Just for Laughs Toronto: Report #2: Sandra Shamas, Maria Bamford, Sabrina Wu, Jacob Balshin
The iconic festival returned with a scaled-back edition and delivered much-needed laughs
Just For Laughs Toronto wrapped up last weekend, and although it felt like a transition year for the iconic festival, it still seemed successful.
During 10 days, I caught eight shows and saw dozens of comics, often at weird times like 4:30 pm on a Sunday afternoon (see below) and 11 pm on a weeknight. Every program I attended was at least 80% full. Many were sold out.
It would have been nice to have included some other club venues — in past years, the Rivoli, the Garrison and the Revival hosted shows. The addition of Comedy Bar Danforth was nice, but it was a schlep to get there, especially with no other east end spots as part of the festival.
If JFL hadn’t coincided with the beginning of the busy Toronto theatre season, I would have seen a lot more. But I think the city was grateful for what it got; now more than ever we needed to laugh.
Here are some highlights since my first report.
The return of Sandra Shamas
I can’t remember the last time I saw a full-length Sandra Shamas show, so I was thrilled to see that she was headlining the cleverly titled Age Against the Machine (Rating: ✭✭✭✭), which happened at the unusual but oddly convenient time of 4:30 pm on a Sunday afternoon. (It fit perfectly between my 2 pm and 8 pm plays.)
Shamas has, of course, built an entire career out of chronicling the various stages of her life: dating (and laundry), marriage, divorce, leaving the city to become a farmer, getting older. I can’t think of anyone else who has mined their life for their art so regularly, and so fruitfully, and with such consistent results.
The biggest chunk of her show — I imagine/hope it’s part of a longer work — dealt with turning 60 and looking frankly and honestly at getting older with dignity. “Do I have to say things like ‘Get off my lawn’" she joked. “Do I have to shop at Northern Reflections?”
Among the things she’s had to deal with? Deciding to continue to wear her hair long, suddenly being eligible for senior discounts, and applying for CPP — as well as the subsequent online retirement home ads that come with researching CPP.