The top 5 club shows at this year’s Just for Laughs

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Broad City’s Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson make their Just For Laughs debut this year.

Montreal’s annual Just for Laughs festival crams a lot of comedy into 2 short weeks. While most of the attention gets focused on the huge star-filled galas, which this year include hosts Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Chevy Chase and more, the club shows are always your best best. Comedy is best served by a small dark room that allows performers free reign, and this year’s edition of the festival offers up some of the best crop of current comedians in a number of intimate venues. As a bonus, the club shows are often the cheapest tickets at the festival, and can be bundled together for even further savings. Below we highlight 5 great club shows at Just For Laughs this year. Be sure to check out the festival’s official website for all ticketing info.

The Alternative Show
July 22-26 @ Katacombes, 1635 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. 11:45pm, $20

Dollar for dollar, this is consistently the best deal of the festival. Hosted by the ingratiatingly neurotic Andy Kindlerthe show brings together a handful of the best “alternative” comics on a single bill. While that “alternative” tag might throw some off, this is simply a loose designation for forward-thinking comedians, and allows them the freedom to venture off into areas they couldn’t touch on a more mainstream bill. The lineups vary by night, but are almost uniformly exceptional. Over the last couple of years, the show has included spots by Tig Nataro, Todd Barry, Todd Glass, Hannibal Burress, Paul F. Tompkins, Eugene Mirman, and many more. If you’re looking for a glimpse of where comedy is heading, look no further.

Talk of the Fest – Broad City
July 22 @ Club Soda, 1225 Saint-Laurent, 7:00 & 10:00pm, $40-$54

Comedy Central’s Broad City is the breakout show of the year. Creators, writers, and stars Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson portray a couple of twenty-something stoner best friends, who embark on a new ridiculous lark every episode, from trying to score Lil Wayne tickets, to smuggling weed in their nether-regions. Often described as the “anti-Girls,” the show is a refreshingly juvenile yet affectionate look at modern life, as lived out by Williamsburg trust-funders (and their imitators worldwide). The pair’s manic energy should transition well to a live set-up, with the duo apparently setting each show around a specific theme, ensuring a unique experience each time.

T.J. Miller
July 25 @ L’Astral, 305 Ste Catherine West. 11:30pm, $36- $48

A long-kept secret amongst comedy nerds, T.J. Miller is now primed for much wider recognition. He starred in HBO’s Emmy-nominated Silicon Valley series earlier this year as an delusional tech start-up svengali, and even has a role in the latest Transformers: Edge of Extinction film, alongside ex-Funky Bunch leader Mark Wahlberg. A witty stand up performer with almost unbridled energy, this is likely the last year you’ll be able to catch T.J. at the club-level. With only one show slotted so far, this is one you should probably grab tickets to sooner rather than later.

Todd Barry
July 21-23 @ Theatre Sainte-Catherine, 264 Rue Sainte-Catherine Est. 10:30pm, $20
Todd Barry has been a festival mainstay for years, but this time he is bringing his The Final Crowd Work Tour to Montreal, which consists solely of improvised crowd interactions. No predetermined jokes or gags, just Todd dryly engaging with the crowd, which should be hilarious within the cozy confines of Theatre Sainte-Catherine. If anyone has doubts that a completely improvisational set can still kill, check out Todd’s Crowd Work special, filmed at 7 shows around the world, and released earlier this year on Louie CK’s site for a meagre $5.
Chelsea Peretti
July 23 @ L’Astral, 305 Ste Catherine West. 11:30pm, $36- $48
Chelsea Peretti has essentially conquered all forms of media. She has one of the most dementedly surreal Twitter accounts out there, staring roles on Brooklyn Nine Nine and The Kroll Show, her own influential podcast, a variety of web shorts, and has written for a number of shows, including a stint on Parks and Recreation. In the midst of all this, she also maintains a prolific standup regimen, which last brought her to Just For Laughs opening for Aziz Ansari. Finally here for her own well-deserved headlining stint, Chelsea’s loose self-depreciating attitude, and smart riifs on issues like the gender inequality in standup, make this show one of the highlights of this year’s festival.

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