Toronto Comedy Pick: My Spring-A-Ling!

This week, we highlight Chris Locke, who leads the charge at My Spring-A-Ling, a show that’s going to be held at The Ossington on Tuesday, May 14th at 9pm. Whereas most headliners can make you laugh, Locke’s one of those guys that forces you to double over and hold your stomach in sweet agony.

He’s a member of the Laugh Sabbath gang, a tight-knit crew of alternative comics that’s just starting to get a ton of attention on the international scene. Ever heard of Nathan Fielder? He’s a Laugh Sabbath member, and his show just got renewed on The Comedy Network. What about Katie Crown? She’s a Laugh Sabbath member, too, and played a key role in Jon Dore‘s stand-up performance on Conan O’Brien that everyone was going crazy over.

Now, as good as the Laugh Sabbath roster is, I’m almost certain that they’d nominate Chris as their favourite stand-up comic. His material is bananas, and now that I’ve been catching his performances away from the big stage, I’m starting to recognize just how good he is off the top of his dome.

Stand-up isn’t the only place Locke shines. When you consider the fact that he started out performing in YouTube videos, it’s no surprise that he’s tearing into his new role providing sketches for MTV. It’s also the perfect fit for Chris because it’s exposing him to an audience on the cusp of the coveted 18-35 cash cow demographic.

What’s next? Just For Laughs would be an obvious choice, as the pantheon has opened up the mainstage to a more diverse selection of acts in recent years. Whatever it is, it makes my heart happy to see a guy who stuck to his guns artistically finally getting the recognition he deserves.

About the author: This is Michael Jagdeo, and I refuse to write about myself in the third-person. My blog, Diary of a Stand-up Comedian, walks you through the ups and downs (they’re mostly downs, really) in my quest to become a killer comic in Toronto.