Wednesday loses its rep as the least funny day of the week, thanks to the arrival of Holly Prazoff, Inessa Frantowski and Rebecca Addelman, with their Spare Some Changes comedy tour, coming to Ginger’s (1662 Barrington) on November 14. A mash-up of alternative-minded sketches, video and stand-up, mixed with music from The Just Barelys (also funny, in a good way), HIR leans more towards the Amy Sedaris camp of laughs than your trad old-man stand-up routines, giving a big middle finger to critics like Vanity Fair writer Christopher Hitchens, who claimed last year that ladies just aren’t funny.
Developed during an artists’ residency at Toronto’s Drake Hotel, where they performed with musicians from The Bicycles and The Hidden Cameras, HIR’s Spare Some Changes plays on multiple meanings. “We’re touring, we need money to get home,” says Frantowski, calling from her home in Toronto’s Kensington Market. “And we want to help as many people as possible, and if they’re willing to let us, we can help them. We’re about promoting change within one’s self, one’s life and community.”
Often compared to American comedy trio Stella (because there’s three of them), HIR makes a living being funny. Prazoff and Frantowski recently won Canadian Comedy Awards for their work in the indie troupe The Sketchersons, and Addelman is a cast member on a new Comedy Network series, Nikki’s Funtime Show. You may have seen their talking heads on MuchMusic’s Video on Trial or on MTV Live. But all the success hasn’t spoiled HIR: they still make a lot of their own merchandise.
“We take old flyers that we didn’t actually hand out to promote the show, we’ll cut them up and make little rings and try to sell them to people, claiming they increase your personal power by 12 percent. There are Holly and Inessa power-coins that some might say are our heads glued onto pennies. I say they’re a whole lot more,” says Frantowski. “Holly and I joke a lot about handjobs—just because they’re funny—so we make felt handjobs that have different careers on them: doctor, basketball player. You can choose the career that you want. Really, we just want to up-sell the handjobs.”
HIR don’t have to up-sell, especially with Picnicface‘s Mark Little and 22 Minutes‘s Nathan Fielder appearing, too. Starts at 9pm, five bucks.
Wave hello
In case you missed Eva Madden‘s short film Eastern Shore at the Atlantic Film Festival, stay up late on Sunday, November 11 at midnight, when CBC’s Canada Reflections runs it again. As close as you’ll get to surfing without chipping teeth, the National Screen Institute Drama Prize-winner examines life, relationships and the choices we make. Plus, it has an awesome AFF award-winning score by Mike O’Neill, and an unreleased song by Amelia Curran.
b their guest
2b theatre‘s Revisited, running November 14 to 25, gets a big “Number One” foam hand. It’s the first time the acclaimed production has been presented in Halifax, and the first to be held on Citadel High’s new drama stage. Seating is limited—only 28 audience members gather around a table each night to listen to Tom (Steven McCarthy) share stories about the love of his life (Michelle Monteith). Don’t be scared, 2b promises they’ll take good care of you: discover how at thecoast.ca. Show runs daily at 8pm, with weekend matinees at 2pm. Tickets are $35/$15, reserve at 453-6267.
Come sit at the arts table, RSVP at suec@thecoast.ca
This article appears in Nov 8-14, 2007.