Paul F. Tompkins and His Friends Deliver Easy to Relate To Show
Paul F Tompkins from Just For Laughs.
There are a seemingly endless number of funny shows taking place over the next week as part of Zoofest and Just For Laughs. One of them is Paul F Tompkins’ show on St. Laurent. This show is interesting and different; it showcases the talent of Tompkins and two sidekicks. There are five pieces to the program; each one is funny in its own way leaving the show enjoyable for a variety of audience members.
Debby was the first of the sidekicks to appear. She is young, spunky, Australian and quite funny. Her set is relatable to anyone who has parents – which is almost everyone in the audience. Her set had a lot of personal spunk and it was traditionally funny set of stand-up. For someone so young, she definitely knows how to make a crowd laugh.
Paul F Tompkins. Photo Lisa Whiteman
The next of sidekicks was Mark, an Ontario native comedian. From the start of the set I could tell his humor was a bit different. I loved the way that he organized his jokes, making some very good points as he went along. He had me laughing my ass off without doing much speaking during one point of his set, making him a very appropriate addition to the night’s entertainment.
Tompkins not only opened the program but also reappeared as two “imaginary” friends of his. In the show opener, he sported a fantastic summer suit and joked about the lack of striking in Montreal. It is a bit rare that no one is striking right now isn’t it? After starting the show off with plenty of laughs with a theme around a severed baby’s foot, he returned in costume as two other people.
Coming back as a famous musical composer and a clairvoyant host of a popular TLC program, both times many laughs were hand by almost everyone in the audience. Both costumes were well put together and I feel like he did a good impression of both characters. It was definitely a laugh, and worth checking out if you enjoy the idea of “imaginary friends” and real friends of Tompkins entertaining you for a night.
Paul F. Tompkins’ show is on July 24 and 26 at the Mainline Theatre (3997 St. Laurent). 9 p.m. $20.
