Wanda Sykes Gala – July 23, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier LiveEvents July 16, 2015 5625 Just for Laughs presents Wanda Sykes A fixture of great TV, comedy veteran Wanda Sykes brings her trademark wit, and larger than life personality, to the Just for Laughs stage on July 23. A celebrated author, Sykes was also the first African-American woman to be the featured entertainer at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. With such a successful career under her belt, Montrealers will be tripping over themselves to get a ticket to her Gala. Her lineup is Keith Robinson, Nate Bargazte, Alonzo Bodden, Harland Williams, and Tom Ballard. The show starts at 7:00 pm Hosted By: Wanda Sykes She’s one of the best: Wanda is ranked among Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Funniest People in America. She’s a business woman: In 2012 Wanda joined forces with veteran producer Page Hurwitz to form Push It Productions, a production company dedicated to creating quality, comedy-based programming for network and cable television outlets. In just its first year, Push It made a first look production deal with NBC, had a new series on OWN, and had shows in development with NickMom (Comedy Camp) and Comcast. She’s no stranger to TV: In 2011, Wanda made a return to HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. She also spent five years on CBS’s New Adventures of Old Christine and another 5 years as part of the HBO’s critically acclaimed Chris Rock Show. In 2010 she starred on her own late night talk show on FOX, The Wanda Sykes Show. Other TV credits include Fox’s Wanda at Large which she wrote, produced and starred in. She’s got golden voice: She can be heard in many animated feature films; Ice Age: Continental Drift as ‘Granny’; in FOX’s Rio as ‘the Goose’; in Dreamworks’ Over the Hedge and Paramount’s The Barnyard. and Crank Yankers as the voice of Gladys Murphy. She’s also in movies: Sykes was also seen in the feature films Evan Almighty, the sequel to Bruce Almighty, in which she co-starred with Steve Carell; the New Line feature Monster-In-Law starring opposite Jane Fonda, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Pootie Tang, Nutty Professor 2; The Klumps, and Down to Earth. She wins awards: In 2001, Wanda won the American Comedy Award for ‘Outstanding Female Stand Up Comic.’ Both of her HBO standup specials were also nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards. Featuring: Keith Robinson He’s quick on his feet: Keith Robinson is known for his incredible storytelling talents and ability to rattle off hilarious one-liners at a moment’s notice. He’s in movies too: On the big screen, Robinson was seen in Kevin Hart’s hit movie “Laugh at My Pain,” and most recently in Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck” starring Amy Schumer. He’s got a special: Robinson’s one-hour stand-up special, “Kevin Hart Presents – Keith Robinson: Back of the Bus Funny,” premiered on Comedy Central in February 2015 with an endorsement by Kevin Hart. Taped in front of a live audience at the Gramercy Theater in New York City, Robinson explores the annoyance of parenthood, the terrible twenties, why people of this era are just too sensitive, and the real reason why Obama is president. Nate Bargatze He does good: When he isn’t winning comedy festivals in both New York and Boston, or performing at Bonnaroo or on tour with Jimmy Fallon’s Clean Cut Comedy Tour, he might just be performing for troops in Iraq, which he has done five times. He’s a top-notch comedian: His debut comedy album “Yelled at by a Clown” reached #1 on the iTunes comedy charts. He’s worth watching: Nate was also featured as one of Esquire’s Best New Comedians of 2012 and as one of Marc Maron’s comedians to watch in Rolling Stone. Alonzo Bodden He’s a worldly comic: An international headliner, Alonzo performs comedy around the world including; the Kilkenny Ireland Comedy Fest, Sydney Australia, Brighton Beach in the UK, and heʼs entertained the troops everywhere from Iraq to Greenland. He’s a winner: Introduced to America on NBCʼs Last Comic Standing, Alonzo was runner up on Season 2 and came back to win it all in Season 3. He’s also a bodyguard: His movie career has consisted mainly of playing security guards and heʼs protected the very best from Steve Martin and Queen Latifah in Bringing Down The House to Leslie Nielsen in Scary Movie 4. Harland Williams He gets around: His incredible stand-up comedy routines have been seen on Letterman, The Tonight Show, Conan O’Brian, HBO, Comedy Central and everywhere else. He’s a quick thinker: His improvisational skills led to him winning the award for best improviser on NBC’s prime time series, Thank God You Are Here’ (available on YouTube). He’s a Jack of all trades: Harland Williams is the rare comic artist who has managed to master both Stand Up and Sketch comedy and combine them both masterfully into his shows. For tickets and information: www.hahaha.com 514-845-2322 Just For Laughs The 33rd edition of the Just For Laughs Festival promises to be the most star-studded lineup ever with TV and cinema’s biggest comedy names, top touring comedians, cult-favourites and up-and-comers all converging on Montreal this summer. Galas, street performers, theatrical productions and stand-up shows in indoor venues and in the streets. Guaranteed to keep audiences in stitches. Check out the full festival line-up at www.hahaha.com
