Something to laugh about
FRIENDS is sharing recommendations for great Canadian content to lighten the load of our shared experience during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Help us share these Canadian gems with even more people and support Canadian artists during the pandemic. Become a patron today.
I've been watching a lot of comedy show reruns lately. Corner Gas, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Kim's Convenience — any show that can give me a good belly laugh at the end of a long work-from-home day. Although there is plenty to be worried about right now, it's not necessarily the relief I'm after. Rather, comedy closes the gap between me and everyone I used to see in person, like my friends, my neighbours, the friendly staff at my favourite bakery and local community centre. When I laugh at a punchline, I know someone else somewhere has laughed at it too. And in that lies something we still have in common — humour.
"Laughter is the closest distance between two people," the famous comedian Victor Borge said. Tell Our Stories Together, comedy edition, is FRIENDS' way of bringing us closer through a laugh or a smile. We commissioned these original videos by talented Canadian comics to lift our spirits and remind us that we are all in this together. Here are four short stories, recorded just for you. — Shazlin Rahman
If you haven't noticed, baking bread is now the best thing since, well, sliced bread. Even non-bakers like myself have ventured into making their own sourdough starters. But prolific artist and performer Kate Mior isn't one to follow the herd. In this short sketch, her alter ego Marie Antoinette decides to bake a cake instead. Marie is stuck at home by herself and she longs for the old days when her palace was filled with the smell of baked goods fresh out of the oven. Watch what happens when Marie goes on an adventure in the kitchen with the help of a few pantry staples, and plenty of wine. — Shazlin Rahman
Branchez-vous à votre culture en vous abonnant aujourd'hui!
Isolation doesn't have to be isolating. Sign up and be part of the movement.
Is there anything harder than pleasing your own inner critic? Even the best of us can be bested by the constant stream of self-critique about our every flaw and mistake. Comedian Chris Sandiford is making the best of his time in isolation with his own inner monologue. Watch him test out a new routine to a never-satisfied audience of one in his backyard. — SR
Does social isolation mean no romance? Not so, according to storyteller and comic Elaine Gold. Even though she's mostly confined to her Toronto apartment lately, Elaine managed to find romance with the help of online dating and a game of chance. Here's her story of how she made her love connection under the most unlikely circumstances. — SR
While he's in self-isolation, Kyle Hickey tried performing for his stuffed animals, but they weren't the most responsive audience. With the help of his agent, Kyle manages to book another show for a party just down the hallway. Their reaction is, let's just say, a mixed bag. — SR