ON STAGE
What: Ron James
Where: McPherson Playhouse, 3 Centennial Sq.
When: Saturday, Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $60 from the Royal McPherson box office, by phone at 250-386-6121, or online from rmts.bc.ca
Note: James will also perform tonight in Campbell River at the Tidemark Theatre, Friday in Courtenay at the Sid Williams Theatre, Sunday in Duncan at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre and Monday in Nanaimo at The Port Theatre
Comedian Ron James knows Vancouver Island as well as any touring act, having played cities in the area often during his 20-year career — including a performance at the Royal Theatre in 2007 that resulted in West Coast Wild, his third stand-up comedy special for the CBC.
Much has changed for the Halifax funnyman in the years since. While he no longer works with the national public broadcaster — more on that later — a key component of his stand-up comedy has remained intact. James never shies away from local content, and does his best in each city to include jabs at local politicians and other matters of regional importance. “I think that has been one of the reasons for my longevity,” James said. “For people who come to the show, they always comment on that.”
James is touring B.C. extensively at the moment, with 10 shows in 12 days. Five of those are on Vancouver Island, which should give James plenty of opportunities to throw darts at what matters most to Islanders. While he usually prefers to needle audiences gently, with a federal election looming, James said fans should buckle up for some political punches being thrown in all directions.
“B.C. is like five countries in one province. It’s a province of polarity. When I play B.C., I’m shifting gears all the time. The Fraser Valley is going to be a totally different tune than the Island. And the Island is going to be a different tune than Kelowna. You don’t have the luxury in Canada to curry favour with only one side. What’s important is to be cognizant of that.”
James has nine one-hour comedy specials for the CBC under his belt, in addition to five seasons of his former CBC series, The Ron James Show, so he has become a veteran at navigating personal politics as well.
Not everyone wants to laugh at themselves — the key, he said, is to make it seem like the entire audience is laughing at each other equally. “It’s about maintaining a level of affable subversion. I like people to leave the theatre feeling happier than when they came in. I like being an equal-opportunity offender, having a little bit for everybody.”
Comedy requires a delicate balance, however. His second comedy special, Quest For the West, was taped in Calgary in 2006, and in those days, James recalled, you could make fun of former prime minister Jean Chrétien and Alberta premier Ralph Klein, “and nobody wanted to punch you in the face. Now, [Environment Minister] Catherine McKenna has had to get some personal security because right- wing Proud Boys are yelling at her when she’s on the street.”
James’s comedy has always been sharp — he won a Gemini Award for his writing on This Hour has 22 Minutes — but he has become increasingly less eager to please. “It’s an interesting and challenging time to be on stage and in front of that microphone, when everything is polarized. Everyone takes everything so personally that one has to stickhandle with a certain amount of caution. Yet I have to honour the dictates of my craft, and my craft demands I rock the apple cart, not ride in it.”
James locked horns with the CBC over a bit he once wanted to do about U.S. President Donald Trump, which was denied. The joke (“When [Trump] said women who get abortions should be punished, I begged to differ,” he said. “The only woman who should be punished is Donald’s mother for not having one”) was meant to be offensive.
And he fought for his right to tell it on air — which was ultimately refused. That was something he dealt with often during his time at the CBC, but he learned to live with it. “It’s safe. They want safe,” he said. “I love not being on television anymore. I f---ing love it. I can put the pedal to the metal, man.”
Being censored taught James a great deal about comedy’s place in the modern era, especially in Canada. He is currently writing a book, All Over the Map, and said fans should expect some of these realizations to make their way onto the pages.
“I’m not a blue act by any stretch. But you have to be able to talk about adult issues. You have to be able to address these contentious fractures that are occurring in the population commercially. Canada doesn’t have a deference for the rebel soul. The rebel soul is an anomaly here. They will give a foreign act as much room as possible to push the envelope. Their own? Canadians don’t like their comedy mean.”
