Comedy Album Book Club
  • Blog
  • Who We Are
  • Get In Touch
  • Blog
  • Who We Are
  • Get In Touch

a comedy history podcast

Day 2: How do you follow a day like this?

9/21/2018

0 Comments

 
Pictureby: Matthew Ardill
Tonight was a real treat, I got to see Fortune Feimster and Matteo Lane. Both amazing acts that were a treat to behold and left me holding my sides due to laughter.
​
The first show was at the Royal Theatre, the weather continues to confound today with threats of thunderstorms being held at bay by an unrelenting heat and a crystal blue sky made ominous by clouds just on the horizon. Despite the temperature fluctuating wildly from hot and damp to cold and blustery all in a matter of moments and the threat of thunderstorms (which I suspect I’ll find myself in tomorrow) we arrived at the Royal excited. I had seen Fortune on her special, NBC’s Last Comic Standing and The Mindy Project. This was my first opportunity to see her live.

Picture
Fortune Feimster
Her opening act was Matteo Lane who I was also going to see later on. He did an amazingly fun and energetic set that warmed the audience and got them laughing. I’ll loop back to Matteo’s set in a moment as I saw him performing in his Matteo Lane presents: Streisand at the Bon Soir later in the evening and I’d like to discuss the two sets together.
​
Fortune’s presence is warm and inviting, she engages heavily with the audience creating a joyous and uplifting environment with tales of her childhood in North Carolina, scouting and a dress that my wife assures me every little girl of the era would be very familiar with. We in the audience were in stitches, they were immediately familiar with bits she shared from the past and snapped up her new material with equal pleasure. Working the crowd she was able to gently rib audience members about their jobs and relationships remaining friendly and inviting and never making the audience feel uncomfortable and even when hit with one of the more bizarre relationship “meet cutes” (a couple who’s mutual friend set them up because the one did a Victor Neuman impersonation and the other did a Katherine Young impersonation and the friend felt they were fated to be together) she took it in stride and came up with material in the moment. Sharp, witty and insightful. A joy to behold!

This is not my first time seeing Matteo, the first being a set on a bill with Nikki Glasser at the Comedy Cellar in New York. Watching him open for Fortune was a joy, his energy was high and he engaged the audience bringing the right feel to the moment to lift them up with a light and breezy conversational style that was at once observational and also confessional. The set before Fortune’s reminded me of his set at the Comedy Cellar, a fun and sharp stand-up set that was a blast to see.

As I arrived at the Comedy Bar, once again the atmosphere was different. The Royal was a buzzing festival crowd, this was a hard core comedy crowd. Many were there waiting for the Empire Comedy after show to start (which I wish I could have gone to but with a Harry Potter event and a tween to whom I have made commitments to attend with I instead am here, penning this missive, preparing to shout expecto patronus as strangers tomorrow). Again, the warm lighting and bass heavy beats created a clubby vibe in the lounge of the Comedy Bar. Moving into the Main Space though the world changed.

Comedy Bar JFL42
JFL42 Comedy Bar Atmosphere
Thick beats of rap artists gave way to sultry jazz, a smoke machine created a light haze like that of a hundred cigarettes smoked by winsome noir heroes and heroines pondering the death they have seen and the sins they have hidden. A warm clarinet, a throaty trumpet and a sensual saxophone told tales of forlorn love and broken hearts all without words (and this was before the show even started)! Hats off to the lighting and sound engineers at The Comedy Bar. They created an amazing atmosphere that could have been right out of the Kit Kat Club in the Weimar Republic or a Soho New York club in the 60s.
​
After a brief and enjoyable break as people settled into their seats Matteo Lane and his friend Henry Koperski took the stage. Lane is an opera singer, illustrator with his own comic Princess Cupcake, oil painter and all of this on top of his amazing wit and great comedic presence that he’s shared in a variety of you tube projects as well as his podcast Inside The Closet. Koperski is no slouch himself, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and talented wit on his own the two settled into an uproarious banter that could only be found between two people completely at ease and trusting of one another’s talents. Koperski accompanied Lane on the keyboard as Lane dropped bits of music history, Streisand trivia and observational humour in an ebb and flow that once caught up in you wanted to carry you on forever. Jokes flowed about Cher, Maria, Madonna, Britany and Christina. The wit is sharp and biting but once the singing starts, my God, you are lost. I don’t want to give away too many of the songs but as a fan of Cabaret his Maybe This Time was heart stopping.

