G. Hamilton Braithwaite

Bar Bifteck, the notorious Saint-Laurent watering hole, plays host to one of Montreal’s most hilarious stand-up comedy acts. Every second Sunday of the month Bifteck’s upper level braces itself for a dose of inappropriate remarks and amusingly offensive declarations. Danger Dulgar Comedy is an essential stop for those who are into the city’s independent comedy scene.

Running for over a year at Bifteck, your correspondent decided to go check it out, have a couple beers and snort his slightly embarrassing laugh just before starting the week. It might’ve been a cold, windy night outside, but inside the bar the patrons were feeling snug thanks to the bawdy comedians taking the stage.
Danger Dulgar Comedy at Bifteck by Carlos Fuentes

Danger Dulgar Comedy at Bifteck by Carlos Fuentes

The evening was hosted by Kris Dulgar, one of the show’s founders, who found plenty of time to talk about his confusing background (Trinidad and India) and how it’s usually simpler to reply that you’re Canadian, period.

The lineup usually features both seasoned comedians and up-and-coming performers, and last Sunday was no exception since talent from established institutions as Just for Laughs and Zoofest shared the spotlight with the emerging comedians who performed earlier this year at St. Ambroise Fringe.

The first comedian to be introduced was Kate Connor, who offered the audience some meditations about the existential angst that comes with motherhood. Her jokes were both endearing and disturbing, offering a reminder that children are always judging their parents.
Danger Dulgar Comedy at Bifteck by Carlos Fuentes

Danger Dulgar Comedy at Bifteck by Carlos Fuentes

Next in the roster was Nour Hadidi, who shared her experience as a young Jordanian woman in no hurry to get a boyfriend. To add some international zest, the Scottish comedian Darren Henwood talked about the upcoming independence referendum in Scotland, which, of course, allowed for a chance to draw some disquieting parallels with Quebec.

Apparently, the Scottish First Minister refused to have his picture taken with Pauline Marois but was chipper about being shot with Vladimir Putin. Wow. Kirsten Humbert, who also doubles as the social media guru at Danger Dulgar, engaged the audience with talk about shepherd’s pie, cats and all the mental disorders in between.
Danger Dulgar Comedy at Bifteck by Carlos Fuentes

Danger Dulgar Comedy at Bifteck by Carlos Fuentes

The evening’s headliner was Masssimo. Yes, just Massimo. His family, he assures, was just too poor to give him a last name. Equal parts douchy and disarming, he shared his ill-luck with women as he went over his last few dating experiences. With a serious look on his face, he also explained some unusual role-playing sex games―troll under the bridge, anyone?

Needless to say that I laughed a lot, up the point that I seriously worried about my ability to keep my pants dry. This is a show worth checking out not only because it’s hysterically fun.

Danger Dulgar Comedy, as explained by George Hamilton Braithwaite, the show’s other founder, is the only act among Montreal’s independent comedy scene to pay all its performers. So make sure you drop by Bar Bifteck on a second Sunday to share laugh and leave the place mildly offended. - Monteral Rampage

This years’ Easter Sunday was an interesting one to say the least. Never mind the fact that I ignored the residual guilt from a youth spent in church and slept in past the point of mustering up the energy to be a chreaster, I then decided to go to Montreal’s home of risqué humour, Danger Dulgar at Bar Bifteck. Talk about sacrilegious. Actually, perhaps I’ve become numb to it from the amount of comedy I devour, but the comics were blasphemy free (surprising considering the holiday) and relatively inoffensive. Mind you, I was not the one that got compared to a comedian’s girlfriend and then told I was less pretty.

There was a good showing, the audience was comprised of quite a few comedians and their friends. I noticed a lot of women in the audience. Still they were a shy or maybe just hesitant group, either way they needed to be won over. Winning them over wasn’t an easy feat, but as some of the comedians found, it was possible. The lights were up so everyone could see each other, not so conducive to “dangerous” (aka offensive) comedy, but otherwise the room has a good setup.
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Bruce Ly, photo credit: Adam Geraldi

As for the show, the host of the evening was the namesake, Kris Dulgar. A very friendly guy, a tad deceiving considering his propensity for offensive humour, Dulgar was gracious and quick to introduce the talent for the evening. First up was Bruce Ly who warmed up the room and did a good job of drawing out laughs with crowd work and a bit of local humour. Next was Gab Masson, who brought a more abrasive and confrontational approach. As such, he was probably the most obviously offensive of the bunch. While the delivery perhaps rankled, the twists in the jokes were delightful and surprising.

