None of us should be judged too harshly if — after going through two elections in four weeks — we don't feel like voting on anything for a while. Or, indeed, if we feel so voted-out and over-pandered-to that it's hard to get excited about any decision making. Even when the choices are, well, kind of exciting.
My guess is that's why things were so quiet at Yuk Yuk's last week, when some of its comics were trotted out for talent spotters from comedy festivals around the country, plus some TV people. Not a lively crowd. Whooo, no siree. Though, to be fair, I only popped in for one of the many sets the club put on through the week, and one probably can't expect big, loud laughs from a roomful of seen-it-all-before comedy brokers.
Yuk's bossman Mark Breslin joked at one point that the room felt more like a "hostage crisis" — not that that stopped Jeff McEnery. The country-fried comic, whose trucker cap and Conway Twitty–twang belied sly references to Maurice Sendak and H.G. Wells, scored more than once with the tough crowd, as did Jay Brown, who went a surprisingly long way with a bit about the pneumatic side effects of sex.
Another and more lively popularity contest is unfolding at Absolute Comedy, where since last month the Stand Up and Bite Me contest has put on some immensely fun shows on Friday nights. The contest, organized by Jason Blanchard, who also runs the open mic room at the Fox and Fiddle, will wrap this Friday and hand $5,000 to the winner.
Oddly enough, one of the finalists will be there because of Breslin, who pulled his Yuk's comics from SU&BM shortly before its opening night. This opened the door for some last-minute replacements including Matt Billon, who went on to win the first round on Oct. 17.
It was a tortoise and the hare kind of win. Comics including Alex Pavone and the always electric Dave Merheje came on crazily strong, yet the judges went with the soft-spoken Billon and his bit about grown-up bed wetting.
"That's cool" said Billon after the win, with a modest shrug, adding that he'd expected to lose to Merheje.
Round two went to Bobby Mair (pictured), not as surprising given the relative newcomer's natural talent and the well-crafted bits that lurk underneath his gawky stage manner. Mair, who is becoming something of a fixture across town at Comedy Bar, and Billon will face Nile Seguin at the finals — plus some write-in candidates from the online half of the contest.
Which brings us back to the whole voting thing. Videos from the most recent round are still online at bite.ca, where anyone who cares to can cast a ballot for one of the seven guys who lost to Seguin, putting him back in the running for Friday and that $5,000.
BEST BETS
Comedy Thursdays at McVeigh's celebrates its second anniversary on Nov. 13, with headliner Tim Steeves, writer for the Rick Mercer Report. Host Laura Prosko credits the success of the room to the St. Lawrence Market bar, which was once the watering hole for Second City, and things she picked up during her stint at Absolute Comedy.
"Seeing comics from in from Chicago, New York or L.A. and do flawless, 45-minute sets every time — when you go back to your own room your expectations are higher," she says. 9:30pm. $5. 124 Church St. www.mcveighspub.com.