Two Toronto-based comedians, Robert Keller and Danish Anwar, are putting women centre stage in their upcoming Ottawa comedy show, Meme Girls. This is the second edition of Meme Girls; Anwar put on the first one last May in Toronto.
“We didn’t know each other that well, but I approached him soon after, and we really wanted to work together,” Keller says. “So, I’m looking forward to co-producing this predominantly female show in Ottawa. I like female comics; not to be discriminatory, but I tend to prefer them. And the audiences for comedy are great in Ottawa. People are super friendly and big laughers.”
There will be two performances Saturday, March 7, with Keller and Anwar taking turns as hosts. The headliner for both shows is Aparna Nancherla, an NYC-based comedian who has toured with John Oliver and appeared on TBS’s Conan. “She’s appeared on TV, she’s huge on Twitter, and she does a lot of shows,” he says. “She performs almost every night.”
Nancherla’s opening acts are Jess Beaulieu and Ashley Moffatt. Moffatt will also appear in April at one of the galas at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival.
This show is a rarity. Not only are the performers all female, but two of the people involved with the show aren’t straight. Keller describes himself as “queer as a three dollar coin” and Moffat’s Twitter account describes her as an “avid lesbian.” “I don’t know if [Aparna Nancherla’s] ever gone down on a woman. I did not ask that question. I don’t plan to ask her that question,” Keller laughs.
Anwar isn’t gay, but his dog might be. “He has this bit in his act about how he lives near the village, and has this little dog, and a woman once came up and asked him if he was gay because of this little dog,” Keller says. “She’s like, ‘Well, your dog is kind of gay looking.’”
Meme Girls is Saturday, March 7, 7 and 9 pm, at Arts Court, 2 Daly Ave, Ottawa.
artscourt.ca
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