Following that bit of aggressiveness was the ever endearing and funny Kirsten Humbert, who despite having seen her a few times recently still made me laugh along with everyone else, especially after learning her grandma’s particular life hack. Up next, was JC Surette, who was a mix of playfully clever observational humour mixed with a bit of edgy, making it suitable for Danger Dulgar. Subsequently, George Hamilton Braithwaite brought some levity to a topical political subject regarding cake, here I will let you see for yourself.

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Mike Ward, photo credit: Adam Geraldi


Morgan O’Shea brought on the chuckles with some sexually related humour that was new to me (this is the 3rd time he’s been on the line up for a show I’m covering, number 3 was certainly a charm). Finally, Mike Ward headlined the evening testing out material for his run this year as host of Just for Laughs’ The Nasty Show. For those of you that are fans of the comedy craft, you’re in for a real treat come July. Ward has the skills to turn a room around and have their sides-splitting in no time, as was proven Sunday night.

For information on each of the comedians, click on their highlighted names. Danger Dulgar is now EVERY Sunday night at Bar Bifteck at 8PM. The show switches between panel and stand up format so be sure to check their facebook page events section to know which you’re getting.
- See more at: http://mobtreal.com/comedy/sacrilegious-sunday-at-danger-dulgar-comedy-easter-edition/#sthash.AH9Ic6Yj.dpuf - Mobtreal

The indie Danger Dulgar Comedy Show is hosted every Sunday at 8 p.m. by local legend G. Hamilton Braithwaite at Bar Bifteck (3702 Saint-Laurent). The show switches between panel and stand-up formats each week, but always features comedians from the Just for Laughs Festival and Zoofest in a comfortable setting where anything goes. Admission: $5. Info at Danger Dulgar Comedy. - Tourism Montreal

What's the difference between a cynic and a comedian? Only one of them really makes you laugh, but both of them share a tool-belt: Satire, mockery, parody, lampooning, persiflage, these are spoofs, these are caricatures, these are instances of "please laugh while I make fun of something you will recognize instantly, please laugh while I'm a little mean about something pretty universal". All of the above is featured in most comedy and, whether you believe it or not, featured in a lot of tragedy: "Hey, look how shitty things are" is a through-line in both genres (See: Angels in America, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Buried Child, all a little funny but mostly terrifyingly sad). Everything is absurd. So, what makes it funny? It seems anyone can point out an irony but few people can master the craft of elongating an ironic paradigm. Enter: George Braithwaite and Morgan O'Shea, two comics-come-comedic actors who astound audiences not just with genuine wit but with relentlessly fun delivery. if you've ever seen them perform before, you will absolutely agree: These two have tsunami-trembling comedic power and their mastery of parody is arriving at the Fringe tonight in their new show Hardcastle and McCormick: Spiceface.
Braithwaite and O'Shea began their careers as stand-up comedians in Montreal. As a challenge and, probably, from what I can tell, at least a bit of an amusement to themselves, they began writing for theatre. So far, these two have succeeded twice in the Montreal theatre scene with The Last Hollandaise Sauce (2012) and Failure to Thrive (2013). With their latest piece, Hardcastle and McCormick: Spiceface, Braithwaite and O'Shea are nodding facetiously towards vintage crime television: "It’s an homage to the 80s/90s buddy cop formula'", Braithwaite explains, "with a touch of Blaxploitation thrown in for colour."

Turning the satire inwards, the two also make jests towards themselves. Lampooning themselves as cops, they pay homage to their literal friend dynamic as they team up to stop a villain that they've based on (and is played by) a close friend of theirs, fellow comedian Kris Dulgar. As Braithwaite explains, "In many ways Kris is the villain of our real lives, but he’s so funny that we let him get away with murder. So, we thought why not write that into the story?" The three of them seem to have no problem making fun of themselves as they spin their chemistry into a world dedicated to a genre of television they most admire. Nothing it seems, then, is off limits for these guys. They are dedicated to making you laugh.

Personally, I'm ecstatic that Braithwaite and O'Shea are in the Fringe this year. Though I have yet to see their theatrical works, I have seen both of them perform stand-up and I have laughed to the point of forgetting that there was a beer in front of me, to the point of holding the arm of the person beside me, to the point of cackling. Always funny, these men exude comedy and once you're a fan, you can continue to catch both comics after their Fringe run has ended. Braithwaite is working on an untitled radio play and O'Shea will be performing in The Hard and Slow Tour across the Maritimes with David Heti. Most fortunately, both comics will be performing in July in a 2014 Zoofest stand-up comedy event entitled The Mount Royal Rumble. Of course, if you're exceptionally inclined, you can find both of them performing around Montreal at various venues. - Newborn Theatre