The enforced frivolity drove me crazy and every emotion seemed fake. After midnight, when the horns had been blown and the noisemakers had been discharged, I would wander around the party muttering to anyone who would listen, “Well, do you feel any different? I sure don’t.”
I swear one of the reasons I got into show business was to have something I could stand to do on New Year’s Eve. Producing comedy shows at my comedy clubs gave me a context for my fun. Then, when Massey Hall approached me to produce a “comedy extravaganza” nine years ago, I leaped at the chance. Surely there was an audience who wanted to laugh – without being totally liquored up – in an august environment, a place that had been a venue for some of the greatest comedians of our time? CONTINUE READING >
New Year’s Eve Comedy Extravaganza (Thursday): Mark Breslin, founder of Yuk Yuk’s, knows a thing or two about funny. He’ll prove that this Thursday at Massey Hall with our annual Comedy Extravaganza – for which he has handpicked the talent, including host Gerry Dee, and featured performers Nikki Payne and Glenn Foster. Also appearing are Terry Clement, Sam Easton, Mark Forward, Jen Grant, Rob Pue, and Kenny Robinson, with musical stylings by the Jamyz Bee Combo. Bonus: show begins at 7:30 p.m., so laugh yourself silly and then head out for a night on the town to ring in the new year!
New Year’s Eve Concert 2009 – Bravissimo (Thursday): Comedy not quite your thing? Over at Roy Thomson Hall this New Year’s Eve is a showcase of opera’s greatest hits. Enjoy some favourite selections – from Carmen, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Rigoletto, La Traviata, The Magic Flute, and more – in this performance by an international cast of six opera stars and the Opera Canada Symphony.
New Year’s Day Celebration – Salute to Vienna (Friday): An annual favourite at Roy Thomson Hall based on the Viennese Neujahrskonzert, Salute to Vienna brings the lovely tradition of the New Year’s Day concert to North America. The concert features the Strauss Symphony of Canada, plus European singers and dancers, in a celebration of Johann Strauss Jr. and his contemporaries. Get a taste for the majesty of this custom with a video or two. CONTINUE READING >
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