What happens when you get when you take four very funny comedians, stuff them into a vehicle and send them across Canada in the middle of a Canadian winter? Well, in the case of the Snowed in Comedy Tour, you get a lot of laughs. The show is the brainchild of Dan Quinn, the winner of the Canadian comedy competition at Just for Laughs and the comedian who was chosen Best of the Fest at the Moncton Hubcap Comedy Festival. He’s an actor (Arrow, Salvation, Murders, Travelers and Valley of the Boom), and has been seen on CBC, CTV, and the Comedy Network. Quinn is joined on stage by three of the funniest folks in the business: Erica Sigurdson, Paul Myrehaug, and Pete Zedlacher. Sigurdsson has been dubbed “a sugar-coated razor blade,” and she’s been making Canadians laugh for close to two decades with her rapier wit and mischievous smile. She’s perhaps best known for her more than 40 appearances on CBC’s The Debaters, as well as multiple televised specials for The Winnipeg, Halifax and Just For Laughs comedy festivals. She’s also performed everywhere from Singapore to Reykjavik, Iceland, but no matter where she lands, she leaves them laughing. Similarly, Paul Myrehaug has been doing a stand-up act for more than 20 years and, although he was born in Canada, his creds extend around the world with more than a dozen televised appearances and over 40 countries toured. Then there’s Pete Zedlacher. He’s an 18-year veteran of the comedy scene whose Canadian working-class roots in Wawa, Ont. helped forge the wit of one of the cleverest comics in the business. He’s a comedian, yes, but also an actor and writer with an extensive resume that includes Rookie Blue (ABC/Global), Little Mosque on the Prairie (CBC), Degrassi: The Next Generation (CTV/Nickelodeon), Puppets Who Kill (The Comedy Network), The Sean Cullen Show (CBC), Just for Laughs Gala (CBC), Halifax ComedyFest (CBC) and, well, you get the idea. But throughout it all, he’s a comic at heart and a fan favourite in both the alternative and mainstream comedy club scenes. “We got the idea to put this show together 17 years ago when I was on a snowboarding trip. We were in this little restaurant in Fernie, and I saw a little stage and said, ‘What if I do a show and help pay for this trip?’” recalled Quinn. “Now we do this every year. We go for four months from December through April, and we play a lot of ski resorts all through the west. Unfortunately, I’m the only one of us that still snowboards, but that’s OK. These resorts are tremendous regardless of whether you hit the slopes.” On the question of how comedy has changed in the 17 years that the show has been on the road, Quinn is reflective. “Comedy has always had a line of taboo,” said Quinn. “We always play around that line … I think all good comedians do. That’s where the comedy exists. These days, you just have to get to the joke faster. People don’t want a long setup. “That having been said, we’re always working on new material, and if you come to the shows this year, what you get is completely different from last year’s show. And it helps that the people I’ve got in this show are amongst the smartest people I’ve ever met. They see the world in a different way and can see the funny side of life, even when it doesn’t appear to be all that funny at first glance.” With that observation in mind, Quinn gives a little chuckle. “Everyone thinks that the comedian is going to be the guy who’s the life of the party. In truth, they’re more often the person at the back of the room, watching what’s going on and writing their next joke based on what they see. We’re a little sneaky that way.” Sneaky or not, there’s no doubt that the Snowed In Comedy Tour is fast, smart and very, very funny. They’ll be appearing at the Royal Theatre in Victoria on Saturday, Jan. 17. For tickets and a full list of other performances in B.C., visit https://www.snowedincomedytour.com/shows#BC .
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