Vulnerable (and Funny)
by Estelle Rosen
Jeff Gandell is a Montreal writer, storyteller, improviser, and teacher. His one-man comedy, The Balding, was nominated for the Just for Laughs - Best Comedy at the 2013 Montreal Fringe Fest. His second one-man comedy of 2013, Danger Unit, debuted to great acclaim at the 2013 Solos Festival. He runs Yarn, a monthly comedic storytelling event at Le Cagibi, in Montreal.
CHARPO: Your response - in the June 17 edition of CharPo when The Balding was performed as part of Montreal Fringe - focused on balding and life lessons among other things. Any additional insights from this production since then?
GANDELL: Many! I suppose the biggest (and nicest) surprise since then was the reaction that The Balding received from audiences and critics during the run at the Fringe Fest. I’m happy to report that the show was a great success, both in terms of attendance and feedback I got from people. In telling the story of a 20-year-old virgin starting to lose his hair, I really aimed to write something that would resonate emotionally with people, and I think I did that. I had a feeling before the Fringe Fest that it was a story of vulnerability. I don’t think I really understood to what degree it was, or how much people would latch on to that.
