Airdronians are in for a laugh May 26 as Canadian comedian Ron James brings his side-splitting humour to Bert Church LIVE Theatre, as part of his Full Throttle tour.
“I’m excited to come out west, as it’s been a few years. The west has always been good to me,” said James.
The comedian recently wrapped up the Ontario leg of the tour before heading to Alberta for six shows – in St. Albert, Prince Albert, Lloydminster, Leduc, Camrose and Airdrie.
Described as having a “comedian’s eye for satire and a poet’s ear for language,” James is perhaps best known for one-hour comedy specials on CBC. The New Year’s Eve tradition, according to his site, garnering a record-breaking 1.5 million viewers in the last three years and a ninth special is set to air Dec. 31.
James has been performing stand-up for more than 25 years and said he’s enjoyed touring and getting to know Canadians; however, he joked about a few of the things he’s had to get used to while touring throughout the years.
“You have to like chicken wings and the dryness of a hotel room,” he said.
Following 10 years with the prestigious Second City, James appeared in feature films, sitcoms and national commercials, according to his site, earning a Best Supporting Actor Genie Award for his performance in the film Something About Love.
He also won a Gemini Award for writing on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, was anointed Comedian of the Year at the Canadian Comedy Awards, created and starred in The Ron James Show, which ran for five years on CBC and landed him a Screen Award nomination for Best Actor In A Comedy Series. He also received the Dave Broadfoot Award for Comedic Genius, and is currently writing his first book, All Over the Map, to be released later this year.
While performing in big cities is great, he said, he enjoys making smaller communities laugh, as well.
“It’s great to bring comedy to places that people might not usually get it. And it really tests your act,” he said.
After years of perfecting his craft, James said, “I feel like I’m finally hitting my stride. I’m finding the balance between artistic needs and audience expectations.”
The Just for Laugh’s alumnus’ has consistently sold out theatres from coast to coast for twenty years, according to his website, and has garnered accolades from critics and audiences alike, .
James said Airdronians can expect a full two-hour show filled with his trademark satirical humour that “cuts a wide swath through contemporary culture.”
“Well, it’ll be around [two hours] depending on how bad I have to pee,” he said in jest.
All jokes aside, James said the show will cover a wide range of topics, including hockey and political humour.
He said all he wants at his upcoming shows is to see people from all walks of life reacting to the same joke.
“I like to see people wiping tears from their face. Come with your laughing pants on and you’ll forget your worries,” James said. “You’ll be with neighbours and family enjoying communal laughter.”
Tickets for his show were sold for $62.50 on the City of Airdrie website, but are now completely sold out.
