This Week in Comedy: A Few Good Stand-Ups, Rock Climbing Benefit of Hilarity, and Sue's Bachelorette Extravaganza

With Just For Laughs around the corner, Toronto comedy shows are about to see some of their line-ups of the year. Where? When? Follow me as I walk you through This Week In Comedy

WED JULY 24 / A FEW GOOD STAND-UPS / COMEDY BAR / 945 BLOOR W / 8PM / $10

Producers often tell me that the host is more important to a show than the headliner, and I'm inclined to believe them. That says a lot about one of this evening's comedians, James Hartnett, who MC'd last month's NXNE edition of Laugh Sabbath, which featured guys like Chris Locke, Tom Henry, and Adam Christie. Sara Hennessey, a fellow Laugh Sabbath alumnus, is also on the show, and she's...I don't know how she's not more popular. As depicted in the first 20 seconds of the above clip, she has the raw energy and genuine childlike enthusiasm on stage that just energizes an audience. Your line-up is courtesy of Jacob Samuel, a start-up in and of himself who also co-produces Nearly Robots, one of the top five monthly shows in Toronto.

THURS JULY 25 / ROCK CLIMBING BENEFIT OF HILARITY / COMEDY BAR / 945 BLOOR W / 7PM & 9PM / $20

This show is being held to raise funds to send Pia Graham to the World Youth Climbing Championship, which will be held at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder in Scarborough and culminates with a graduation ceremony at UTSC. Nah, but seriously, they've put together a ridiculous line-up of all-stars...like, RIDICULOUS. Monty Scott, Jeff Elliott, Tim Gilbert, Sara Hennessey, Darryl Orr, Sandra Battaglini, Tim Golden, and Daryl Purvis. Usually, I try to single out one comedian to go in-depth on, but it's just not possible with a killer line-up like that. This is easily one of the best rosters of the month, if not the year.

SAT JULY 27 / SUE'S BACHELORETTE EXTRAVAGANZA / THE LOT / 100 OSSINGTON / 10PM / $15

"Come help TheTwoSues choose their summer flings in a Love Connection/Bachelorette-styled dating competition extravaganza."

I'm not sure what that means in practice, but what I do know is that they have a sick line-up of up-and-coming comedians that are about 1-3 years from hitting your television screen. In particular, I like this show because of the mix of comedians, which features the laid-back hilarity of Chris Robinson, the exuberant Blayne Smith, and the quiet charm of Steve Patrick Adams.

About the Author: This is Michael Jagdeo, and I refuse to write about myself in the third-person. My blog, Diary of a Stand-up Comedian, walks you through the up's and down's (they're mostly down's, really) in my quest to become a killer comic in Toronto.

by Michael Jagdeo via blogTO