ComediHa!’s sudden presence in Montreal is most welcome news, but it’s anglo comedy that draws tourists to the city.
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With Groupe Juste pour rire in limbo mode as it seeks protection from its creditors, comedy fans here should be delighted to learn there will at least be some mirth on the streets of Montreal this summer after all, courtesy of — go figure — Quebec City’s ComediHa!
To mark its 25th anniversary, the Quebec City fest is presenting ComediHa! Salue Montréal, July 18-28 with both paid indoor and free outdoor concerts in the Quartier des spectacles, Place des arts, Espace St-Denis and Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne. It’s no coincidence that these are pretty much the same dates and venues previously occupied by Just for Laughs.
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But questions still abound about what comes next on the comedy front here.
According to this week’s ComediHa! press release, the Montreal event will have a budget of “nearly $10 million,” will present a “diverse program” from galas to outdoor events and will allow fest-goers the possibility to see “la vie en drôle,” a nice thought but it’s no simple task to find the funny here these days.
Although he couldn’t be reached directly for comment, ComediHa! president and CEO Sylvain Parent-Bédard put this out in a press release: “Montreal has always been a hub for the comedy industry, with its cultural, tourist and economic benefits. It would have been inconceivable that our metropolis would not have a festival worthy of the name this summer. Quickly, public and private partners mobilized and made everything possible. On behalf of the industry, the comedy community and its many artists, I sincerely thank them. Hello Montreal, we’re coming July 18!”
There was no mention of which artists will appear or whether this festival will be a one-time-only event to mark ComediHa!’s 25th birthday. It’s probably a good bet that like the Quebec City event, this fest will largely focus on franco acts. But that doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be an anglo component. We’ll have to wait a few weeks until the schedule is unveiled.
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Many around the city and well beyond were left reeling after it was announced over two months ago that the 2024 edition of the Juste pour rire and Just for Laughs festivals were being cancelled this summer, thus leaving a mammoth cultural and financial void here in Festival City.
Groupe Juste pour rire, which runs the festivals, owes about $30 million to creditors and as such is seeking protection from them. The company also announced that it had laid off 75 employees and that this year’s Just for Laughs in Toronto is also cancelled.
While the Grand Prix is the crown of the summer festival season — bringing in more than $80 million to city coffers — JFL, although in a slightly different category, holds its own as well. It generated around $30 million in its glory years.
“In terms of international prestige and coverage, the comedy festival has brought so much attention and tourism to Montreal,” Tourisme Montréal president Yves Lalumière says. “We can’t underestimate its importance to the city.”
ComediHa!’s sudden presence here this summer comes as most welcome news, Lalumière feels.
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“This big hole that would have been here in the summer has been filled,” he says. “Not too many people wanted to do something at the last minute like they have.”
Lalumière says there is no indication yet whether the festival might stick around after this summer. But what’s more on his mind now is drawing tourists to the city — and anglo comedy is part of that equation.
“ComediHa! has not been very active on the English component in Quebec City, and I’m not quite sure what they will do here. I don’t know what they’re planning, but I’m really hoping an English portion will be part of this summer’s festival, because this element is very important to Tourisme Montréal.”
Lalumière is somewhat mystified about the purported nearly $10-million budget to come from federal, provincial and municipal sources for ComedieHa! Salue Montréal.
“I’m not sure about what kind of government subsidy they will be getting. That’s what they’re asking, but that seems to be a very substantial number.”
On the other hand, Lalumière has been recently buoyed by buzz he’s been hearing about potential “bidders” seeking to bring Just for Laughs/Juste pour rire back to life in 2025.
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“It’s great to hear there’s been some constructive and positive talk about the festival’s return, because there could have been none at all as some had feared, or just interest in some of the company’s assets,” he says, in reference to talk that Cirque du Soleil, among others, has shown interest in reviving the 41-year-old festival. “This is excellent news, not just for Montreal but for the province. So we’re feeling hopeful and confident it can return.”
Like Lalumière, Just for Laughs co-founder Andy Nulman stresses that the presence of big-name American and international comics is paramount to bringing in North American tourism here.
“There are already people in the city looking to fill that void in planning to present some high-end English comedy shows this summer,” says Nulman, who left JFL a decade back.
“The anglo element is massive as it pertains to the touristic front here. This is why we worked so closely with Tourisme Montreal. Those acts are what brings the American and Canadian tourists here. They are a magnet for the Ontario and U.S. eastern seaboard visitors. I really love the comedy of Patrick Huard, but, unfortunately, the reality is New Yorkers aren’t heading here to see him.”
bbrownstein@postmedia.com
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