Review: Jim Belushi & the Boards of Comedy

The Boards of Comedy are no strangers to the stage.

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Contributed image

Being a performer not only in comedy, but also in television, film, music and theatrical productions, Jim Belushi himself has more than 30 years of experience under his belt. In fact, the Boards of Comedy – made up of Megan Grano, Larry Joe Campbell, and Joshua Funk – are all Second City veterans, and have worked in their own projects within film and theatre over the past few decades.

Their show at Centre in the Square on May 8 drew heavily from their Second City past. The entire performance was based upon improvisational acts that drew from audience suggestions and participation. Whether singling out audience members to be the centre of jokes, or asking for scene suggestions, there was a high level of interaction between the crowd and the performers.

The humor was also not limited to just one topic. Jokes about Rob Ford and Cambridge were rampant for a majority of the night, though the delivery of all the gags was fresh and rib-tickling. By no means a family-friendly show, several of the jokes included references to nudity, sex and drugs. While on the cusp of being raunchy, the gags never went too far to insult or exploit the crowd. The audience’s reaction to the gags showed they didn’t find it too offensive either, judging on the laughter to the jokes being told.

To sum up the performance in a single word, the best adjective to use would be aged. By no means being an insult to the comedy troupe, aged refers more to the sense of comfort among themselves and the audience. Jim Belushi and the Boards of Comedy showed a group that knew how to get people involved in their show, something that comes from experience within the performance industry.

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