Sean Patton has everything you want in a storyteller: shameless honesty, an eye for the significance of the smallest things, and the ability to hold a gut-wrenching pause as skilfully as he can hit you with a sharp surprising turn. On top of that, he's also a top-notch observational comic who can induce belly laughs while talking about anything from cheap booze to Hurricane Katrina. In short, he's a masterful raconteur. You'd be a fool to not see his brilliant new show at the Just For Laughs festival if you're in Montreal this week.
Patton's hour was as absurd as it was profound. His story about a stranger showing him and his friends his balls (but not his penis) while they were as high as kites started off as crudely comical, then somehow became inspirational as he explained that this moment directly caused him and all of his friends to find their callings in life. Notably, the strange randomness of the incident caused his friend to reflect on if there is any reasoning to how things happen in life, and he consequently ended up becoming a philosophy professor at University of California, Berkeley.
In a similar fashion, Patton delivered a series of rapid-fire one-liners about his first girlfriend being ridiculously cajun that peaked with him describing her as "basically an alligator with tits," then later talked about how the same girl decided to strive for better things in life as a result of having her legs pulverized by a drunk driver during spring break.
Best of all, Patton's story about worrying about whether his mom was alive after she was forced to stay in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina was deeply harrowing, yet had many heartwarming and hilarious moments. His reflection on the fact that his parents are soul-mates was beautiful, while his recounting of the many incidents that he and his siblings walked in on them having sex elicited laughter, bringing joy into dark junctures.
Patton's hour was as absurd as it was profound. His story about a stranger showing him and his friends his balls (but not his penis) while they were as high as kites started off as crudely comical, then somehow became inspirational as he explained that this moment directly caused him and all of his friends to find their callings in life. Notably, the strange randomness of the incident caused his friend to reflect on if there is any reasoning to how things happen in life, and he consequently ended up becoming a philosophy professor at University of California, Berkeley.
In a similar fashion, Patton delivered a series of rapid-fire one-liners about his first girlfriend being ridiculously cajun that peaked with him describing her as "basically an alligator with tits," then later talked about how the same girl decided to strive for better things in life as a result of having her legs pulverized by a drunk driver during spring break.
Best of all, Patton's story about worrying about whether his mom was alive after she was forced to stay in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina was deeply harrowing, yet had many heartwarming and hilarious moments. His reflection on the fact that his parents are soul-mates was beautiful, while his recounting of the many incidents that he and his siblings walked in on them having sex elicited laughter, bringing joy into dark junctures.