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Warm up with laughter at LOL Sudbury

Jim Jeffries, who performs starting at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Sudbury Arena, is the star of “Bare,” one of the top comedy shows right now on Netflix.
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Jim Jeffries, one of the headliners at the LOL Sudbury Comedy Festival, performs at the Sudbury Arena Feb. 6. Supplied photo.
Jim Jeffries, who performs starting at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Sudbury Arena, is the star of “Bare,” one of the top comedy shows right now on Netflix.

The Australian stand-up comedian first made his mark in Europe and Canada before moving to Los Angeles in 2009. He has been selling out globally ever since.

Bill Engvall takes the stage at the Sudbury Arena the next evening, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. He's a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum selling recording artist and one of the top comedians in the country.

“You want to make sure you're providing something for everybody,” said Frick.

“We have Jim Jeffries, the Aussie comic, who's a little bit more raunchy, and caters to the youth. Bill Engvall is a senior guy who's been all over the world ... He's very blue collar and that does really, really well here.”

It was the closure of the city's comedy club, Yuk Yuks, that inspired the creation of the LOL Sudbury Comedy Festival nine years ago.

Organizers figured while the city wasn't big enough to sustain its own comedy club, a festival might just be viable. The event was a success, expanding from two days its first year to its current four-day format.

“A lot of times this talent wouldn't come here, necessarily, so it's really great to have them here on our doorstep for Sudburians to enjoy,” Frick said.

While the headliners are always a big draw, they aren't the only thing the LOL Sudbury festival has to offer. Also popular are the club shows, which run each evening throughout the festival.

Frick said the club shows are a great way to follow the careers of up-and-coming comedians.

The event's opening night, Feb. 4, features The Crown of Comedy competition, with aspiring comedians vying for a cash prize of $2,500. The evening, which takes place at Little Montreal starting at 7:30 p.m., is hosted by comedian Rob Pue.

To make sure Sudbury's large Francophone population isn't left out, the festival features a French-language show by Quebec comedian Alex Roy at Collège Boréal starting at 7 p.m. Feb. 5.

Mark Debonis, Judy Croon, Nick Beaton and Rob Pue also take the stage at Little Montreal that same evening at 9 p.m.

Little Montreal hosts 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday evening shows, with Adrian Cronk, Julia Hladkowicz, Mark Heath and Rob Bebenek taking the stage Feb. 6 and Bobby Knauff, Jeff McEnergy, Dylan Mandlsohn and Kyle Radke Feb. 7.

This year, the LOL Sudbury Festival also caters to students with the famed Toronto comedy troupe The Second City presenting their education show “Meme, Myselfie and i” at the Sudbury Arena starting at 11 a.m. Feb. 6.

It tackles issues of interest to youth such as mental health and diversity.

“We just think it's great we can bring them into Sudbury and let our schools have an opportunity to participate,” Frick said.

To purchase tickets, which range in price from $8.50 to $59.50, depending on the show, visit www.lolsudbury.com.

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Heidi Ulrichsen

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