When it comes to comedy, self-deprecating humour is king. In Vancouver TheatreSports’ Avocado Toast – Vancouver Grown Organic Free-Range Comedy, some of the city’s most talented improv comedians take a shot at the crown, poking fun at the colourful clichés of a city where you can’t swing a bag of quinoa without hitting three baristas, a yogi and a Chihuahua-toting socialite—each of them decked out in Lululemon.
It’s obvious that a lot of thought went into Avocado Toast. Every inch of this production is Vancouver-themed, even the soundtrack. Between scenes, we’re rocking out to songs by artists like Carly Rae Jepsen—who used to work at Trees Organic on Granville Street, and performed at their open mic nights—and ’70s rock band Loverboy. The set is a collage of local references, most of which are light-hearted: there’s a “No Parking Even With Permit” sign, and punny bus stops to destinations like “Chilliwhack.” There are even a few nods to hot-button social issues, including a mural featuring a tent city reminiscent of the one that was displaced from the Downtown Eastside last year. The message is clear: we’re here to laugh at ourselves, warts and all. But making us laugh at things that usually make us cry (or rage) is going to take some serious comedic talent.
Fortunately, this cast is talented AF.
An umbrella-wielding emcee dressed as a tour guide drops a few one-liners before introducing tonight’s cast, aka “The Vancouverites.” Everything after that is a bit of a blur. Side-splitting vignettes are pulled out of thin air, almost faster than audience members can throw out suggestions: stoned hikers on the Grouse Grind; flailing fitness freaks advocating dubious health trends; and a Shakespeare-inspired George Vancouver, who promises a woman named Roxy that he’ll name a bar after her someday. The pièce de résistance is a series of scenes that add up to a Hallmark Movie of the Week, a hilarious homage to the cheesiest projects in Hollywood North.
Watching the performers’ jokes land, one after another, is like watching lightning strike twice, three times, four times: it feels impossible, even a little miraculous. And it just keeps going until the lights come up.
Avocado Toast – Vancouver Grown Organic Free-Range Comedy is on until Sep. 1. Get your tickets here.
– Chloë Lai