It's going to be a gas, even if there isn't a corner to be found.
Brent Butt, the creator and star of the hit TV program Corner Gas, will be in Prince George for a solo standup comedy show this spring. He also has dates booked in Williams Lake, Quesnel, Smithers, Terrace, Prince Rupert and others in the region. He will be at Vanier Hall on May 28.
Butt is one of Canada's most recognizable comedians of all time. He was already a standup comic of high repute, and an actor in various movies and TV shows, when he finally hung his own shingle out at the crossroads of fictional Dog River, Saskatchewan. The atmosphere of the setting was pulled from Butt's own past growing up in Tisdale and parts thereabouts.
The show commenced in 2004 and the lineup of fans started immediately. So did the lineup of major actors and celebrity Canadians who wanted to be in it.
The engines haven't really stopped revving yet. The show ran on CTV and The Comedy Network for six years, and a movie was also produced in 2014, but despite the Corner Gas pumps being out of service, it is still getting a lot of public drive-bys.
Once the show ended, Butt once again invented a new project, although fellow Corner Gas alumna Nancy Robertson (who happened also to be his wife, with her own acclaim in the comedy world) was the principal protagonist in Hiccups. It got strong ratings and earned 10 major industry award nominations (Gemini, Canadian Comedy, Leo) - winning six - in only two seasons. It was discontinued by host network CTV after the 2010-2011 season.
Moving on, Butt applied his pen next to a film script that also caught traction. The movie starred Butt alongside Hollywood names like Amy Smart and David Koechner.
Now exercising his interactive muscles again, Butt is back out on tour for the back-and-forth of the audience and the standup comedian.
Special guest comedian Jamie Hutchinson will open the show. Doors open at 7 p.m. with mics going hot at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the Studio 2880 Artisan Shoppe.
