Natasha Leggero's performance at Montreal's L'Astral Theatre begins unusually. The curtain rises to the silhouette of some tween girls, and they bust into some hardcore crunk moves. There are about ten of them, each no older than 13. It's a furious blast of dance, and then it's gone. Immediately, Natasha Leggero takes the stage. This is not part of the act. Leggero saw these kids on the street, and asked them to "open" for her. She wasn't sure what they were going to do, because when she asked, "all they did was scream." It sets the scene nicely for a smooth set of girl power comedy.
That is not to say Leggero is waving an empowerment flag — funny is funny, after all. Her comedy is scathing and smart, and she's not afraid to be sexy. There's a quality in her delivery that is seductive and she's learned how to master it — it's the character that got her where she is today. But tonight is a bit different. She slips in and out of that demeanour, even mocking it at times, diving into observed female speech patterns that annoy her so. There's the obvious "girls that speak as though everything is a question?" bit, followed by the much funnier "growl." It's hard to explain, but you've heard it; a low, guttural drawl. She reveals all of these influences candidly, and at times, you can pick up on her true personality.
Leggero has always had an eye for "class humour." She'll drop a white trash joke without hesitation, but can do an even better job at taking the piss out of rich assholes. She does a great bit about how, right now in L.A., you can take bus tours in Gangland, so rich white people can gawk at gang members through bulletproof glass — "Oh Harold, I hope it comes with a bag of crack to feed them." As for the lower end of the tax bracket, she makes fun of herself. She buys Kirkland Diamonds (from Costco), because she likes to get her diamonds "where she gets her salsa."
The crowd work she embarks on falls down somewhat, but it's good to see her interact with fans — and there are a lot of them here tonight. She is definitely having a moment. Not a "Schumer moment," but a moment nonetheless, and she's appreciative of that.
That is not to say Leggero is waving an empowerment flag — funny is funny, after all. Her comedy is scathing and smart, and she's not afraid to be sexy. There's a quality in her delivery that is seductive and she's learned how to master it — it's the character that got her where she is today. But tonight is a bit different. She slips in and out of that demeanour, even mocking it at times, diving into observed female speech patterns that annoy her so. There's the obvious "girls that speak as though everything is a question?" bit, followed by the much funnier "growl." It's hard to explain, but you've heard it; a low, guttural drawl. She reveals all of these influences candidly, and at times, you can pick up on her true personality.
Leggero has always had an eye for "class humour." She'll drop a white trash joke without hesitation, but can do an even better job at taking the piss out of rich assholes. She does a great bit about how, right now in L.A., you can take bus tours in Gangland, so rich white people can gawk at gang members through bulletproof glass — "Oh Harold, I hope it comes with a bag of crack to feed them." As for the lower end of the tax bracket, she makes fun of herself. She buys Kirkland Diamonds (from Costco), because she likes to get her diamonds "where she gets her salsa."
The crowd work she embarks on falls down somewhat, but it's good to see her interact with fans — and there are a lot of them here tonight. She is definitely having a moment. Not a "Schumer moment," but a moment nonetheless, and she's appreciative of that.
