Just for Laughs review: Godfrey hosted a stacked lineup at the Midnight Surprise show

Midnight Surprise
Theatre Sainte-Catherine
July 21, 2018

With its top-secret daily lineup of comedians, the Midnight Show at Just for Laughs has quickly become one of the most coveted tickets at the festival. While huge names like Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, and Louis CK have all dropped in for guest spots at the show, even without a mega-star the late-night show is generally a great mix of 5-6 strong comics, each doing a quick 8-minute set.

On Saturday night hosting duties for the show were handed over to Godfrey, the Nigerian-born US comic that’s become something of a festival favourite in recent years. Insisting on only taking the stage to Wu-Tang Clan, Godfrey was a ball of energy throughout the night, not an inconsequential trait for a show that starts at midnight. With some great stories about his cousins in Nigeria attempting to come visit him in New York, and a series of strong impressions (his Denzel was on-point), Godfrey’s set was easily the highlight of this stacked and diverse bill. Make sure to catch his solo show, “Yea, I said it…” at Cafe Cleopatra every night during the festival.

While the festival really gets into full swing on Monday, the primary JFL shows right now are their long-running Ethnic and Nasty shows, and we got a taste of each at this show.

True to the name, The Nasty Show’s Ms. Pat delivered a filthy and hilarious closing set that savaged everything from her husband’s cheapness to why white girls keep getting abducted from Wal-Mart. Talking proudly about her sexual preferences was apparently too much for one woman in the front row, who kept covering her face whenever Ms. Pat (frequently) got down and dirty, which only made her a bigger target throughout the show. Pro tip: if you sit in the front row for a midnight Just for Laughs show, be ready for anything.

Stopping by from The Ethnic Show, the hyper Orny Adams barely even needed a microphone, preferring to shout out his stories of travelling overseas with his family and questioning the usefulness of smart fridges.

Also from The Ethnic Show was Venezuelan-born Francisco Ramos, who had a great set that included the idea of rescuing homeless people the way we do with dogs.

DeAnne Smith is no stranger to these midnight show sets, and this time around put her usual material aside to recount one long story about engaging with someone who accidentally texted her. The takeaway: don’t mess with Millennials.

With a lineup that remains a mystery right until the next comic is called to the stage, the Midnight Surprise remains one of the best ways to see a variety of comics from the JFL roster in an intimate setting. Even without a superstar drop-in, you’re going to have a great time.

The Midnight Surprise runs through July 28. For tickets and the complete Just for Laughs schedule visit the festival’s official site.