David Suzuki ready to make his stand-up debut?

This monthโ€™s Just For Laughs festival featuring Louis C.K. is full of surprises

Just For Laughs is returning to Toronto!

But the Montreal-based festival juggernaut has a very different plan than they had for their last Toronto festival over two years ago. If the original JFL is a mega-resort of comedy, think of this Toronto version as a boutique hotel: hip, trendy and a bit exclusive.

The festival, called JFL42, will be held Sept. 21 to 28 with 42 performers in town but it is centred on one man: Louis C.K.

C.K. is the comedy man of the moment, called the best comic in America by virtually every critic, and the star of his eponymously named sitcom, Louie.

He’s a dark, sad, restless figure whose brutal, self-lacerating stand-up is a tonic for our times. A single dad of two, his anti-glamorous take on his New York life has resonated with millions in our recessionary economy.

Beyond the great Louis C.K., the next best performance has to be Patton Oswalt. His stand-up is almost as good as C.K.’s, and he’s made a name for himself in a variety of ways, including a recurring role on King of Queens. His supporting role opposite Charlize Theron in Young Adult garnered him Oscar talk. If you like smart nerds, Oswalt’s your man.

Then I’d hit the Amy Schumer show. Schumer was another struggling female stand-up until she was tapped to do Comedy Central’s roast of Charlie Sheen. Her take-no-prisoners set catapulted her to fame among the comedy cognoscenti, and she’s fast on her way to becoming a household name.

Then you want to catch the Reggie Watts show. Comedy and jazzy hip hop usually don’t go together, but in Watts’ unique hands they certainly do. He’s been here before, as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival, but you want to catch him now in a medium-sized venue before he blows up and you need binoculars to see him. His stuff is X-rated, so go online and make sure you’re OK with it. All I know is that, when he opened for Conan O’Brien at Massey Hall two years ago, he left the rest of the show in his dust.

I haven’t listed any venues or showtimes because right now they’re fluid. JFL promises to communicate with their customers through their smartphones, which gives the festival a kind of flash mob excitement.

But, for the truly adventurous, there is a new comedian looking to make his mark at JFL42: David Suzuki. Yes, that David Suzuki, the renowned environmentalist.

And then there’s The Scottish Show, part of the Yuk Yuk’s series. Three funny Scots, at least one kilt and some rock ’n’ roll comedy will make this show a winner. Everybody finds the Scots funny! These guys are out to prove that there’s more to Scottish comedy than Billy Connolly. 

OK, one more. I’d have to recommend Kelly Carlin’s one-woman show, A Carlin Home Companion. Carlin is the daughter of comedy legend George Carlin, and her autobiographical monologue about growing up in the great man’s shadow has received glowing reviews.

As of press time, JFL had still to reveal the last 20 shows, so I’ll leave you to pick the last show, in the spirit of adventure that marks all good festivals. Go to www.jfl42.com for more info.

Post City Magazines’ humour columnist, Mark Breslin, is the founder of Yuk Yuk’s comedy clubs and the author of several books, including Control Freaked.

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