Queer comedy show gets laughs and praise

Photo by Eva Ou

On the night of Nov. 8, the warm atmosphere of Patent Social was a welcome treat after being out in the cold. The bar is a hidden gem in uptown Waterloo on Erb St.

The classy, upscale venue had a small bar and was complemented with fun elements that bring out the child-at-heart, such as popcorn bowls which could be ordered from the menu and video game booths.

And it was the perfect venue for Alice’s Big Queer Comedy Show.

The show has had multiple iterations at Patent Social before the most recent one, bringing together different comedic personalities for a unique experience each time.

I managed to get a front-row seat and saw that Alice had attracted a crowd of varying ages.

 The audience reflected the comedians who had us in stitches by the time the night was over. Alice kicked off the show by talking about her life as a trans woman living in Toronto and her thoughts on sexual and gender identity.

Alice then introduced a line-up of hilarious local comedians such as Velvet Duke, named for his smooth voice, host of the Sad and the City podcast Marisa Bettino, Greg Brown from the AsapScience YouTube channel, as well as  other amazing personalities.

Many of the comedians touched on their experiences as queer-identifying people in the city and jokes on current trends and concerns like cutting down on straws to save the sea turtles and the fact that gay people simply cannot drive under any circumstances.

One of the ongoing jokes of the night was explaining the difference between being pansexual and bisexual to those who don’t identify with the LGBTQ+ community.

It seems as though many people either think they’re the same thing or don’t really understand the concept of pansexuality which often leads to judgement.

Luckily, Marisa deemed the audience ‘cool enough’ to appreciate her material on the subject.

These little tidbits made the show all the more enjoyable, and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, the relatable or downright funny content had me cracking up.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt this way as well.

For a night, Patent Social was turned into a welcoming and safe space for queer people, an environment where they can feel understood and connect with each other in a way that can be greatly appreciated when one is often surrounded by straight, cisgendered people.

The Velvet Duke actually touched on this subject during his time in the spotlight. He told the story of how he accidentally came out to his female coworkers during a game of Fuck, Marry, Kill (with an emphasis on the good-looking Idris Elba). You may have friends who you can identify with but you can’t be around them 24/7.

For example, more often than not, at work, or in general it might be hard to find people who pine over Idris Elba, or celebrities of the same gender, as much as you do.

Alice and her friends gave us local queers  a place to shake off the cold and our worries for a while, albeit not for long enough and I can’t wait to see what her next show has to offer.

Leave a Reply