As buckets of beer and audience laughter filled the room, comedian Arthur Simeon earned his gold star during Friday night’s performance
On Friday night, Ugandan-born Toronto-based comedian Arthur Simeon performed at Levity Comedy Club and Lounge, a comedy club based in Hamilton.
With people gathered around the stage and a full complement of staff on the job, the audience was excited for the previous Just For Laughs comedy festival performer to appear onstage.
Throughout the night, nothing but the audience’s laughter filled the room in delight at the many jokes and targeted interactions from Simeon, along with discounted food and drink specials.
Simeon wasted no time in his set, kicking off the night with pandemic-based comedy, a popular tactic used by many comedians after the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic was a tough time for a lot of people, so I think there was a lot that we could all relate to. Using COVID-19 jokes almost guarantees a laugh from your audience, but how you use it will guarantee their approval,” said comedian Arthur Simeon after Friday night’s performance.
Many of his jokes centred around circumstances from the pandemic, using this as the source for the beginning of his performance.
Drawing on the lockdown, anti-vaxxers, CERB, EI and mask-wearing were just some of the topics used to start his show.
He later went on to talk about the various anti-Black and anti-Asian racism that many faced during the pandemic and incorporated that into his routine.
Taking a brief moment before his next set, he addressed the importance of these movements and the discrimination he faced as a Black comic during that time.
These two movements were very significant during that time, in which protests and activism were at the forefront for all.
“It was a difficult time,” said Simeon. “Comedy suffered at the time, especially Black comedy. I try not to get too emotional during my shows, but I felt it was important to briefly mention this. I just make sure to back it up with jokes.”
Simeon tastefully incorporated this, leaving room for laughter while addressing the importance of the Black and Asian Lives Matter movement.
He ended the night by interacting closely with the audience by high-fiving, fist-bumping, hugging and other forms of physical touch.
Exciting the audience with this, he did everything he was unable to do during the pandemic, which was the focus of the night’s show.
He invited some members of the audience to the stage, selecting at random but focusing more on the couples that attended.
“For the last two years, all we had were ourselves inside our home,” said Simeon. “I haven’t performed in person in such a long time. After returning in person, I want to soak up as much as I can with my audience physically.”
Overall, the performance was very well done and the audience couldn’t agree more. There was a lot of laughter and positive feedback after the show, as the comedian stuck around at the bar after hours.
The jokes were well aligned, with lots of audience interaction and drawing on pandemic-based comedy for the focus of his show.
Simeon thanked his audience for an amazing show and ended the night, leaving audience members happy and satisfied at a performance well done.
Comments