Inside Vancouver

Review – JFL Northwest presents Maria Bamford at the Vogue Theatre

by Shawn Conner in Entertainment, Events on February 15, 2020

Maria Bamford performed on the opening night of JFL Northwest.

JFL Northwest kicked off last night, and this IV blogger was fortunate enough to catch Maria Bamford’s set at the Vogue. More on that in a bit.

In the meantime, tickets are still available for many of the shows. Among the headliners with shows between now and the festival’s Feb. 25 closing are Bill Burr (Feb 20), Hannah Gadsby (Feb 25), Patton Oswalt (Feb 22), and a live version of the podcast How Did This Get Made (Feb 20). Visit JFLnorthwest.com for a full lineup and tickets.

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Review – JFL Northwest presents Maria Bamford at the Vogue Theatre

Burr, Gadsby, Bamford among headliners at 2020 JFL Northwest comedy festival

by Shawn Conner in Events, Insider on December 4, 2019

Bill Burr is one of the headliners at the 2020 JFL Northwest comedy festival.

JFL Northwest, Vancouver’s Just for Laughs Festival, has announced its headliners for 2020. Now in its fifth year, the festival has lined up Bill Burr, Hannah Gadsby, Patton Oswalt, Margaret Cho, Maria Bamford, and many more.

The festival runs Feb. 13-25 at various venues. Pre-sale tickets began Dec. 3 at 10 a.m. General tickets go on sale this Friday, Dec. 6, at 10 a.m. at JFLNorthWest.com. For more about the fest and performers, including selected highlights, see below.

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Burr, Gadsby, Bamford among headliners at 2020 JFL Northwest comedy festival

New Big Fun comedy festival breaks up the November blahs with laughs a-plenty

by Shawn Conner in Events, Insider on November 13, 2019

Jena Friedman.

Big Fun is a new week of comedy and drag. (The media release also promises music, art and food, though details are scarce). The inaugural event takes place Nov. 20-24 with over 15 events at various Vancouver venues.

Headliners include Eugene Mirman and Jena Friedman. Other performers include Trixie Mattel, Zack Fox, Puppyteeh, Claude von Stroke, Mixed Gems, and more. Special events include a “flipped script” show in which drag performers read the script for an episode of the TV series Friends. For more info, see below.

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New Big Fun comedy festival breaks up the November blahs with laughs a-plenty

Five (more) reasons to check out at this year’s Chutzpah! Festival

by Shawn Conner in Events, Insider on October 18, 2019

MM Contemporary Dance performing Gershwin Suite. Photo: Tiziano Ghidorsi

The Chutzpah! Festival is a celebration of Jewish dance, theatre, comedy, music and more. We’ve already written about the festival’s 19th-year headliner Sandra Bernhard, but here are five more reasons to check out the annual event (Oct. 24-Nov 24).

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Five (more) reasons to check out at this year’s Chutzpah! Festival

Dave Chappelle bestie and Daily Show correspondent Neal Brennan comes to the Rio Theatre

by Shawn Conner in Entertainment on July 30, 2018

He’s worked with such titans of comedy as Michelle Wolf, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Trevor Noah, and Dave Chappelle.

But Emmy-nominated writer, director, and writer Neal Brennan is also a stand-up comic. He came out of the shadows with his well-received comedy special 3 Mics. And he’s bringing his new show Here We Go to The Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway) Aug. 16.

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Dave Chappelle bestie and Daily Show correspondent Neal Brennan comes to the Rio Theatre

JFL NorthWest takes to the streets for a block party featuring food, comedy and music

by Shawn Conner in Events on February 27, 2018

Bill Burr appears at this year’s JFL NorthWest comedy festival.

JFL NorthWest is adding a block party to its 10-day comedy festival.

The block party takes place March 7-9 (Wed-Fri) from 5-10 p.m. at the Queen Elizabeth Plaza (695 Cambie St.). The outdoor party features a big screen, live music, food trucks, libations and even Victor, the Just for Laughs mascot. See below for more details.

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JFL NorthWest takes to the streets for a block party featuring food, comedy and music

Here comes the funny: some highlights of this year’s upcoming JFL NorthWest comedy festival

by Shawn Conner in Events on February 20, 2018

Nikki Glaser performs at this year’s JFL NorthWest.

The JFL NorthWest Comedy Festival is right around the corner. Some shows are sold-out, but there are still tickets left for some of the biggest names in comedy appearing in Vancouver March 1-10.

This is the comedy festival’s third year in Vancouver. Last year saw over 30,000 comedy fans coming out to see 100 professional laugh-getters at 25 venues in the Lower Mainland.

This year, some of the bigger shows include Bill Burr (tickets still left for the famously acerbic comic’s March 7 show at the Orpheum Theatre, 601 Smithe St.), Jo Koy (two shows March 7 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 630 Hamilton St.), Maria Bamford (March 3 at the Vogue Theatre, 918 Granville St.), Brian Regan (March 5 at the Vogue), Mike Birbiglia (two shows, March 9 at the Vogue), and former SNL cast member/impressionist Jay Pharoah (March 10 at the Vogue).

Along with the theatre shows, the festival is hosting several showcases and comedy sets at smaller clubs and venues. Here’s a brief run-down of some of the comics, podcast hosts and special events coming to JFL NorthWest 2018.

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Here comes the funny: some highlights of this year’s upcoming JFL NorthWest comedy festival