Frontmezzjunkies reports: Colin Mochrie, Rebecca Northan, Kevin Kruchkywich, and Ali Hassan headline a delightfully unexpected new comedy series at The Grand Theatre
By Ross
One of the occupational hazards of loving theatre and writing about theatre is accepting that you simply cannot be everywhere at once. It is a lesson I seem destined to relearn every few weeks. No sooner have I circled one production on the calendar than another irresistible announcement arrives from somewhere else, quietly whispering, “You really need to see this too.” This week, it was the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, one of my favourites, unveiling a comedy lineup that immediately had me smiling… but also sad, and just a little envious.
Launching this season is Grand Laughs, the Grand Theatre‘s inaugural comedy series, bringing together three distinctly Canadian evenings of laughter across both the Spriet and Auburn Stages. It is a playful addition to the theatre’s 2026/27 season, All in Grand Time, and one I honestly did not see coming. Theatre companies are increasingly finding inventive ways to welcome audiences through their doors, and building a series around some of Canada’s funniest performers feels like exactly the sort of programming I hope catches on.
The series opens on November 8 with HYPROV, pairing improv legend Colin Mochrie with internationally acclaimed hypnotist Asad Mecci. Mochrie has spent decades proving there are few quicker comic minds anywhere, while Mecci’s hypnotic talents create an unpredictable playground where volunteers become collaborators in an evening that promises to be as surprising as it is hilarious. The combination has already become a sensation across North America, and now London audiences will have the chance to experience the wonderfully unpredictable chaos for themselves.
Then, in January, comes the show that perhaps intrigues me most. Rebecca Northan and Kevin Kruchkywich, the wonderfully inventive duo behind another favourite of mine, Spontaneous Theatre, bring The Soaps to the Auburn Stage from January 21 through 30 (very sadly, I’ll be out of the country). Every performance becomes an entirely new improvised soap opera set right in London, much like their incredibly funny Murder-on-the-Lake at the Shaw Festival last season. Knowing Northan’s gift for transforming audiences into joyful participants through productions like the brilliant Goblin: Macbeth, the idea of a nightly improvised melodrama feels like the sort of theatrical experiment that could only become richer with each performance. The fact that no two evenings will ever be the same makes my current case of FOMO considerably worse.
Closing the series on March 7 is Ali Hassan with Does This Taste Funny?, a deeply personal stand-up show tracing his unexpected journey from aspiring chef to one of Canada’s most recognizable comedians and broadcasters. Hassan has always possessed an effortless ability to make audiences feel as though they are sharing stories with an old friend, and his latest show promises exactly that kind of warmth, honesty, and wonderfully self-deprecating humour, all seasoned with a healthy appreciation for food and family.
What I especially admire about this announcement is how naturally these three events complement the Grand Theatre‘s season. They invite audiences to experience live performance from a different angle, celebrating improvisation, storytelling, and stand-up alongside the theatre’s dramatic productions. Laughter has always belonged in theatres just as much as tragedy, and this inaugural series feels like an invitation to embrace both.
Unfortunately for me, the calendar has already conspired against seeing all three. Such is the curious life of a theatre critic and winter wanderer. Every season becomes an exercise in impossible choices, with remarkable productions unfolding simultaneously in different cities, each one insisting it deserves your attention. Still, knowing these artists will soon be filling the Grand Theatre with spontaneous brilliance, joyous absurdity, and the kind of laughter that only live performance can generate makes me genuinely happy. Even if I cannot be in London this time, I already know I’ll be watching closely, hoping Grand Laughs becomes another tradition worth planning around.