Matteo Lane and Henry Koperski JFL42
​These two shows and three sets could not have been more different but all were equally enjoyable and worth seeing. If you have the opportunity get out and see both Fortune and Matteo and if you can see Matteo Lane presents: Streisand at the Bon Soir do it. It’s the closest thing to a perfect cabaret performance you will likely ever see.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017

    Categories

    All
    2000 Years With Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks
    A Christmas Story
    A Colbert Christmas: The Greastest Gift Of All!
    Adam Bailey
    Adam Kenneth Wilson
    Adam McNamara
    Adam Sandler
    Adam Sandler They're All Gonna Laugh At You
    AD/BC: A Rock Opera
    Alex Pavone
    Alicia Carrick
    Allan Turner
    Allie Entwistle
    Alsa Bruno
    Alyson Dicey
    Amazon
    Amy Schumer
    Andrew Fleming
    Andrew Lizotte
    Andy Kindler
    An Evening With Mike Nichols And Elaine May
    A Night At The Met
    Anniversary
    Arizona Bay
    Arnold Schwarzenegger
    Ask Me About My New God!
    AV Club
    Awkwarder
    Bad Dog Theatre Company
    Barbra Streisand
    BBC
    Ben Elton
    Ben Miner
    Beth Stelling
    Bill Burr
    Bill Hicks
    Black Adder
    Bob Newhart
    Brandon Hackett
    Bridget Everett
    Brittany Lyseng
    Brunch
    Buck Henry
    Cabaret
    Caley Suliak
    Cam Wyllie
    Cam Wyllie & Jon Plester Presents Fruit Cart Bonanza
    Canadian Comedy Award
    Carl Reiner
    Carson Fears Fear Itself
    Carson Pinch
    Catherine O'Hara
    Cats
    CBC
    Chanty Marostica
    Chevy Chase
    Chicken!
    Chili Davidson
    Christmas
    Class Clown
    Comedy
    Comedy Bar
    Comedy Cellar
    Courtney Gilmour
    Craig Fay
    Creative Commons
    Dan Aykroyd
    Dane Cook
    Dan Hershfield
    Dave Martin
    Dave Merheje
    D&D
    DeAnne Smith
    Debra DiGiovanni
    Dennis Miller
    Derek Forgie
    Dick Smothers
    D.J. Demers
    Dramaturge
    Eddie Izzard
    Eddie Murphy
    Eddie Murphy: Comedian
    Ed Sahely
    Elaine May
    Ellen Degeneres
    Ellie Heath
    Emily Milling
    Encore
    Equanimity
    Festival
    Flo & Joan
    Folk Music
    Force Majeure
    Fortune Feimster
    Funny Or Die
    Garrett Morris
    Gavin Matts
    Gemini
    Generally Hospital
    George Carlin
    Gilbert And Sullivan
    Gilda Radner
    Girl Brain
    Good Friend Bad Grammar
    Grace Smith
    HBO
    Headliner
    Helena Marie
    Henry Koperski
    Here And Now
    Holiday
    Holiday Special
    Home Alone
    Horrible Histories
    Hot Dog
    Ian MacIntyre
    Improv
    Improv Comedy
    Improve Olympics
    I'm Telling You For The Last Time
    Interview
    IO
    Izaak Runkel Sunleaf
    Jackie Kashian
    Jane Curtin
    Jason Deline
    Jazz Music
    Jeff Ross
    Jeremy Woodcock
    Jerry Seinfeld
    Jess Grant
    Jesus Is Magic
    JFL42
    Jim Gaffigan
    Jim McAleese
    Jingle All The Way
    Joe Mandy
    John Belushi
    John Budreski
    John Candy
    John Mulaney
    Jon Blair
    Jordan Kennedy
    Jules Osen
    Julia Davis
    Julia Louis-Dreyfus
    Jullian Barrat
    Junos
    Just For Laughs
    Katherine Ryan
    Katie Westman
    Kat Letwin
    Keith Robinson
