The president of a Quebec-based leisure group says he’s “reviving” the Montreal Simply For Laughs competition with a scaled-down 2024 occasion that features reveals by Dane Cook dinner, Bassem Youssef and Bobby Slayton.
ComediHa! CEO Sylvain Dad or mum-Bédard says it’s a “little bit of a miracle” the corporate is ready to announce a July lineup solely weeks after buying a variety of property from the financially troubled Only for Laughs comedy firm.
Whereas this yr’s competition will likely be smaller on the English aspect, with about 15 reveals and 20-30 comedians, he stated it sends a strong sign.
“It was vital for us to make a press release to the followers, to the completely different companions and to the comedy business that we’re there, we’re nonetheless there, and we’re going to be there,” he stated in a telephone interview.
Only for Laughs cancelled its Montreal and Toronto festivals earlier this yr and sought creditor safety, blaming the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and the altering leisure business for its monetary woes.
Dad or mum-Bédard’s ComediHa! introduced earlier this month {that a} decide accredited its bid to accumulate the manufacturers Juste pour rire, Simply For Laughs, Zoofest, ComedyPro, the Gags, in addition to the audiovisual catalogue.
The 2024 competition runs from July 18 to twenty-eight and can characteristic a free out of doors efficiency by Cook dinner, about 15 reveals at varied venues, and a closing present that has but to be introduced. It will likely be run alongside the corporate’s French competition, referred to as “ComediHa! salue Montréal.”
Whereas the corporate had been planning the French Montreal occasion below its personal banner since March, Dad or mum-Bédard stated it solely confirmed on June 7 that it might have the ability to run reveals below the Simply For Laughs identify.
He stated this yr’s version received’t have an enormous English-speaking gala, and the corporate received’t produce tv this summer season.
Nevertheless, he promised that attendees received’t be upset by the standard of the lineup. He expects Cook dinner’s out of doors efficiency at Place des Festivals to attract 1000’s of followers, and stated it’s the primary time Youssef — described within the press launch as “the Egyptian-born coronary heart surgeon-turned-host of the Arab world’s greatest political satire present” — has come to the town.
Dad or mum-Bédard stated that by subsequent yr he needs to return the Montreal competition to its pre-pandemic glory days. Within the quick time period, he additionally needs to convey again touring throughout Canada with the Only for Laughs model.
He stated the corporate nonetheless hasn’t decided on the way forward for the Toronto Simply For Laughs competition however stated the corporate will likely be again within the metropolis in some kind later this yr and is planning a fuller occasion for fall 2025.
A courtroom submitting from insolvency trustee PwC stated Groupe Juste pour rire booked a web lack of greater than $7.9 million within the first 10 months of 2023. Courtroom paperwork launched in March confirmed the corporate owed almost $22.5 million to collectors, whereas extra paperwork launched later confirmed a further $5 million owed by the competition and different affiliated companies.
Dad or mum-Bédard stated he has solely been capable of rent again about 10 of the 130 or so staff who have been laid off from the Simply For Laughs comedy firm. He stated ComediHa! continues to be sifting by way of some 6,000 paperwork related to the property it bought, however he expressed confidence it may keep away from the monetary errors of its predecessor.
He stated his firm is below his management, making it extra “agile” with regards to decision-making. He additionally stated he wasn’t going to focus an excessive amount of on revenue, not less than for now.
“It’s unusual to listen to, however I’m honest about it,” he stated. “We don’t do it at first for revenue and for cash. We do it as a result of we like comedy, we like festivals, we like Montreal and Quebec Metropolis and we need to be proud to be the flagship of comedy everywhere in the world.”
© 2024 The Canadian Press
