Adam Christie Wins SiriusXM Top Comic at JFL42 Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto ON, September 26
By Audrey Carleton
The energy in the room at the annual SiriusXM Top Comic competition was infectious, as some of Canada's best rising comics vied for a $25,000 grand prize and spots on Just For Laughs festivals across the world. While it's difficult to give every comedian the props they deserve, each one performed finely tuned sets that had the audience roaring with laughter. The night was rounded out by a witty few minutes from headliner DeAnne Smith on queerness and dogs — making for an all-around enjoyable night of comedy. Here were some of the standouts acts of the night.
Going onstage early in a competition is no easy feat, but Nigel Grinstead handled it with class. The comedian doled out a slew of high-octane arguments about dating apps and budtenders; his observational comedy is dynamic and self-reflective.
It's hard to forget a Sophie Buddle act. The comic won runnerup for the second year in a row, and for good reason: She has insightful, yet cutting things to say about sex and the #metoo movement, and delivers them in a such a casual tone that she gets away with the edgiest of lines. She even incorporated small doses of crowd work into her set, which is quite the feat during a well-tuned competition act.
Ola Dada's loved for Serena Williams is totally unhinged, but he's okay with it. Earning himself a runnerup spot, Dada jumped between pop culture references, offering clever wisdom about the TV shows he watched to fill time as a kid growing up in Alberta. His best material of the night, however, was about his Nigerian identity — the white woman who guessed his heritage based on his Urban Outfitters shirt, his siblings' names, and his ability to get away with wearing an Afro pick to his day job.
Taking home the top prize of the evening, Adam Christie (pictured) proved himself to be one of the most compelling acts in Canada. The comedian gave his set incredible energy and kept the audience shrieking through offbeat lines about parent lip-kissers, divorce and writing paid sex off on his taxes. Christie's career is on the rise, and his Top Comic victory is just validation of that. Keep an eye on this one.
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