For five consecutive years, Howie Mandel has hosted his own gala as part of the Just for Laughs festival programming in Salle Wilfrid Pelletier. Filmed for American network “The CW”, this year’s gala was once again a stellar all-star lineup featuring globally renowned comics Anjelah Johnson, Ronny Chieng, Fortune Feimster, Alonzo Bodden, Cameron Esposito, Mark Watson, Rachel Bloom, Vir Das, Ted Alexandro, and Courtney Gilmour.
Even with the stellar line-up, the show had its own highs and lows. It was noted that this year’s gala did not have much of a planned audience gag, as was a usual part of previous years’ galas hosted by Howie Mandel. Most of the comics in Mandel’s line-up were doing solo shows of their own as part of the festival as well—offering a quick preview of some of their best material in a 7-minute gala set.
Notable gala performances included Indian comedian and actor Vir Das, rising Toronto talent Courtney Gilmour, elementary music teacher Ted Alexandro and British comedian and novelist Mark Watson. Each of the mentioned comedians performed excellent sets with sharp wit, fast humour and some political commentary.
Howie Mandel’s own stand-up routine spread throughout the evening, while still outrageously funny and as self-deprecating as usual—was not one that was extraordinary or of higher quality than previous years. With Mandel now the owner of the Just for Laughs festival, the All-Star gala should be a show in all aspects that stands far above the others in the festival’s programming.
On the second night of the festival’s galas, one of the top 5 touring comedians in the world, and fresh off filming three Netflix specials of his own (Freedumb, BARE, and This is Me Now), American-Australian comic Jim Jeffries hosted two back-to-back shows, keeping audiences in stitches from start to finish.
Jeffries’ own stand-up sets in his gala were among the best so far in the galas this festival. His standup-storytelling sets were delightful, witty and hilarious for all audiences. Jeffries shared his stories of having traveled all over Canada, including his own observations of Canadian patience and friendliness at airport security as he waited in line for his flight from St. John’s (NL) to St. John (NB). As an Aussie, Jeffries’ observations of Canada were nothing short of relatable among the entire audience. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Jeffries shared other stories of marrying a Canadian, being a father, sending his child to private school in Los Angeles, liking our money, but not being able to stay serious in calling our coins “loonies and toonies”.
Jeffries’ galas were spectacular in line-up, both galas being completely different lineups (though Jeffries’ standup routine was the same, but noticeably elaborated more in the second show). Notable performances included Jeff Ross—who performed wearing his own version of a Mountie uniform while delightfully roasting Canada, Finnish comedian Ismo – who delighted audiences with his realizations about the English language, while also making a great point about how some English speakers still don’t realize that No… means no, writer and actor Brian Posehn, NYC-based comedian Nore Davis, Ms. Pat and the closer of the second gala, the comedic powerhouse Brad Williams, who closed off the evening with one of the funniest, most lively sets so far this festival.
The Just for Laughs galas continue for the rest of the week, hosted by celebrities including actor and executive producer Anthony Anderson (ABC’s sitcom Black-ish), writer and podcaster Anthony Jeselnik, Michael Che (Saturday Night Live), and Jonathan Van Ness (Netflix’s Queer Eye). For more information on the upcoming galas and tickets, check out the Just for Laughs website at hahaha.com.
