Raising the question “Can they be funny when they’re not on TV?” Just for Laughs is putting up some big names from the little screen on Toronto stages this week:

It’s been 10 years since the finale of Seinfeld and Jason Alexander, still better known to pretty much everyone as George Costanza, is giving sitcoms a rest and, in between stops on the celebrity poker circuit, has instead turned to stand-up. (And why not? It worked out so well for Michael Richards.) Alexander has been test-flying his new act in Australia and also headlined a Sudbury festival in May. Word is that he’s a very funny guy, even without Jerry or Larry David’s Steinbrenner.

Alexander plays Massey Hall on July 25 with Robert Schimmel, who tried out for but lost the role of George, and Kevin Hart who, if you are careless with your time and money, you may remember from Scary Movie 3 and 4. Toronto’s Gerry Dee is also on the bill, with veteran Robert Klein and “roastmaster general” Jeff Ross.

Now officially the luckiest man in the world, Jimmy Fallon has dodged predictions that his career after Saturday Night Live would flop and has instead been tapped to succeed Conan O’Brien as the host of Late Night in 2009 — though his masters at NBC won’t let him talk about their plans. Surely because they’ve got too many great ideas to list, right?

Following up on a stop at the Montreal fest, Fallon hosts a Sunday night gala at Massey Hall on July 26 that includes the wonderfully understated comic/character actor Larry Miller and the politically minded John Oliver of The Daily Show.

Martin Short is, of course, no stranger to the stages of Broadway and Second City, and fronts the opening gala on July 24 with fellow song-and-dance man and gifted mimic André-Phillipe Gagnon, with Elon Gold and Australia’s Adam Hills.

The Alexander, Fallon and Short galas run at 7pm and 9:30pm on their respective nights. $55.50- $120. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria. 416-872-1111.

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Hills and Gold will also appear at Yuk Yuk’s, part of the Headliners series running through Sunday that also includes Shaun Majumder, Al Madrigal of the Cheech Marin comedy tour and Wendy Liebman, one of the very few women on this year’s schedule. Also watch for Mike Birbiglia, known for his recent one-man show Sleepwalk With Me, which got big cheers in Montreal.

Showtimes vary. $22-$29. Yuk Yuk’s, 224 Richmond W. 416-967-6425.

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Second City, meanwhile, hosts local sketch acts The Sketchersons, faux father-and-son musicians The Williamson Playboys and others, while Debra DiGiovanni hosts an all-Canadian lineup of rising and risen stars including Carrie Gaetz,
Dan Bingham and Perry Perlmutar.

The Sketch Show runs July 24-25 at 10:30pm. $22. The Second City, 51 Mercer. 416-343-0011. Best of Homegrown 2008 is July 25 at 8pm. $22. Absolute Comedy, 2335 Yonge. 416-486-7700.

 

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Lastly, you don’t see a lot of ventriloquist acts these days, and you won’t this week unless you already have a ticket to see cranky old coot Walter and his human straight man Jeff Dunham for their one-night-only on July 27 at Massey Hall, which has already sold out. Who’da thunk it? 

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