Debra DiGiovanni & The Wheel Club
A Montreal secret hideaway & a single awkward female comedian!
The Wheel Club is a legendary hole-in-the-wall, almost literally, in Montreal. An almost secret hideaway, so far off the beaten path, around the bend and down the stairs, it’s been hard to find for over 40 years, yet it’s always full.
You’re about as apt to find a handful of university students there as you are to find a tableful of grannies sipping beer and soakin’ up the sounds. Old time rock n’ roll, rockabilly, and their storied hillbilly night complete with franks n’ beans as if they’d been cooked over an open fire. It’s such a kooky place, it makes all the sense in the world to throw in a few comedy nights for good measure.
And yesterday night was no exception, except for its exceptional line-up of comedians.
In keeping with the atmosphere of the Wheel Club, it’s called The Big Bad Belly Laugh Bonanza. Just five bits get you Montreal comics Andrew Searles, Robby Hoffman, Jon Malonos, Abdul Butt, Nathan Goldman, along with others, plus special guest Mike Paterson. And it’s all brought to you by Walter J. Lyng.
Paterson’s the comedy veteran of the bunch, going from the comedy stage to TV commercials to live theatre, and back to comedy. He’s got the look of a Muppet who might have fit in well with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, with an energy and a sound that might have come from Sam Kinison, but a comic vision all his own. He shares the Wheel Club stage with some of the most well-known up-and-comers on the scene.
On tonight and Saturday night, appearing at the Montreal Comedy Works is Debra DiGiovanni, one of the funniest comics in the country.
DiGiovanni demands your attention from the get-go. She grabs you by the lapels and doesn’t let go until you’re spent with laughter. She understands the element of surprise, so that every punch line comes at you like the proverbial spring-loaded boxing glove. She’s got several comedy awards under her belt, and has even been voted Toronto’s favourite comic… although I’m sure Montreal audiences won’t hold that against her. She will make you laugh. She may also make you squirm.
Debra DiGiovanni is appearing at The Comedy Works in downtown Montreal, 514-398-9661.
Debra DiGiovanni
Mike Paterson
Debra DiGiovanni
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