By Patrick Blennerhassett Victoria News (Black Press) September 01, 2008
Steve Patterson, host of The Debaters, will take to the McPherson Playhouse’s stage on Sept. 4 for a live taping of the CBC radio show. Photo contributed
Comedians are masters at making the mundane and pedestrian funny.
Jerry Seinfeld built his whole career on that very schtick. But what happens when comedians start joking about current events, political and social issues they normally steer clear of? Are they still funny?
The Debaters answers that question. The CBC Radio program pits Canadian comics against one another in debate-style format, using questions ranging from ‘Should America look to Canada for leadership?’ and ‘What’s wrong with polygamy?’ to ‘Do athletes make good role models?’
Essentially, the show is the funniest dinner party you’ve ever been to, with Canadian comic Steve Patterson as moderator. It’s also insanely hilarious and Victoria residents can be a part of a live taping Sept. 4 at the McPherson Playhouse. Patterson, who took over hosting the show this season from Canadian comedian Shaun Majumder, said The Debaters forces comedians to tackle serious issues, which in turn is seriously funny.
“I think the best-slash-worst debates we’ve had are where the comics feel really strongly about the issue,” said Patterson.
“Sometimes they’re spouting out facts and you can see they’re really into the issue, which is funny because you don’t actually win anything. I tell them this over and over but they don’t seem to care. I guess nobody wants to lose on national radio even if there’s no prize involved at all.”
Each comic is given the subject about a month in advance and told who they’ll be debating against, which makes some debates even more heated.
A case in point was the May 31 episode, in which Arab-American Ray Hanania debated Jewish comedian Simon Rakoff on the question: Should Canada do more for Palestinians? There’s also a bare-knuckle portion of the event which is completely unscripted, allowing the debaters to banter back and forth at will.
“I think that’s when the best material comes out, because it’s so fresh and on-the-spot.”
The show is the brainchild of Vancouver actor Richard Side (The Delicate Art of Parking, Elf) who originally pitched it as a TV show to CBC. Side said the idea was to get comics out of their usual stand-up routines and let them cut loose on certain issues and each other.
“We’re going to pepper the upcoming events with election-style tidbits,” he said, referring to the imminent federal election.
“Like, we’re talking about the green shift in Victoria. And then at a date in Regina in October we’re debating leadership, Harper versus Dion. Then minority governments and if they’re good for the country.”
But it’s not 100 per cent newsworthy all the time, with some of the most memorable shows entailing questions like ‘Does Star Wars beat Lord of the Rings?’ or ‘Who was better, Mr. Dressup or the Friendly Giant?’
“We don’t want to make it so topical or so political that we’re just chasing headlines,” explained Side. “I think that’s what people like about it also, not just that it’s topical but it’s eclectic. You know we’re talking about recycling and then shopping at the mall and then Che Guevera. We can go all over the place if we want.”
Patterson, who’s currently writing a television pilot about a stand-up comedian who foresees the future through his routine, said the show is great because it pits comics against each other in almost roast-style hilarity.
“You know you go out to a stand-up show and you hear four comics talking about masturbation. I mean there’s no debate there, masturbation is good – case closed. But with this, you’re kind of forcing the comics to write about stuff they might not normally write about.”
Tickets for The Debaters are available at the McPherson box office, 3 Centennial Sq. or by phone at 250-386-6121. The show will air Saturday, Sept. 6 at 11:30 a.m. on CBC Radio One nationwide.
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