Top comedians to star in Just For Laughs

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7: One of Rolling Stone magazine’s top rated comedians and Canada’s Comic of the Year are in the line-up for this year’s Just For Laughs.

The sixth annual comedy event runs over three days and brings critically acclaimed Canadian Comic Derek Edwards, wholesome American Ryan Hamilton, Perrier Award-nominated Brit Alun Cochrane along with Bermuda’s perennial favourite Alonzo Bodden. Bermuda’s own Jonathan Young will also bring his own satirical style to the stage.

There are four separate shows from January 11 to 14 at the Fairmont Southampton Princess and City Hall (See info box for details).

Returning after his appearance in Bermuda four years ago is Just For Laughs veteran Derek Edwards. The Canadian was recently hailed as a “virtuoso at the peak of performance” and his material has a tendency to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. 

He has been featured on many television and radio shows, is a two-time Gemini Award nominee and earned the accolade of Canadian Comic of the Year. Derek has filled theatres across Canada and most recently completed a 60-city tour of his solo show, My Blunderful Life.

Named one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Top Five Comics to Watch’, Ryan Hamilton has made appearances on NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2010.

Last year, he performed on the cross-Canada Just For Laughs Comedy Tour and was voted Most Valuable Player at the Montreal Festival’s Comedy Leagues competition. He has also been featured on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham and Caroline Rhea’s Showtime Special, Caroline Rhea & Friends. Hamilton’s material is said to create “an honest yet quirky snapshot of his life”.

Alun Cochrane is a Perrier Award-nominated comedian who has appeared in many television shows in the UK, including the BBC’s Michael McIntyre’s Roadshow and Never Mind The Buzzcocks. He is a regular at the Edinburgh comedy festival, where he received the Writers Guild Award for Comedy along with rave reviews for his latest show Moments of Alun.

Just For Laughs organizer Richard Simmons said: “This Brit is not only a sharp-witted, self-deprecating and hugely likeable storyteller, but also self-proclaimed no-nonsense comedian who specializes in funny nonsense.”

Last Comic Standing winner Alonzo Bodden returns after unexpected scheduling conflicts caused him to bow out of the 2011 event. His Wednesday night show will be his first solo show in Bermuda. Alonzo will also host the multi-comic shows at the Fairmont Southampton featuring different material.