Comedy legend Lorne Elliott returns to Bancroft for one night

March 23, 2016

It’s been a few years since he’s been in town but Lorne Elliott says he remembers Bancroft fondly. The Canadian humourist, storyteller and musician said in an interview last week that he’s looking forward to returning to the town he remembers for its friendly people and its beautiful scenery.

Elliott is booked to perform at the Village Playhouse on April 9 and for those who have not seen him live – it’s nothing short of a whirlwind. For the past 26 years Elliott has honed his craft combining dry humour with musical parodies. The result is an evening of self-deprecating, silly humour that is never profane and always family friendly.

Elliott has been touring across Canada, the U.S. and Australia throughout his lengthy career and fans will immediately recognize his voice from the long-running CBC radio show, Madly Off in All Directions. For those who preferred watching him on television, his wild hair will be familiar from a multitude of appearances on Just For Laughs.

The April 9 show is all about the humorous side of being Canadian. Elliott will combine lively stories, songs and monologues in the 90 minute show and speaking to Elliott by phone, you get the feeling that you can’t even blink when he’s delivering material.

Elliott writes every day. He works material critically and by the time monologues appear in a live show they feel outrageously dangerous but Elliott keeps control of every word and every breath while his audience is happily spun around with words and music.

When asked when he first knew he was funny, Elliot takes a rare pause before saying, “I still actually don’t know.” This, of course, is followed by a delightful chuckle.

“Everybody has funny ideas,” he explains. “I get to build a repertoire of thoughts and expressions. It’s one thing to be funny in life and another to be funny on the stage. And working live on the stage is interesting because a live human being can make a mistake. That’s why there’s a resurgence in live performances – because it’s so honest.”

Lorne Elliott brings his live show, “The Upside of the Downturn,” to the Village Playhouse on April 9. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $25 from Harvest Moon, Posies, Hospice and boxofficebancroft.com.
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