The Comedy Bar
Many of the city’s better-known comedy venues are so stuck in the past, there might as well be a fake brick-wall backdrop in front of the ubiquitous wooden stool. Are you with me, people? Which makes this ambitious brainchild of Sketchersons guy Gary Rideout Jr. such a refreshing change. Housed in a narrowish basement (at 945 Bloor West), the laid-back place feels like a terrific party you’ve just happened upon.
The acts include a mix of some of the edgiest stand-up, sketch and character work around anywhere. Rideout’s working on creating an online channel to be run out of the place. YouTube and Hulu, look out. Oh, and the bar also comes stocked with some decent snack food, doing away with a trip to the corner store for that mid-show sugar buzz.
