Chris Fleming is so fiercely original and hysterical that it feels like he's invented his own language. Reminiscent of Maria Bamford, every sentence he says is so acutely specific and intricately absurd that you can't even wrap your head around how a human brain can think like that, yet you find yourself laughing the hardest you've ever laughed. Paired with twitchingly intense facial expressions and a gangly body that dances and contorts like it might be made entirely of liquid, Fleming is profoundly funny. Those who have solely seen him in his hit Youtube videos have only witnessed a fraction of Fleming's genius.
Fleming began his show in full-throttle by theorizing that Montreal is just a city that collectively decided to pretend to be European after watching Amelie once, then he launched into his hit YouTube comedy song "Polyamorous." With the chorus "It's never who you want to be polyamorous who's polyamorous," Fleming spoke to modern liberal millennial relationships with a Bo Burnham level of witty deconstruction, but also a flair that was completely his own.
Titled Showpig, this hour was unstoppably funny from start to finish. Fleming's satirical impersonation of his friends' pretentious boyfriends peaked with him walking on all fours for several minutes and claiming that it helped him save his energy. His bit about LA that bizarrely involved La La Land, Lebanese pop songs, and a talent agent that exclusively represents people with Down Syndrome masterfully explored some uncomfortable territory while still staying surreal and light-hearted. His narrative about going to a nude Korean bathhouse and exposing himself in the wrong section of the building ended with three crowd members holding him above their heads.
Impossibly, every joke was as unforgettably funny and unique as the last. The standing ovation Fleming received at the end was so well-deserved that it almost felt like anything less would be offensive.
Fleming began his show in full-throttle by theorizing that Montreal is just a city that collectively decided to pretend to be European after watching Amelie once, then he launched into his hit YouTube comedy song "Polyamorous." With the chorus "It's never who you want to be polyamorous who's polyamorous," Fleming spoke to modern liberal millennial relationships with a Bo Burnham level of witty deconstruction, but also a flair that was completely his own.
Titled Showpig, this hour was unstoppably funny from start to finish. Fleming's satirical impersonation of his friends' pretentious boyfriends peaked with him walking on all fours for several minutes and claiming that it helped him save his energy. His bit about LA that bizarrely involved La La Land, Lebanese pop songs, and a talent agent that exclusively represents people with Down Syndrome masterfully explored some uncomfortable territory while still staying surreal and light-hearted. His narrative about going to a nude Korean bathhouse and exposing himself in the wrong section of the building ended with three crowd members holding him above their heads.
Impossibly, every joke was as unforgettably funny and unique as the last. The standing ovation Fleming received at the end was so well-deserved that it almost felt like anything less would be offensive.
