GORE BAY—There was a Dangerously Safe performance this past Sunday, March 18 at the Gore Bay Community Hall, but no humour was reserved as the dynamic trio drew every last ounce of laughter from the crowd.
The well attended show was hosted by Quintina’s, a local fromagerie and gift shop that offers artisan cheese as well as a myriad of other fine quality pantry items and collectibles. Owners Diane and Rick Zimmerman mentioned that they were very pleased to have partnered with the Dangerously Safe comedy group to present a unique form of entertainment to Gore Bay.
“Why I partnered with the comedy show—I love laughing!” said Mrs. Zimmerman, “And I love making people laugh! If someone can do that professionally…I’m all in!” Ms. Zimmerman continued, “Laughter is by far the best medicine money can buy! I’d like to help people get their dose of laughter. It’s way too important not to miss out on laughter.”
The group’s performance in Gore Bay was the finale to their ‘You’re Welcome’ tour, which included six venues in Ontario and was the group’s first time performing outside of Toronto.
The show featured all original content and was presented in the form of sketch comedy; a series of short scenes or vignettes, called ‘sketches.’ There was a 15-minute intermission during the show in which audience members could chat and treat themselves to a decadent snack of cheese prepared by Quintina’s.
With the Dangerously Safe members being such candid individuals with diverse talents, the trio incorporated singing and guitar playing throughout the show and even produced a new song during one of the early sketches. Additionally, they interweaved stand up and improvisational skits into their routine that invited audience participation and belly-aching laughter.
The group consists of Kevin Finn, James Godfrey and Sam Burns, who can be seen frequenting the stages of Toronto including regular shows at the Comedy Bar. Having shared a common interest and the drive to pursue a life in performance arts, their idea of a comedy line up was born some four years ago while attending Humber College. When asked how they decided on the name of their group, they confessed that, “It was the first thought that came to mind.” Mr. Godfrey provided some insight into its meaning, “It sort of refers to how extreme ‘safety’ has become in today’s society.”
They mentioned that their experience with Second City and inspirations such as Jim Carey, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, John Candy and of course Saturday Night Live have had a great influence on their comedic perspective and way of expressing themselves.
“It’s good clean humour,” Ms. Zimmerman proudly stated. While the group’s routines covered a variety of subjects and edgy material, including a talk show with menopausal women, there was no obscenity to be found on stage which made for a very audience-friendly performance.
Mr. Finn noted that an important part of what they do is giving back to the community. Part of their mission on the ‘You’re Welcome’ tour has been to help raise awareness of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Charcot’s or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“It’s a horrible disease that affects many people, but is not well-known. It’s also very personally important for me as many of my family members have been affected by it,” Mr. Finn continued, “A portion of the tour’s proceeds are being donated to the Sunnybrook Foundation in support of ALS research.”
When asked if they would return to Manitoulin for future shows, there was no hesitation in their collective agreement that they had fallen in love with Manitoulin and would certainly come back.
Ms. Zimmerman reiterated the group’s sentiment and concluded that she would like to continue facilitating these types of events. “It would be nice to do this again in the summer and who knows, maybe even expand to the idea of offering wine during intermission to pair with our cheese!”
To close off the evening, the comedy group invited everyone to share their comments on camera as they were leaving. One audience member, Vanessa Payne, who was obviously a big fan, waited until the very end for her turn to meet and greet the comedians.
“You did a wonderful job, thank you for coming out and doing this—you did great!” exclaimed Ms. Payne as she gave her thanks to the group for all their effort and hard work.
With the hall finally clearing out over a half hour after the show finished, it is without a doubt that members of the Dangerously Safe comedy group will receive a warm welcome on their next trip to Manitoulin.
For more information about the Dangerously Safe comedy group, or to check out more of their content including short videos, visit them online at www.dangerouslysafecomedy.com or connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.
