Absolute Comedy is Absolute Hilarity

By Linda Viduka

It’s kind of a funny review

A guaranteed fun-filled evening - including dinner and live entertainment can be found at Ottawa’s Absolute Comedy Club, which showcases both local and national comedic talent on a nightly basis. It’s a different, yet entertaining, diversion for those who are weary of the usual movie-night-followed-by-a-dinner routine. This change of venue guarantees at least some degree of comic relief (if one comedian doesn’t strike you as particularly funny, the next one undoubtedly will). Admission is also surprisingly cheap when compared to movie prices: $4.00 on Monday nights, $6.00 on Wednesdays, and $15.00 on Saturdays.

Located in the heart of Little Italy on Preston Street, Absolute Comedy is a relatively new club that opened in 2004, that some now claim has already surpassed the more, well-established Yuk Yuks Comedy Club in popularity. The two story building has a hall on each floor, which can easily accommodate up to 170 people (for those of you who have trouble sitting for prolonged periods of time, the lower level contains two pool tables). A full bar is featured on both floors and a full-service kitchen operates nightly for its customers. The club is open seven days a week and schedules 2 - 3 comics for its nightly show which runs approximately 90 minutes in length.

I went on Wednesday night, which turned out to be "Jocko Alston Tribute Night," with Anne-Marie, a friend and former co-worker. This was to be a tribute and fundraiser for Jocko Alston, a much-loved comedian who died four days before Christmas from a heart attack at the age of 44. All proceeds from the ticket sales, food and raffle went towards his infant daughter in the form of a trust-fund set up by Jason Laurans, owner of Absolute Comedy and best friend of Jocko Alston. Normally for a Wednesday evening, we would have paid a $6.00 admission fee; we ended up paying $15.00. It was well worth the money, considering it was a special event PLUS we were treated to a total of nine different comics from across Canada who worked pro bono for the occasion.

It turned out to be an emotional evening of highs and lows as comedians recounted touching stories of their friend and co-worker to a full audience. Jocko Alston, a well-established personality on the comedy circuit for over 20 years and considered to be a "father-figure" in the comedy world, was remembered for taking the "up-and-comers" under his wing for guidance and support. Each comedian shared a “when I first started out, story,” which inevitably ended with an anecdote of his guiding influence as both mentor and friend; as  expected, some of the comics grew teary-eyed.

The evening was presided over by fellow comedienne, Carrie Gaetz who humoured her hometown crowd by saying, "my parents weren’t big believers in success or opportunity, so we moved from Calgary to Ottawa." The Quebec born-and-raised Jocko Alston was affectionately described by the other comics as being "family" or, as one described in part-French, "he was a frère from another mère,"  (that’s French for "brother from another mother"). The show included comedians Pierre Brault, Derick Lengwenus, Denis Grignon and Mike Paterson, just to name a few.

Upon arriving, we ordered a pitcher of beer ($17.50) that we split between us. As well, we opted out of a main course dinner. Instead, we ordered the "Absolute Platter," an assortment of finger foods including onion rings, zucchini sticks, chicken fingers and wings for only $18.00. I did take a peek at some of the main courses offered, most of which were reasonably priced, such as Spaghetti and Meatballs for $8.25, Chicken Parmesan for $10.50 and Vegetable Lasagna for $9.00. Drinks were also reasonably priced: shooters ranged in price from anywhere between $4.50-$6.00, domestic beer at $4.75 per bottle, (imported- $6.00), and a glass of red or white wine at $6.00.

The service staff was quiet and efficient. The atmosphere - although cramped - (we were seated really close together), somehow made you more focused on the stage. The dark and dimly lit hall had a cozy ambience with candles on every table and everyone had a decent view of the stage, which was wide, open, and well-lit. The hall had a typical "pub feel" to it but thankfully, the only noise we heard was the welcome laughter from other guests.

The comedians all had their own individual brand of humour. In all honesty, after two hours of back-to-back roaring, shrieking and howling and my fondness for drink, it was difficult to recall any of their jokes; however, I can say with some certainty that most of the really good jokes were sexual in nature, but not over-the-top-obscene. The evening ended in the audience’s spontaneous chanting of Jocko’s name followed by an eruption of applause that lasted several minutes.

Absolute Comedy is the perfect venue for anybody searching for comedic relief at a reasonable price; it’s time and money well spent in the form of ninety minutes of hilarious side-splitting, knee-slapping comedy that will surely keep you coming back for more.