brunswickanarts
10 • Nov. 30, 2011 • Issue 13 • Volume 145
Witty Wacky Wilser’s
Wilser’s Room hosts Comedy Night this Thursday, Dec. 1. JC Surette is the headliner. Submitted Haley Ryan Arts Reporter Performers at Wilser’s Room are sure to get laughed off the stage tomorrow night, but it’s not an unpopular band coming to town, and one of the acts is professional. In fact, they want to crack you up.
Comedy Night is continuing at Wilser’s Room in The Capital Complex tomorrow night, with headliner JC Surette and hosted by Lloyd Ravn. Usually these events are once a month, but organizer Trevor Muxworthy has set up a second show next Thursday, because spots in the first one filled up so quickly.
“It wasn’t my favourite thing to do, turning people away who have wanted to do it their second or third time,” Muxworthy said. “So we have back-to-back Thursdays in December.” Muxworthy said Fredericton’s comedy scene really took off in June, when Matt Caldwell, a local comedian, organized the first event
at Wilser’s. Although Caldwell left to attend comedy school in Toronto a few months later, the Comedy Night has survived because of Muxworthy and increasing interest from people willing to try their hand at stand-up. It helps that the shows have been drawing huge crowds, and Muxworthy said the monthly structure has worked because the public hasn’t been put in a situation where it could become bored with seeing the same material a few times a week. “They’re insanely popular, it’s incredible how many people are coming out,” Muxworthy said. “[Wilser’s] seats 30 to 35 now and everything behind that is standing room only, so people are crammed right back to the bar.” JC Surette hails from Dieppe but has been studying and performing stand-up in Montreal for the past couple of years, and recently landed a job with CBC Radio-Canada as a comedy writer. You’ll see him speaking English tomorrow night, but Surette said his ability to perform in both French and English actually helps him come up with new material. “I could do a joke in English and then when I translate it, something new comes out and I don’t neglect that,” he said. Unlike some comedians, Surette doesn’t like having a distinct subject or theme of humour he sticks to,
because a lot of his inspiration comes from simple observation. “That way, it doesn’t put limits on what I can talk about,” he said. Surette has met many of the Fredericton comedians he’ll be performing with this Thursday, and said he has a great respect for them. “They’re passionate and serious about it, I can sense that. They’re doing it for the right reasons.” Besides Surette, you’ll see BJ Worthy and Muxworthy himself, who say their style is “blue” comedy, which means the jokes are dirtier and they’ll likely go some places in their sets that people will cringe at. John Bailey’s first appearance was just last month, and Muxworthy said he did very well with cleverly written jokes and wordplay that aren’t as risqué as some of the others. Jimmy MacKinley is the “typical 25-year-old male,” Muxworthy said, who tackles all the social things men apparently think about, like checking out girls on Facebook. After the two shows in December, Muxworthy said they’ll be taking a break until the new year, and the first comedy night of 2012 will be on Jan. 3. There are some plans in the works to bring a more informal, regular comedy evening to The Cellar. For the show at the Wilser’s tomorrow night, doors open at 7 p.m. and the acts start at 8 p.m., with a $5 suggested donation.
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