Theatre buffs find many options to catch a show and music lovers have their choice of dozens of clubs and concert venues. Comedy fans have to look a little harder, but the hidden gems are out there.

There are countless sushi restaurants in Vancouver, but probably only one where you can dine on spicy tuna rolls and watch some of the city's hottest stand-up comics. Throw in the odd funny video and prizes that on one night ranged from tacky bookends to a painting of a tiger attacking a half-naked woman in the jungle, and you have one unique comedy experience. Lime (1130 Commercial Drive; 604-215-1130) presents the Laugh Gallery every Wednesday night, with established as well as up-and-coming comedians performing to a packed house. Oh yeah, and the sushi is delicious.

It may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of comedy venues in Vancouver. The city is also home to the popular Yuk Yuk's (1015 Burrard St.; 604-696-9857), where you can always expect a laugh. The Tuesday and Wednesday shows have some of the greenest amateurs sharing the stage with seasoned vets, while the Thursday to Saturday shows feature pros who may be fresh from filming a TV special or performing at the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal. But Vancouver is home to plenty of home-grown talent who can't all cram onto the Yuk Yuk's stage, so they turn to other venues to give crowds a good guffaw.

Back in April, local stand-up Peter Kelamis used Lime to test out some new material. "To me it's always invigorating to get new bits into the act because you've been doing the same act for God knows how long and you try to make it sound and look fresh, but in your mind you're thinking ‘I've told this joke a thousand times.' But telling a joke that you've only told four times -- that brings the excitement level back."

On June 13, Kelamis hits the stage at the River Rock Show Theatre (8811 River Road, Richmond; 604-280-4444) with some other big names in the business, including former talk show host Mike Bullard, at Irwin Barker & Friends: Fighting Cancer with Comedy. All proceeds from this televised show go to the Canadian Cancer Society. Kelamis has also performed in film, television and commercials and has been a part of improv groups -- but not again any time soon. "Improv just petrifies me. The whole nature of it, of not knowing what you're doing next, is the antithesis of stand-up."

Ask Taz Vanrassel, of local improv group The Sunday Service, and you get the opposite response. "I've tried my hand at [stand-up] a couple times, but honestly it scares the hell out of me." The Sunday Service performs every week (can you guess which night?) at Hennessey Dining Lounge (53 W. Broadway; 604-875-9006). If you go to Hennessey any other night, you're likely to hear a DJ spinning tunes, but The Sunday Service approached the restaurant owners hoping to get one night a week devoted to comedy. Although Vanrassel prefers performing in a theatre, he's happy the owners agreed to give his group a weekly home.  "The small-theatre venues are kind of hard to come by right now," says Vanrassel, "so that's why a lot of shows are going on in restaurants and bars."

Using audience suggestions for guidance, every week Vanrassel, Ryan Beil, Kevin Lee and Aaron Read put on a new show that always goes in crazy and unexpected directions. One recent night had them tell a story that started with a suggestion of dog walking and managed to lead to talking genitalia, ending with a spontaneous a cappella song. With all the members doing performances outside of their regular Sunday show, it's challenging to stay fresh. "There's an unspoken rule in your head where if you're repeating yourself, it's kind of hack," says Vanrassel. "So you try to find a new angle on things."

But is there anything that makes Vancouver stand out on the Canadian comedy scene? Vanrassel thinks he has to work harder to win a crowd over in Vancouver compared to other Canadian cities. "Here you're competing with mountain biking, rollerblading and all the good-weather things that Vancouver has to offer," he says. "So you really have to have a pretty good product if you want to keep a crowd coming back."

Since The Sunday Service often performs to standing-room-only crowds, it's obvious many of us choose a beer and a laugh over a bike and a granola bar. Amen to that.

 

HIGHLIGHTS OF WEEKLY COMEDY NIGHTS
Sunday: The Sunday Service at Hennessey Dining Lounge (53 West. Broadway; 604-875-9006)
Monday: Urban Improv at Chivana (2340 W. 4th Ave.; 604-733-0330)
Tuesday: Blue's Comedy at Capones Restaurant & Live Jazz Club (1141 Hamilton Street; 604-684-7900)
Wednesday: The Laugh Gallery at Lime (1130 Commercial Drive; 604-215-1130)
Tuesday to Sunday: Yuk Yuk's (1015 Burrard Street; 604-696-9857)

 

PETER KELAMIS
Years in stand-up: 22
How he got his start: University of British Columbia lunch-hour comedy contest. "I went up, told a joke and won 10 bucks. So, that was it. I kept going back."
Worst role: Entertaining extras at an Ernest movie during an all-night shoot followed by a commercial gig the next morning where he ended up with a role he didn't audition for. The director told him: "We need a really good-looking guy and that's certainly not you."
Best moment on stage: Performing improv with Robin Williams. "After the show he made a point of coming up to me and saying: ‘You're very funny. You're very, very funny.'"
Best thing about being a comedian: "The hours. You work a half-hour day and you have to think about creative ways to spend the other 23 1/2."
Select TV appearances: The X-Files, Corner Gas, Smallville and Robson Arms. Also, the talking phone in the Wireless Wave commercials.
Recent project: The movie Almost Heaven, filmed in Scotland.
Working on: Pitching a sitcom.
More info: peterkelamis.com

 

TAZ VANRASSEL
Years in improv: 15
First major performance: Canadian Improv Games, a high school improv tournament.
Best moment on stage: "There's so many but I could just sum it up with when everyone on stage is barely keeping it together. There was one scene where Ryan was pretending to be a dead guy in a funeral and I came up and poured a gin and tonic in his mouth and everyone almost lost it."
Most awkward moment on stage: "I did crack a rib once because someone jumped on top of me."
Dream person to perform with: "Will Arnett would be fun."
Best thing about being an improv performer: "We make up stuff for a living."
Favourite thing to do outside of improv: Watching independent films and documentaries, "which is kind of tied in because that's where I steal a lot of my ideas."
If he wasn't in improv, Taz would be: "Probably managing a cafe or restaurant."
Next big thing: Improvaganza: Theatresports Worldwide competition in Edmonton in June.
More info: thesundayservice.com