Fall arts preview 2016 comedy critics' picks: With names like Amy Schumer, Bruce McCulloch, John Cleese, and Eric Idle, the comedy scene is laughing

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      Again, there are too many quality high-profile comedy shows to include here, but this will get you started. If you’re curious about others, Bing these names: Angelo Tsarouchas (Yuk Yuk’s), Jo Koy (Vogue), Debra DiGiovanni (Biltmore), Danny Bhoy (Vogue), Dylan Moran (Vogue), Tom Green (Yuk Yuk’s), Bob Saget (River Rock Casino and Hard Rock Casino), and Ian Bagg (Comedy MIX).

      Joe Machi

      (September 23 and 24 at Yuk Yuk’s)

      Viewers fell in love with Machi during the eighth season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, when he finished fourth. (Vancouver’s Lachlan Patterson was tied for second.)

      The Draw: Machi’s awkward, wide-eyed, high-pitched, gosh-golly, smiley, positive delivery belies his killer jokes. There’s no one like him.

      Target Audience: One of the best club comics in New York makes his debut in a Vancouver comedy club. It’s like visiting the Big Apple without getting jet lag.

       

      Bruce McCulloch

      (October 1 at Lafflines)

      Fifty-five-year-old McCulloch still looks young, so it’s easy for him to go from a kid to a punk. Best known for his years with the influential sketch troupe the Kids in the Hall, McCulloch brings his Young Drunk Punk show to New Westminster’s comedy theatre.

      The Draw: It’s like standup with stories, characters, and songs, all with McCulloch’s patented cheeky insouciance.

      Target Audience: Who wasn’t a young, drunk punk at one time or another?

       

      John Cleese comes here with Eric Idle from October 20 to 22.

      John Cleese & Eric Idle

      (October 20 to 22 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre)

      The Monty Python vets are together again at last… For the Very First Time. Well, this is the second round of a North American tour, but let’s not quibble.

      The Draw: These are legends, as everyone knows. It’s not full-on Python, but it’s as close as we’re going to get. The evening promises scripted and improvised bits, storytelling, musical numbers, exclusive footage, and aquatic juggling. Pretty sure they’ll deliver on at least five of those promises.

      Target Audience: The 70-somethings might draw an older crowd, but there’s no reason. Their movies and TV shows live on in a vacuum and their comedy is timeless.

       

      Anjelah Johnson

      (October 26 at the Vogue Theatre)

      She is without a doubt the funniest former NFL cheerleader working in comedy today. Once a MADtv featured player, Johnson has made a name for herself in the standup world. She’s got two specials on Netflix that, unlike many of them, don’t suck.

      The Draw: Johnson has moved on from her viral-video hit about her trip to the nail salon, but she’s still clean and fun.

      Target Audience: No word on whether her alter ego Bon Qui Qui will make an appearance, but her standup alone is enough to keep your attention.

       

      Norm Macdonald

      (November 18 at the Hard Rock Casino)

      Norm’s back! And he’s got a new memoir (Based on a True Story, available September 20) to hawk that, from snippets released online, looks hilarious.

      The Draw: It’s Norm freakin’ Macdonald! Every time he visits the city, his former—if brief—home, it’s cause for celebration. Vancouver comic Kevin Foxx said it best: “He’s the only comic I know who’s incredibly smart and incredibly stupid simultaneously.”

      Target Audience: Quite literally the funniest human alive. If you can take his dark turns and ruminations on mortality, this is a show not to be missed.

       

      Just For Laughs Comedy Tour

      (November 18 and 19 at the Vogue Theatre)

      The JFL comedy caravan has been a staple across the country every fall for over 15 years, bringing name headliners together under one roof in one show.

      The Draw: Unlike past years, when every comic was well-known on the scene, the tour mixes it up. They’ve given Dane Cook (the biggest name in comedy, 2008 edition) the reins. He’s bringing friends Vinny Fasline and John Campanelli along for the ride to open for him.

      Target Audience: Cook doesn’t sizzle like he used to. Maybe that’s humbled him. But Myspace holdouts should be out in force.

       

      Greg Proops

      (December 1 to 3 at Yuk Yuk’s)

      The self-titled smartest man in the world brings his podcast and cerebral standup to town, presented by the good folks at the JFL Northwest Festival.

      The Draw: Everyone loves a know-it-all, right? No? Well, they do in this case. Proops, who rose to fame doing improv with two Vancouver performers, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie, on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, is joyfully full of himself.

      Target Audience: Podcast fans are a die-hard bunch. So are Whose Line fans. Proops has a built-in following wherever he goes.

       

      Beth Stelling

      (December 1 to 3 at the Comedy MIX)

      Late last year, Stelling posted allegations on Instagram that her ex-boyfriend had verbally and physically abused and raped her, which created a shitstorm on social media, understandably. But it overshadows the fact she’s a helluva standup comic.

      The Draw: Stelling has done all the late-night talk shows, and her recording, Simply the Beth, was named one of the top 10 albums of 2015 by the Interrobang and Splitsider.

      Target Audience: She’s the real deal, and it’s her first time headlining the MIX. Comedy nerds will be on high alert.

       

      Amy Schumer

      (December 2 at Rogers Arena)

      The biggest name in comedy, 2016 edition. Anything Schumer says or does now makes the news. She played the Hard Rock Casino in the spring of 2015. Now she’s doing arenas. Look out.

      The Draw: There will be no surprise at her shocking and sex-obsessed material, because Schumer is Schumer whether live, on TV, or on film.

      Target Audience: Sexist hecklers are urged to stay the hell away, lest they be given the Schumer heave-ho, as happened recently in Norway. Then again, in Rogers Arena it’s doubtful anyone would hear.

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