Greater Sudbury needs a good laugh: comedians

Rough economic times mean good times for comedians, according to two comics who will perform this week at the Sudbury Laugh Out Loud Comedy Festival in Greater Sudbury. The festival began May 26 and ends with a show by Howie Mandel, May 28, at 7 p.m. at the Sudbury Arena.

“The worse it gets, the better for comedy acts,” Alan Park, a comedian from Toronto said. That is because comedy acts as a release for people experiencing hard times, he said. He will perform Thank God It’s Friday, with jokesters Jean Paul, Jon Dore, Judy Croon and Rob Pue, on May 28 at the Alphonse Raymond Auditorium at Laurentian University, 9:30 p.m.

“For us it means the start of our work as we work the weekends. For the audience, well it is the end of the week, so both of us are happy it is Friday.”

He said his style is sarcastic, dry and politically charged.“I like taking shots at politicians — it is hard not to.” Park, who has played both United States President Barack Obama and federal industry minister Tony Clement on the former CBC show Royal Canadian Air Farce, said he enjoys performing political satire and looks forward to spoofing some of the north’s politicians.

He said his Sudbury show will be a mix of scripted material and improv, depending on the audience.

Park said audiences in northern Ontario can be very different than those in the big cities. “Crowds in bigger cities can be apathetic. I like Sudbury crowds because they get it. They are also more laid-back.”

Toronto comedian Robin Duke, with the comedy troupe Women Fully Clothed, said laughter brings people together. “Our subject matter is universal. That’s why it works. There’s nothing better than laughter to beat the blues.”

She will perform with Jayne Eastwood, Kathryn Greenwood and Teresa Pavlinek on May 27 at the Fraser Auditorium, Laurentian University, 7 p.m. in a 90-minute show.

Duke said she is best known for her work on the comedy series SCTV, and for three years with Saturday Night Live. She has appeared in films such as Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, Multiplicity with Michael Keaton, and Club Paradise with Robin Williams.

Unlike Park, Duke said she thinks all audiences are the same. “Sudbury or Toronto, they all laugh at the material we present. I know how to get a laugh. All four of us in the group are competent entertainers.”

Women Fully Clothed was at the comedy festival in Sudbury two years ago, but Duke said the material is new. “It is a series of sketches about the follies of everyday life — kids, relationships, friends, and bosses.”

Duke said the four women integrate music into their acts. “We have a piano player with us. Some of us sing duets. Our songs are funny.”

Tickets for theatre shows are $35, while the Howie Mandel show is $53.

For more information, tickets and show times, visit 240 Elgin St., or www.lolsudbury.com or phone 671-3000.