Stand-up comedy has found a home at DJ Purdy’s Lounge in the Delta Fredericton.
For the nearly a year now, Fredericton comedian Troy Haines has been bringing the laughs to stages throughout the city with his company, Live Stand-Up Comedy, hosting performances by both touring and local comedians.
“I had been doing comedy shows at the Elk’s Club but wasn’t drawing a crowd,” said Haines, “so I started looking around for what would be the ideal venue. I decided to shoot for the stars and ask The Delta if they would be interested.”
The chance relationship has grown over the past few months with regular crowds coming out to enjoy an evening of laughter at one of the city’s most scenic venues, overlooking the Saint John River.
“They’re an excellent partner and the staff are really nice,” said Haines. “They’re quite generous to me and help look after me. I’m really happy with the relationship we’ve established.”
Last week welcomed one of the most successful Live Stand-Up Comedy events to date with Ontario comedian Scott Belford performing to a capacity crowd.
“I was very happy with Scott’s performance and I think the crowd was too. I was surprised. We had 80 people out on a Wednesday night for the show. The room was packed,” said Haines.
Looking ahead, Haines and DJ Purdy’s will host a performance by British comic James Mullinger on July 4.
“James is a phenomenal comic,” said Haines. “Last October he did a sold out show at The Imperial Theatre in Saint John and he’s doing another one this fall which is almost sold out already.
“When he was in England he had his own TV show and has played all the big stages. He was also the humour editor for GQ Magazine, and now that he’s living in Canada I’d say he’s right up at the top of our performers.”
A number of performances are in the works for later in the year including special guest comedians Andrew Albert (Calgary), Daryl Makk (Calgary), Francois Webber (North Bay, Ontario), and possibly a return performance by Scott Belford.
“Things are going well,” said Haines. “I think we’re trying to get some real good street cred and that’s helping to grow our audience.”
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Big thanks to Scott Belford for permission to share a clip from his June 10 performance.
