Critics’ Picks

Aristotle was right: the gods are indeed fond of a joke. They’re bringing us an embarrassment of laughs this season like never before, so here are some highlights. No disrespect to Patton Oswalt, Colin Mochrie, Brad Sherwood, Margaret Cho, Gilbert Gottfried, Mike MacDonald, Wayne Brady, Joan Rivers, Dana Carvey, and the king, Don Rickles, who are coming through town, too. Nor to any of the fine local talent you can enjoy year-round.

Paul Provenza
(February 29 and March 1 at Lafflines)
You may have missed him in The Aristocrats, the 2005 film featuring 100 comedians telling the world’s dirtiest joke, but Provenza had his fingerprints all over it as executive producer, director, and coeditor.
The draw: This comedy blue blood can be as blue as his film was.
Target audience: No sacred cows allowed—Provenza brilliantly attacks all your cherished beliefs.

MySpace presents Secret Standup
(February 29 at the Media Club)
Who’s it going to be? It’s got to be a big name, right? But will it be someone you like? We could tell you, but we were sworn to secrecy. You’ll never get it out of us.
The draw: It’s always a greater thrill seeing a big name in a cozy venue. And did we mention it’s free?
Target audience: Fans of Janeane Garofalo… Doh! Ah, what the hell. Paul Provenza and the Satiristas will be opening, too.

Comedy Death Ray
(March 1 at the Commodore)
The lineup may not have the star power of the one that played the Global Comedy Fest last fall, but there’s still some solid talent: Doug Benson, Greg Behrendt, Dana Gould, Janeane Garofalo, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Tim and Eric, and the Fun Bunch.
The draw: This is the hip show in Los Angeles. Sure, it’s only five bucks there, but if you factor in airfare, you’re saving quite a bit.
Target audience: Risk-takers. Go for the celebrity names, stay for the unknowns.

Andrew “Dice” Clay
(March 7 at the River Rock Show Theatre)
Turn back the clocks, the Diceman cometh. He’s trying to revive a comedy career that saw him sell out Madison Square Garden in his prime.
The draw: C’mon, who doesn’t love dick jokes mixed with nursery rhymes? To be fair, though, Clay has apparently given up doggerel.
Target audience: Surrey.

Ron James
(March 8 at the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts)
The quintessential Canadian funny man gives you more bang for your buck than any comic alive. Two hours on stage is nothing for this guy, and it’s all carefully crafted, high-octane material.
The draw: James speaks our language, having played seemingly every single city and hamlet in this great land.
Target audience: He skews a little older owing to his CBC affiliations, but anyone who appreciates a master wordsmith will enjoy.

Jeremy Hotz
(March 25 at the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts)
Is he laughing or crying? I can never figure it out. I know the audience is usually doing both. And maybe peeing a bit, too.
The draw: The show is called Jeremy Hotz: What a Miserable Tour This Is. You gotta like that.
Target audience: Fellow pessimists: misery, after all, loves company.

Sarah Silverman
(March 29 at the River Rock Show Theatre)
After 15 years in the business, and countless shitty roles in even shittier movies, Silverman is finally coming into her own. Her concert film, Sarah Silverman:
Jesus Is Magic, was followed up by her own TV series, The Sarah Silverman Program. Those, together with her live standup act, make her one of the most controversial yet loveable comics around.
The draw: Silverman doesn’t work the road as much as many other standups. She last played Vancouver in 2000, on a couple of unannounced guest spots.
Target audience: If irony ain’t your bag, stay away.

Chris Rock
(April 9 at the River Rock Show Theatre)
Only 43, yet considered one of the all-time greats. Despite the name of the TV series based on his childhood, everybody doesn’t hate Chris.
The draw: Rock is an original voice who’s got something to say and isn’t afraid to say it.
Target audience: Comedy aficionados and celebrity worshippers.

Marc Maron
(April 24 to 26 at Yuk Yuk’s)
Maron’s existential angst isn’t for everyone, but he says he’s as happy if someone comes away thinking he’s hilarious as he is if they just hope he’s doing okay. That’s what you get when you wear your psychoses on your sleeve.
The draw: One of the prime movers of the alternative scene, Maron is more polished than the meta-comics who lead that movement today.
Target audience: The intelligentsia.

Greg Proops
(May 29 to 31 at Yuk Yuk’s)
He may look and sound like a pompous ass, but the erudite, bespectacled man of the world always impresses with his razor-sharp wit.
The draw: His humorously exhausting intellect, as Marc Maron once described it.
Target audience: Possibly fans of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, on which he starred for 14 years. But don’t expect improv games—this is strictly standup. And don’t expect Bob the Builder, either, which he voiced for four seasons.