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Todd Barry a Not-So Excitable Boy
Photo courtesy of the Comedy Bar.
The latest installment of the Sleeman Premium Weekend series at the Comedy Bar brings seasoned stand-up and comic actor Todd Barry back to Toronto for three headlining shows. Barry is no stranger to Hogtown comedy clubs. “Toronto’s one of the first cities where I headlined, if not the first,” he says. “It was at a place called The Laugh Resort…that was ten or twelve years ago. But the last time I performed here was five years ago at Yuk Yuk’s.”
While the unassuming basement environs of the Comedy Bar near Bloor and Ossington may seem worlds away from more traditional entertainment district clubs like Yuk Yuk’s, it’s a place that has been catering to alternative comedy fans since it opened its doors just over a year ago. “It has a nice vibe,” says Barry.
Though a seasoned stand-up, Barry’s become something of a household (or at least dorm room) name as a result of his acting. Apart from playing Mickey Rourke’s churlish supermarket manager in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, or an extortionist hired to expose Ted Danson’s character on the recent season finale of HBO’s Bored to Death, Barry is also slated to appear alongside Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, and The Station Agent’s Peter Dinklage in the upcoming indie-comedy Pete Smalls is Dead. It’s a role that had him, of all things, mud-wrestling with Rosie Perez.
“It was fun,” he explains. “There’s a guy who came in who’s the expert at fake mud. It’s like this synthetic, theatrical mud. This guy throws it in a hot tub and stirs it up, for all your fake mud needs.”
Barry’s comedy is also steadily accumulating critical acclaim lately. Earlier this week, the Onion A.V. Club voted Todd’s 2001 album, Medium Energy, among the best comedy recordings of the decade, with staff writer Scott Gordon lauding Barry’s ability “to construct such mini-snowglobes of sarcasm.” Known for delivering tight jokes in his trademark monotone drawl, Barry’s sets consist of observational satire, anecdotes, and sometimes-uncomfortable interactions with the audience.
“You don’t have to be afraid to sit up front at my show,” Barry assures me. “But I might start talking to you. But it won’t just be, ‘Why you wearing that fucking shirt, asshole?'”
He also brings a new sort of celebrity to the Comedy Bar stage, having recently been voted (alongside the likes of Jamie Oliver and John Mayer) as one of the “Top 10 Hottest Men to Follow on Twitter” by a blogger on Smak News.
“I saw my name on it and I couldn’t believe it,” says Barry. “I’m hot; like super-sexy-hot. One of the hottest guys to follow on Twitter. I guess loads of women want to follow me. And they’ll probably un-follow me when they don’t get what my jokes are about.”
Whether you find Todd sufficiently hunky, calling him one of the funniest stand-ups touring these days seems a less controversial proposition. Regardless, these three headlining shows at the Comedy Bar are something to tweet about.
Todd Barry performs at the Comedy Bar tonight, November 20, at 10:30 p.m., and tomorrow, November 21, at both 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. He’s also set to guest star with the Sketchersons as part of their Sunday Night Live Show this Sunday at 9 p.m. Limited tickets are still available for $25 at the door; some specially priced $20 student tickets are also available.