Theatre Sainte-Catherine is this year’s Just for Laughs’ club house of comedy. Day 4 at the venue featured a stacked lineup: JFL Live Sessions, And Just Like That This is Me Now: An Hour with Tranna Wintour, Double Threat, and Midnight Surprise.
Upon arrival, Kristina Guevarra greets you at the door – and if you’re early, she might have you line up against the wall. These shows have tight turnarounds! Inside, Sandi Armstrong makes sure you find your seat and keeps things running on time. She might even encourage you to sit in the front: “I’ll never make you move seats! Seats in the front! Seats in the third!” she calls out. If it’s a taping, she’ll let you know it’s safe to sit up – comics likely won’t talk to you. But she’s not just stage-managing! You can catch Sandi on stage in OFF JFL’s Sunday Night Improv on July 20 and July 27, performing with fellow TSC improv veterans. At TSC, the venue hosts are performers themselves.
The 7 p.m. show, JFL Live Sessions, hosted by Kyra Carleton, was “a regular show, but being taped,” as Carleton put it. She asked a man in the front his name: Brian Monk. When he’s not volunteering for the Festival, Brian’s squeezing in all the shows as possible. He’s a fixture at Theatre Sainte-Catherine and across Montreal’s live performance scene. If you’ve ever been to a show, odds are Brian was in the front row.
After Brian’s intro, Kyra officially ended the crowd work–except for uncovering some out-of-towners from Florida and Edmonton. Then, seriously, no more crowdwork. Kyra moved into material about her love of e-transfers and a meeting with a financial advisor who asked about her “streams of income.” She has “no streams.” Her second job? “English stand-up comedy in Montreal”– so, in her words, she makes no money. The line earned a laugh, but also struck a chord. Is it a joke? Sure. But also a commentary. An audience member might assume their ticket helps pay the comedians. So… are English-speaking comics in Montreal not getting paid consistently?
Regardless, Kyra’s wholesome edge and disarming charm made the room feel right at home. She brought up the first act–after poking Brian one last time.
The first three acts will all be appearing on Roast Battle Canada. Dino Archie kicked off the night, declaring Montreal “a slutty town,” and circled back to Brian to ask about giant d*cks. Next, Michelle Forrester (a New Face of 2023) confirmed that, as a Montrealer-turned-Torontonian, “It’s horrible over there. All the rumours are true. It’s a terrible city.” Tyler Morrison–who wrote for The Roast of Tom Brady, closed out the trio and had the husbands in the crowd fully onboard.
Then came Raajiee Chelliah, fresh off her taping for The New Wave of Standup on CBC. Born to Sri Lankan parents and raised in Saint-Eustache, she shared travel stories and described how her life peaked the day she saw Beyoncé. Based on this set and the audience reaction, Raajiee might just become someone else’s Beyoncé. And yes– she picked on Brian too.
The closer? Living legend Kenny Robinson, who’s also competing on Roast Battle Canada.
After Kyra wished everyone a good night – and sent the woman with the big laugh in the back home with sweet dreams – the venue was swiftly cleared for Tranna Wintour’s sold-out solo hour.
The line for And Just Like That This is Me Now wrapped around the corner. Opening the show was Andrew Khoury, who hopped on stage in his “FREE WENDY” t-shirt, to which the woman next to me exclaimed: “I love Wendy!” Andrew had the crowd charmed in no time before introducing the star of the hour: Tranna Wintour.
She opened by roasting And Just Like That and Sarah Jessica Parker before diving into the three main probable reasons for her singleness, mushrooms, and subreddits. Tranna’s crowd is fierce, fun, and completely on board. The person beside me was vibrating with laughter the entire show. If you missed this sold-out set, you still have a chance to catch her as part of the JFLGBTQ+ Gala hosted by Alan Cumming on July 26.
Double Threat followed, a split bill with Chris Robinson and Dino Archie. Chris opened by thanking the audience for supporting Black comedy on a Saturday night– “and it’s not even February.” Montreal thoughts off the top? Not pandering, but: Montreal women have the best asses per capita, likely thanks to the hills, gravy, and cheese curds.
Then came Dino Archie, a Nasty Show veteran and Jimmy Kimmel Live! alum. He opened by sharing how good it is to be an American who can’t speak French in Montreal. The accent is too cute. He can’t fear cops here if they sound like they’re flirting.
Both comics will also be competing in Roast Battle Canada – so grab tickets while you can!
Be sure to check out the rest of the Just for Laughs lineups at Theatre Sainte-Catherine. It’s a venue tailor-made for comedy: narrow, brick-lined, and alley-like in the best way. The staff is warm, the bar is stocked, and there’s a cozy terrasse outside. Whether you’re in Montreal for the fest or just passing through, don’t miss it. You might even meet Brian.
JFL Live Sessions go until July 22 at Theatre Sainte-Cathering (info here).
Michelle Forrester VS Tyler Morrison, Kenny Robinson VS Darren Frost on Roast Battle Canada, July 20 at 10:30PM (info here)
Tranna Wintour will be part of the JFLGBTQ+ Gala hosted by Alan Cumming on July 26 (info here).
Chris Robinson will be competing in Roast Battle Canada on July 22 at 10:30PM (info here).
Dino Archie will be competing in Roast Battle Canada on July 20 at 8PM (info here).
