Uncalled For went from amoebae to improvisers to best friends to high-concept sketch maestros. Over the years they’ve written a lot of shows, and people have written about those shows, and now here’s Uncalled For writing about the writing that’s been written about their writing.
PLAYDAY MAYDAY
Written & directed by Uncalled For
Playday Mayday tells the story of the games we’ve forgotten how to play, the friends we’ve forgotten how to talk to, and the edge of that cliff we forgot to notice. Embracing nostalgia while giving it a noogie, Playday Mayday is a hilarious, heartfelt, imaginative game of a play
“…this experienced crew will leave you cry-laughing in your seat. Striking a delicate balance between their signature rapid fire wordiness and physical comedy, this show evokes the fun of childhood play while constantly engaging your mind on another level, as you try to figure out where they can possibly go next.”
Montreal Rampage – Jan. 2015
“Playday ignores the pleas that today’s adults are big kids who don’t know how to grow up; it’s a generational call to embrace fun and immaturity as a form of release. It’s going to be the hit of the fest.”
CultMTL – Jan. 2015
HYPNOGOGIC LOGIC
A stream-of-consciousness joyride through the world of dreams. The show is a playful and tightly-constructed exploration of the hypnogogic – the hallucinatory state between waking and sleeping. Uncalled For’s rambunctious and hilarious dreamplay has been delighting audiences and critics for years.
Winner, Just For Laughs Best Comedy Award, Montreal Fringe 2010
Top Ten Best Plays of the Year, Montreal Mirror Readers’ Poll 2010
Best Of Fringe Uptown, Toronto Fringe 2011
Nominee, Canadian Comedy Award for Best Comedic Play, 2012
Hypnogogic Logic was the smartest and funniest thing I saw on stage in theatre or comedy all year.
Steve Fisher, Torontoist, in EYE Weekly’s “The Year In Toronto Comedy”, Dec. 2010
So inspired, it cooks… Their tightest, brightest, most polished show ever. As I’ve said before, at least twice, Uncalled For deserves its own TV show. Now.
Pat Donnelly, Montreal Gazette, Jan. 2011
Comedy of the Absurd? Of course. Humour for a New Gen Audience, certainly. But mostly, super high-energy performances, lighting-fast wit and repartee which drives the show… Very much in the tradition of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Avrum Regenstreif, Ontario Arts Review, July 2011
FOUR STARS… High-energy and hilarious.
Debbie Fein-Goldbach, NOW Magazine (Toronto), July 2011
One of the smartest comedy teams in the city… The piece is a true feat of scripting. These boys have charisma, looks, a way with a sight gag – the whole package.
Gaëtan L. Charlebois, The Charlebois Post (Montreal), Jan. 2011
The perfect fusion of ADHD and scathingly intelligent wit… Pure hilarity.
Jessica Alley, Forget The Box (Montreal), Jan. 2011
The smartest bit of writing they’ve done as of yet. Which is saying something. Lightning fast dialogue and scene changes, as well as several of those moments of unadulterated comic genius that we’ve come to expect from these guys.
Jamie O’Meara, Hour.ca (Montreal), June 2010
FIVE STARS… Book your tickets now. This show is not to be missed.
Carly Maga, Torontoist, July 2011
TODAY IS ALL YOUR BIRTHDAYS
Written and directed by Uncalled For
A fast-paced, philosophical sci-fi comedy about birth, death, time travel, Darwin’s theory of evolution, sandwiches and the meaning of life. The first sketch show that Uncalled For toured extensively – as of now it’s been performed in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, Chicago and New York. It’s also been performed with five cast members, and four, and three, and as a two-man show.
Winner, Outstanding Ensemble Award, Ottawa Fringe 2009
Nominee, Canadian Comedy Award for Best Comedic Play, 2010
FOUR STARS… The quartet skillfully defines the point where Futurama, Kids In The Hall and the plays of David Ives intersect.
NOW (Toronto), July 2009
One of the most innovative and reliable troupes in the country. This is sketch that treats the audience like adults, but leaves them giggling like children.
Justin Haigh, Plank Magazine (Toronto), July 2009
FOUR STARS… To absurdity and beyond! A hilarious, often dizzying, rocket ride through time and space.
Kevin Hill, EYE Weekly (Toronto), July 2009
A satisfying absurdist mash-up of ideas. [Uncalled For] perform with gusto and intelligence… they operate symbiotically, and their gags are impeccably timed. Brainy, zany and very funny.
Kirstie McCallum, Plank Magazine (Vancouver), Sep. 2009
FOUR AND A HALF STARS … A precious thing indeed… relentlessly smart, original and outrageous.
Victoria Times-Colonist, Aug. 2009
BLASTBACK BABYZAP
Written and directed by Uncalled For
Blastback Babyzap was Uncalled For’s first sketch creation that experimented with a looping structure – a series of scenes about hasty detectives, unloved robots, French clowns, and singing robbers that ended up where it started off.
Winner, Just For Laughs Best Comedy Award, Montreal Fringe 2008
Winner, Second City Best Of The Fest Award, Toronto Sketchfest 2008
FIVE STARS… Flat-out brilliant and uproariously inane, Montreal’s Uncalled For deliver a highly polished, side-splitting comedic gem. The entire cast deliver one grand standout performance, seamlessly transitioning through a series of loosely connected sketches without missing a beat… The hilarity doesn’t stop.
Sean Kelly Keenan, EYE Weekly (Toronto) July 2008
Hilarious. Now I know why this was the top-selling show at the festival.
Pat Donnelly, Montreal Gazette, June 2008
FOUR STARS… Local improv heroes Uncalled For flex their sketch com muscles with this hootenanny of a show… Ferociously creative, and playful like a motherf**ker, the Inuit’s two words for scripted sketch comedy may very well be Blastback Babyzap.
Dave Jaffer, Hour (Montreal), June 2008
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Yes yes yes yes yesindyish.com (Montreal), June 2008
THUNDERSPANK!
Written and directed by Uncalled For
Uncalled For’s first “official” scripted show, after years of improvising together (and following an enthusiastic but misunderstood attempt at sketch comedy called Ugly Is Forever). There was a swordfight, there was a gunfight, there was a Shakespeare scene whispered in total darkness, there was the invention of sliced bread… What more could you ask for?
Winner, Best Text Award, Montreal Fringe 2007
FOUR STARS… Delightful… A wacky, inspired celebration of off-kilter comic wit. The time/space continuum better watch its ass.
Dave Jaffer, Hour (Montreal), June 2007
FOUR STARS… One of four Fringe shows featuring the local Uncalled For improv troupe, this clever sketch comedy spectacle is very accessible without being overly broad or riddled with clichés the way so much stand-up (and SNL) is. Uncalled For’s fine cast makes it all come together, easily eliciting a roomful of laughter.
Lorraine Carpenter, Mirror (Montreal), June 2007
An absurd, caffeinated, schizophrenic, fun(ny) stream of consciousness… A fast-paced evening that even the worst case of A.D.D. can enjoy.
indyish.com (Montreal), June 2007