GIGGLE CITY: Matt Lisac 'leaves them laughing' – and

Matt Lisac has attacked Edmonton’s comedy scene by stealth.

He did a one-man show at the 2010 Fringe, innocuously called “A New Canadian Century,” for which he appeared on stage as a kindly, bearded Christian with guitar and a story to tell. About one minute into his opening number, it became obvious that this performer was neither kindly nor Christian – though, like Jesus, he did have a beard. Several audience members were offended and walked out.

Lisac has since abandoned the bait ‘n’ switch technique in favour of the school of hard knocks – the stand-up comedy circuit – prevailing recently as the winner of the Comic Strip’s Leave Them Laughing talent search. The prize is a gig – the co-host for a new comedy show on local producer Michael Kryton’s Internet television site: fusedlogic.tv, aiming for webcast in July. Lisac also plays the Calgary Yuk Yuk’s next weekend.

Q: So what was with that Fringe show?

A: It was brutal. The problem was that I didn’t even know I was going to get a show, so I never prepared anything. I had a month to put it together and I made the description and title in the Fringe program as vague as possible because I didn’t have any idea what I was going to do. So I got a lot old people who just wanted an afternoon of non-offensive theatre, and that’s not what I was going to give them.

Q: Did you secretly get a kick out of having people walk out?

A: I felt bad. I actually ended up bringing $100 in cash thinking that if five old people show up I’d just give them their money back and not even do the show. I didn’t wind up giving any money back. The people who walked out never stuck around long enough. But I never want to put people in an awkward situation like that and make them …

Q: Make them think?

A: It’s OK to make people think, but I also want to entertain people.

Q: We may have already covered this, but do you have a good heckler story?

A: The first time I ever got heckled was from a fellow who seen me before and he didn’t have all his marbles. And part-ways through one of my jokes, he yelled out the punchline before I got to it. I’d never been heckled before. I didn’t know what to do. So I froze. Then I went into another joke and after I finished the punchline, I looked straight at him and said, ‘I bet you didn’t see that coming!’ I might’ve used an expletive. That got a good laugh from the crowd.

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If you’ve ever been cruising through late-night cable TV and stumbled across a Canadian standup comedy special, you might have been left a little cold. Maybe the audience laughed too hard at a joke that seemed too soft, maybe it was just too easy to get up and check the fridge. One thing’s for sure: there’s just no substitute for live standup comedy. In Calgary, as it is everywhere, standup comedy is packaged into two (mostly) distinct flavours: professional and amateur. With professionals, you’re paying for consistency — a host (the comedian who introduces the acts), a “middle” (the comic equivalent of an appetizer) and a headliner. With amateurs, you’re rolling the dice on a longer night of open mic comedy that, for less than the price of a pro show, still gives you a professional headliner. Yuk Yuk’s ($12 to $19), the heavyweight of the Canadian comedy club scene, has franchises across the country. Calgary’s club used to be in the Blackfoot Inn, but it’s since relocated to shinier, blinkier digs in the Elbow River Casino. Expect to see local headliners like Marcus Beaubier and Karen O’Keefe, and any Canadian comic currently on the company’s roster. Beyond Calgary’s three main clubs, star headliners can pack venues like MacEwan Hall and the Jubilee Auditorium, though the vagaries of a famous comic’s touring schedule aren’t great for planning your evenings. For an annual event that’s more reliable, there’s FunnyFest, which unfortunately will be over by press time, but you can catch it next spring. Finally, if you want to see professional comics, but you’re also in the mood for a bit of risk, consider checking out Red Carpet Comedy ($10) at Club Paradiso in Inglewood. It’s a monthly show run by local comic Donovan Deschner that brings in local pros and makes them perform only brand new material. Like an open mic, Red Carpet Comedy removes some of the security an audience would otherwise get in a conventional club gig. But the next show isn’t until September. It’s a little misleading to bunch all open mics under “amateur,” because it’s standard to have a professional headliner anchoring the show, but even pros have to start somewhere. Open mic nights are where first-timers come to test their mettle and the returning wannabes struggle to catch the club manager’s eyes. Or just have fun.

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