GREG BEHRENDT, Comedy Bar, 10:30pm
By: Taylor Erwin
Background: Greg Behrendt was a full-time touring standup for 15 years until one day, acting as a script consultant forSex and The City, he uttered the phrase “he’s just not that into you.” Overnight, Greg became an “international relationship expert.” Although it brought people to his shows, they weren’t there for his stand up; instead, they arrived expecting relationship advice, a common theme slowly suffocating his true passion for stand up. Needing to break the shackles, Greg left stand up.
Now, after his hiatus, Greg’s passion-fuelled return to the stage as a comedian has left a trail of theatre’s and audience across North America blown-away by his performances. Apparently, Greg’s show the previous night at the Paintbox Bistro left “nothing but a smoking crater in Regent Park.” We were understandably excited to have the opportunity to see his work.
Performance: Strong. The show’s producer, Empire Comedy Live, paired Greg’s headlining set with several promising local comedians.
Host Andrew Ivimey kicked off the night with his enthusiastic set. A self-confessed nerd, Andrew’s jokes focused on the personal integrity of nerds, superheros, and condoms. His clean appearance juxtaposed his occasional dirty joke, surprising the audience repeatedly, inducing laughter throughout his set.
Chris Allin, a rising comedian well respected within the comedy community, showcased his talent through a high-energy, personal and physical performance. His self-deprecating jabs about how he’s an aging hipster were incredibly original, while his quinoa riff proved he wasn’t afraid to take risks and have fun on stage. The height of Chris’ performance occurred with his story of the moment he pinpointed when the sexual-zeal of his long-term relationship had ended, ‘gaily running for food.’ Dont’ worry, we didn’t spoil anything- Chris’ is the only person who could ever perform his own material; we suppose that’s why we adored him…
Michelle Shaughnessy gave a funny, light-hearted performance. Her uncomplicated style focused on the two most important respects of stand up: jokes and persona. Although it sounds simple, crafting material to coincide with the performers true voice is a difficult task. Michelle manages to pull it off in her material covering men and women, cheating in relationships, and breaking her foot.
The long-anticipated set of Greg Behrendt was simply great. His experience on stage was exemplified in the first 15 minutes of his set when he riffed on the material of his opening comics. During this period (and more times than once), Greg would ask the audience, “what am I even saying? This isn’t part of my set!” No matter, the audience loved it.
He began his real set by telling the audience the comprehensive (and hilarious) story of his own personal journey of his success, where’s he’s at, and why he loves stand up. In retrospect, what began as an introductory story actually transformed into the foundation of his entire performance with intermitten tangets, asides and riffing. His utterly hilarious stories of fatherhood, his daughter’s imaginary friend, and growing up as a punk-rock kid in suburban America absolutely killed.
Greg wasn’t just comfortable on stage- he was excited to be there. He would pace around, walk into the audience, grip the mic stand and launch into riffs, always coming back with, “what the hell was I saying?” Overall, Greg’s performance lived up to the anticipation and was best surmised by the star himself when, in a story about making his daughters laugh while wearing a My Little Pony headband, Greg yells onstage, “I’m back, baby!”
Best Moment: Although there were many great aspects of Greg’s set, one particular moment caused the room to erupt. Amidst one of his stories, Greg delivered a joke throwaway (a line delivered in passing) to give perfect (and appropriate) context to his story- it just so happens the line centered around Bill Cosby in WW2, followed by a killer impression. We can’t say it without giving it all away…but it was amazing.
Add to your Comedy Radar: Greg Behrendt. View his website.
