Toronto Fringe Review: All-Star Stand-Up Comedy Show

Often when stand-up comics perform at the Fringe, they’re trying out something different: a more personal or theatrical solo show, for instance. 

The All-Star Stand-up Comedy Show, however, is what it says in the title. I’m not sure everyone on the lineup I saw on opening night is a “star,” but perhaps one day they will be. 

If you’re looking for an hour-and-a-half of pure jokes, this is the Fringe show for you. And because it takes place at an Ollie Quinn on Queen East, you can also check out some fancy frames between laughs. (The producers, The Garden Comedy Show, perform at this venue on the last Friday of every month, as well as at various pop-up locations throughout the city.)

Host and producer Cole Chauvin got things off to a solid start with his likeable, relatable set. He discussed the breakup of his recent situationship and, in his attempts to find a partner, a particularly messy kayaking trip. Note to self: sound travels over water. 

Of the opening acts, a couple of comics stood out.

Brad Semotiuk has created a very distinct, semi-neurotic comic persona. (“Can you tell from my aura that I’m really uncomfortable?” he asks near the top of his set.) His best bits included a joke about his roommate quitting masturbating and a very physical recreation of being out at a nightclub, with a woman mistakenly grinding up against him. 

The Japan-born Kansei Yasuda has been living in Toronto for three years, and he’s got an intriguing POV, delivering fresh insights into bro culture, the practice of baptism and even the fentanyl crisis, which he sees from a very distinct Japanese perspective.

I will jump at any chance to see headliner Chris Locke, and he did not disappoint. He can create a vibe like no one else, and the way he constructs his sets makes you feel like you’re witnessing a legendary jazz performer in the 60s. 

At the show, he dropped a non-sequitur about his mean mom, left it, started discussing pronouns and then returned to the mom bit. Brilliant. When he polled the audience and asked if they wanted to hear any sounds, one of the requests was about the sinking of the Titanic, which Locke evoked both visually and aurally. 

Joking about current events can be tricky these days. But when Locke repeated the words “The Strait of Hormuz,” so many times, complete with the honking sounds of the other ships, it healed me in a way I didn’t think was possible. 

Great comedy can do that. 

The All-Star Stand-up Comedy Show is on now until July 12 at the Toronto Fringe. Show times and tickets