The Underground Comedy Railroad, Canada’s first all-black comedy tour, is aptly named. Just as the secret network of the 1800s offered a path to freedom for enslaved Africans, so too does this troupe open new avenues into an area of entertainment typically dominated by white males.
“There are times that comedy festivals leave us out because we are black, or alternate us out so it’s not an all black show,” says Andrew Searles, a comedian and co-producer of the show.
“We’re saying if you’re not going to let us in and give us an opportunity, we’ll just make our own.”
The troupe appeared at Centretown’s Absolute Comedy Club on Feb. 17 as part of its nine-city tour celebrating Black History Month. The tour also includes Toronto, Brampton, Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Montreal.
Black History Month celebrates past achievements of legendary figures, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to showcase the talents of today’s black Canadians, say the show’s organizers.
“During Black History Month at school we heard a lot about Martin Luther King,” says Rodney Ramsey, one of the show’s comedians and co-producers. “But here you’re actually getting to know the experience of first generation Canadian black folks – when history looks back, it will show that it’s this generation that got things started here.”
Upon graduating from university with a business background in 2011, Searles was looking for a new venture. When Ramsey suggested an all-black comedy troupe, they ran with the idea. The two men, friends since high school, launched the first show in 2012 and have mounted it annually since.
The troupe not only provides a voice to black comedians, but also offers a perspective that is uniquely Canadian.
“When you think of black comedians you always think of the Martin Lawrences or the Eddie Murphys,” Searles says.
These comedians are different. They use a more subtle approach to convey their black Canadian identity.
“I can bring my Caribbean background and my Canadian experience into my act without saying ‘I’m a black person,’” says Ramsey. “My identity comes through but I prefer high concept, intelligent comedy over the in-your-face kind.”
Using humour gives them a license for honesty, says Ramsey, as they take on serious social problems. “We use it to attack issues, whether race-related or sexually related. By using humour we diffuse the situation.”
In Ottawa, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Ottawa gets it,” says Ramsey. “The city has flavour – there are Ethiopians, Caribbeans here. And it’s got universities, people are savvy.”
The comedy content resonates with Canadians as it conjures up events from the recent past. Take for example, Searles’ routine that is based on the 2008 true story of a plane full of Canadians that was hijacked in Jamaica before it took off.
“Jamaicans are too festive to be good terrorists,” he chuckles, and goes on to paint a picture of the terrorist event evolving into a full-blown concert.
Keesha Brownie, the sole woman in the show, says the troupe is changing the face of comedy in Canada.
“The world is opening up,” she says. “Audiences are going to catch on, they’re going to say show us an Asian, show us a black person, something we haven’t seen before.”
The comedians, who are subtle yet provocative, are proud of how the show guides others towards seeing the world in new ways.
“It’s like when a white girl gets a new weave,” says Brownie. “It’s refreshing, it’s different, it’s like, ‘this is happening now.’”