Canadian comedian tells Trump jokes in Guelph
Stand-up comedian Shaun Majumder performed a non-stop, fast-paced 90-minute show at the River Run Centre on Sat, Feb. 11.
Majumder is a Gemini Award-winner, has numerous television credits—such as This Hour Has 22 Minutes—and film credits to his name, and lives in L.A. Despite his success as a comedian and actor, Majumder’s comedy remains relatable and grounded by his home province of Newfoundland.
Choosing to forego the custom of an opener, Majumder—joined by his canine companion—strolled onto the stage and had audiences engaged before the lights were even up.
Majumder’s routine dissected the U.S. presidential situation with the precision of a surgeon. His jokes managed to cover virtually every topic that has gained President Donald Trump significant media attention since his candidacy with time to spare.
He covered President Trump’s “locker room talk” incident of sexual assault wherein the President infamously exclaimed, “grab her by the pussy”—quipping that, in Canada, we “always thought that was uh… illegal!” He then moved onto criticizing the President’s attempt at a Muslim ban.
Once he finished with President Trump, he reminded his audience of Stephen Harper’s equally Islamophobic stance on the niqab. Majumder explained that, while some view the niqab as a violation of women’s rights, he views it as “Pervert Kryptonite.”
While many comedians have frequently covered these topics, Majumder’s take on them was still engaging. It also seemed that the audience appreciated that these things were addressed in a setting where they could laugh about them together rather than brood about them alone.
Throughout the evening, Majumder returned to the point of being “beige” and how it’s the way of the future. While the joke was received well, it wasn’t a significant enough divergence from Russell Peters’s joke on the same topic. The repetition, coupled with the fact that the joke has been done before and in a more creative way, made it a weak catchphrase and touchstone. Given his pace and the sheer amount of other material included, this did little to take away from the comedy.
He received mixed responses to his reading of various hate tweets he received in relation to his “Beige Power” sketch.
While the tweets, which criticized Majumder and the CBC for promoting “white genocide” or #blendocide, were simultaneously interesting and disturbing, the popular technique among comedians to read off of their phones rarely keeps an entire audience engaged.
Having done justice to the political aspects of his act, Majumder moved to the topic of his beloved hometown of Burlington, Newfoundland—population 350. He discussed hospitality, racism, immigration, his father, his experiences with women, and the fun fact that Newfoundland is the most sexually active province in Canada.
What sets Majumder apart from other comedians is his pacing; it seemed as if the only time he really paused was during applause breaks. Still, something about the way he performed made it possible to catch every word even through the laughter surrounding you and filling the high ceilings of the River Run Centre.
Majumder ended the night as genuinely and down-to-earth as he began it: by inviting the audience to Newfoundland to celebrate The Gathering as if he were speaking to a bunch of friends. The Gathering is a food and music festival that is part of the social enterprise called ‘OME that Majumder founded to put his hometown of Burlington on the map through tourism.
Ultimately, Majumder’s material and pacing combined with the way he punched up every joke with fitting act-outs delivered exactly what was promised: a night of laughs with Shaun Majumder.
Feature image by Jordan Corner.