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Truth should always be part of making people laugh (or cringe), says funnyman

Newfoundland comic and former This Hour has 22 Minutes actor Shaun Majumder will bring his act to Barrie on Saturday
2019-01-13 Shaun Majumder
Canadian comedian Shaun Majumder will be performing in Barrie at Georgian Theatre on Jan. 19, 2019. Photo supplied

Comedy is all about tapping into the human condition, but that's also a sliding scale with what people will laugh at, or even think they are allowed to snicker at. 

Shaun Majumder, the Newfoundland-raised comedian and former This Hour Has 22 Minutes actor, will be bringing his act to Barrie's Georgian Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 19. 

With Majumder's Hate Tour, he says he just wants to bring truth to the stage, "not worrying about what people think as much as trying to speak my truth on stage.

"What makes me laugh and what do I want to share through my comedy lens," he said. "Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but the main thing is I start with my vision first.

"And also not settling into really comfortable material that I know will work. Always trying to take chances."

Things can be a lot more risque on the comedic stage these days.

"Times have certainly changed, but I think at the core we must always work to get to the truth of things through our comedy," Majumder said. "But, at the same time, we are living in the post-truth era. What is truth? Fake news, fake rage, fake controversy.

"We must find a balance between what is unspeakable and what we must speak about, like the uptick of hate in our society," he added.

What the audience experiences on Saturday night remains to be seen and heard, including how the end came for him after 15 years on television's 22 Minutes

"This is not a CBC show, so if anyone is expecting CBC Shaun Majumder they are up Schitt’s Creek. I am talking about HATE and all the madness of the world we are living in. I have videos and tweets to show, and I’m even going to Skype myself to find out what really happened with 22 Minutes.

"Was I fired, or did I quit? Only I know. It’s going to be a lot of fun."

Everyone is shaped by their surroundings growing up, and with Majumder's Newfoundland roots and growing up in poverty, he's no different.

"I was surrounded by the funniest people in Canada. That was just at the dinner table," said the 46-year-old native of Burlington, N.L. "It was only after my first year of university did I come to Toronto/Mississauga with the idea of pursuing this as a career.

"But I always knew how to wield the ol' funny sword, because it was a way of survival in tiny town Newfoundland," Majumder added. 

He cites his earliest influences as Monty Python, Eddie Murphy and the Wonderful Grand Band out of St. John's, and later it was the likes of Alan Arkin, Ricky Gervais, Harland Williams, SCTV and Saturday Night Live. Today, he keeps his eye on cable streaming services for high-quality stories.  

For tickets to the Barrie show, click here


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Raymond Bowe

About the Author: Raymond Bowe

Raymond is an award-winning journalist who has been reporting from Simcoe County since 2000
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