    Kerri Donaldson
    Kid Gorgeous At Radio City
    Kyle Betts
    Kyle Brownrigg
    Kyle Scott
    Lady Jazz
    Laraine Newman
    Lara Rae
    Late Night With Seth Meyers
    Lenny Bruce
    Let's Get Small
    Level A
    Lilly Tomlin
    Literally Dead
    Live On The Sunset Strip
    Liz Myers
    Macaulay Culkin
    MadTV
    Mae Martin
    Marc Evan Jackson
    Marc Hallworth
    Maria Bamford
    Marina Franklin
    Mark Forward
    Martha O'Neill
    Matt Berry
    Matt Braunger
    Matteo Lane
    Matthew Ardill
    Matt Lucas
    Mayce Galoni
    Mel Brooks
    Meryle Evans
    Mighty Boosh
    Miguel Martin-Garcia
    Mike Nichols
    Montreal Improv Festival
    Mort Sahl
    Motormouth
    Movie
    Mr. Universe
    Murray Hill
    Music
    Musical Comedy
    Myles Morrison
    National Lampoon
    National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
    Neil Gaiman
    Neil Jones
    Netflix
    New Studio
    Nick Reynoldson
    Nikki Glaser
    Noel Fielding
    Nour Hadidi
    Nug Nahrgang
    Olivia Stadler
    Panel Show
    Pat Thornton
    Patton Oswalt
    Paul F. Tompkins
    Paul Simon
    Pay What You Can't
    Peter Hill
    Philidelphia Comedy Festival
    Podcast
    Press Release
    Press Release Repeat
    Punch Up
    Radio Project X
    Randy Quaid
    Reality... What A Concept
    Recorder Music
    Reggie Watts
    Richard Ayoade
    Richard Pryor
    Robin Archer
    Robin Duke
    Robin Williams
    Royal Cinema
    Ryan Dillon
    Ryan Hamilton
    Ryan Hughes
    Ryan Williams
    San Fancisco
    Sarah Silverman
    Saturday Night Live
    SCTV
    Sean Browning
    Second City
    Second Season
    Seth Meyers
    Sharilyn Johnson
    Silver Snail
    Simply The Beth
    Sinbad
    SiriusXM Top Comic
    Sketch
    Sketch Comedy
    Sony Centre
    Sophie Buddle
    Special Episode
    Stand-up
    Stand Up Comedy
    Stand-Up Comedy
    Stephen Colbert
    Steve Martin
    Stupid Fancy
    Sunny B
    Terry Pratchett
    The ABCs Of Love With Adult Baby Cupid
    The Alternative Show
    The Beaverton
    The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart
    The Carnegie Hall Concert
    The Chanty Show
    The Comedy Bar
    The Cooties
    The Dork Forest
    The Garrison
    The Hero Instant
    The Jackie And Laurie Show
    The Kindness Of Stranglers
    Theme Music
    The Not Ready For Prime Time Players
    The Second City
    The Sketchersons
    The Smothers Brothers
    The Social Capital Theatre
    The Songs And Comedy Of The Smothers Brothers! Recorded At The Purple Onion
    The Ten Minute Talk Show
    The Theatre Centre
    The Young Ones
    This Hour Has 22 Minutes
    Todd Glass
    Tod Van Allen
    Tolkien
    Tom Henry
    Tommy Somthers
    Tom Thakkar
    Toronto Festival Of Clowns
    Toronto Fringe
    Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival
    Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival 2019
    TOsketchfest19
    Tracy Hamilton
    TV Special
    Vest Of Friends
    Victory Flaps
    Wanda Sykes
    Weird Town
    Weird Town Comedy
    Werewolves And Lollipops
    Winter Garden Theatre
    Women Fully Clothed
    Writing
    You've Got Brunch

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly