition of Just For Laughs have provided plenty. And lucky for you, we just so happened to write down a few of our favorites. So, in honor of the final […]
FTB Weekends: Osheaga and Just for Laughs Both This Weekend!
Jason C. McLean and Dawn McSweeney welcome Special Guest Jerry Gabriel to talk about the full-force return of Osheaga and the final weekend of the full-force return of Just for Laughs – both this weekend! For live Osheaga coverage, follow @forgetthebox on Twitter and Instagram Follow @jerrygabrielrocks on Instagram Follow Dawn McSweeney @mcmoxy on Twitter and Instagram Follow […]
Osheaga 2022 Picks Sure To Rock
Well, after a year-long hiatus, and last year’s semi-return, Osheaga has finally returned to full capacity with some pretty interesting acts, both local and from far away. Montreal band Arcade Fire will headline the opening night, filling in for Foo Fighters who had to cancel due to the unfortunate death of their drummer Taylor Hawkins. […]
Tommy Tiernan’s Compelling, Funny and Frequently Dark Tomfoolery
When I settled in for Tommy Tiernan’s latest Just for Laughs solo show Tomfoolery, I didn’t know what to expect. I mean I really had no clue. The show was recommended to me and all I knew going in was that Tiernan is a comedian, Irish, and clearly doesn’t mind a solid name pun in […]
Osheaga’s Back: Some Picks to Get Excited About
So after a two year hiatus the full version of Osheaga is finally back! Yes there was a smaller version last fall and yes concerts have been back for a while, but this is still a big deal for Montreal music fans. As usual we at FTB aren’t going to preview the Dua Lipas or […]