We were really looking forward to Dave Merheje and Arthur Simeon’s Legends In The Making Tour, which the stand-up comics have been performing in various Ontario cities. Toronto, the hometown crowd, was their final stop last Friday, June 15, at the Jane Mallett.
But only Simeon stood out.
He went on last (after MC Ali Hassan and Merheje) and displayed incredible range. He opened with a nice physical bit that instantly, and casually, established his African background (he was born in Kampala, Uganda), and then segued into first-rate bits about self-righteous Caucasian girls “helping out” in Africa, the difficulties of dating women who like to go camping, and his friends’ anxiety about taking him to African Lion Safari.
Tim Hortons figured in two jokes: one about how to get apathetic Canadians to vote, the other about immigrants and eating. The timing was a little off on the latter we’ve seen him do better with it before.
There’s a political and social subtext to his best material, particularly a surprising bit about the Kony 2012 controversy and a clever joke about how difficult it is for him to travel.
Legend in the making? Sure.
Wish we could say the same of Merheje, who filled his 25-minute set with unfunny and unoriginal jokes about his lack of sexual prowess, old lady joggers and working out at the gym.
The comic tries to get by playing the little-guy underdog card, with his squeaky voice, constantly moving arm and hip-hop attitude. Not working.
A couple of jokes felt authentic: one about drunk white girls sprawled outside King West nightclubs, and another about hand jobs. That should give you an idea of his subjects and range.
Another about a shooting on a patio was so butchered, it made absolutely no sense. Maybe his act would have been bearable if he hadn’t kept laughing at all his own material. Dude: we’re supposed to laugh, not you.
Neither were we very impressed with host Hassan, who seemed completely detached from his jokes about being married, having kids and being a Pakistani Muslim. His single good joke concerned one awkward (and racist) audition session, but it was so haphazardly delivered that we didn’t care.
Sounding board
Thesp, an association of Toronto indie theatre companies – and one that should blow its horn more often than it does – offers the second annual Sound It Out Festival, an afternoon and evening of readings of new works and scripts in progress by young local writers.
They include Christopher Douglas, Susan Stover, Mariel Marshall, Claire Burns, Andrew Mckechnie (Living Room Theatre) and Ray Jarvis Ruby (Blue Dagger Theatre).
The best-known of the troupes is Cue Six Productions, run by Sarah Illiatovitch-Goldman and Jill Harper, which recently produced the three-hander Pieces. The play had an earlier reading at last year’s festival.
Sound It Out includes eight works as well as musical interludes by Kevin Myles Wilson and Chicken Salad.
And you not only get to listen to the shows, but also participate: audience feedback is encouraged as part of the development process.
See listings.
