by John Humphrey
The hilarious Ron James is coming back to Windsor as his Back Where I Belong Tour makes a stop at the Chrysler Theatre on March 24.
The Canadian comedy icon has an impressive resume and body of work that is perhaps unmatched by anyone from the Great White North.
Among his many accolades and achievements are being voted Comedian of the Year at the Canadian Comedy Awards, numerous appearances at the internationally-acclaimed Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal in addition to performing at both the, Halifax, and Winnipeg Comedy Festivals, James has also written for 22 Minutes, and was a cast member of both the iconic SCTV television show of award-winning satire ‘Made in Canada.’
James also stared in the comedy series, The Ron James Show from 2009 to 2014.
“In April it will mark 24 years that I have been playing soft seat theatres from coast-to-coast,” said the funny man who is originally from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia has been living in Toronto for years in a phone interview from The Big Smoke. “Altogether I have been in show business for 43 years.
“Windsor has always been a great stop because the audiences are so responsive, and they get what I am trying to get at.” he added.
James kicked off Back Where I Belong in 2022 when most COVID restrictions were reduced or eliminated altogether,
“We started out in Atlantic Canada before heading out West in November and December and now we are going to start in Ontario, which is where I do the bulk of my work in stand-up (comedy).
“In Ontario, where tour the province according to regions, where we’ll visit the North and then the South and now we are starting to come to the Western region of Ontario, which of course includes Windsor.”
The upcoming portion of Back Where I Belong kicks off in Milton on March 22 and is in Oakville on March 23 before Windsor’s Chrysler Theatre on the 24th of March. After the Windsor gig, James will head up the 401 to Chatham, for a show at the Capitol Theatre on March 25.
There was no effort made by James to curb his enthusiasm over being back on the road and making Canadians laugh from cost-to-coast.
“When we were able to get back out there it was so incredible right from the start to see the people who were so very happy to be sitting in the audience, side-by-side and the reactions we’re receiving every night was amazing,” he claimed. “I had such a great feeling after every show as it was really validating what I was doing.
“I told my producer that I would go out there for free, but he told me that wasn’t going to happen.”
James was quick to off a self-evaluation of his newest show.
“If you are looking for a short summary of Back Where I Belong, it is a look at my life, the nation and the entire world,” he offered matter-of-factly. “It’s a cross-section of life in 2023.
“I try to make my stories relatable for the audience,” James continued. “I like to keep things topical, and I think that is the single biggest reason for my longevity in stand-up. My show is not overly profane, but I do like to take a look at adult subjects like mid-life dating, food fads and even playing hockey myself growing up.
“It’s a comedian’s job to rock the apple cart, not ride in it.”
But reference and shots and jabs – pardon the pun – at political issues have been dialed back a bit in James’ new show.
“I am a man of science, even though I flunked it in high school,” he claimed. “I don’t think there has been any conspiracy or nefarious plan to create a new world order through vaccines. I think that science has been trying to curtail COVID from spreading from the outset.”
So don’t expect James to stand on a pulpit while discussing the Pandemic during his gig in Windsor or anywhere else.
“I do touch upon our own mortality too and also try to take on some of the bigger issues in a comedic fashion,” he continued. “While the world gets increasingly fractured, for the two hours that I am on stage we are all on the same page.”
And James, who has performed at the Capital Theatre and Caesar’s Windsor over the years in addition to making another return to the Chrysler Theatre, does have a general routine to his show, he also makes adapts to his environment.
“What is funny to my audience in Windsor is generally funny to my audiences elsewhere around the province and country, but I do try to customize parts of my show to a particular town or city,” he pointed out before adding that he is well-aware of the area’s rum-running days from long ago
“In Windsor, I might refer to the city’s close proximity to Detroit while also taking a swing at the auto manufacturers and the unions too.”
“I have even been to the room at Hiram Walker’s where Al Capone used to play cards, in Windsor” he recalled. “How often can you make a joke about that?
“But it is always in good fun,” James continued. “I never take audiences for granted and I respect the people to take their time and money to buy a ticket, especially those brave souls who show up at the venue after traipsing through a foot or two of snow in -40 C weather and who have snot popsicles dangling from their noses when they walk through the front entrance to the theatres.”
“I love making people laugh and this has been my calling in life for so many years now.”
For more information and tickets to James’ Back Where I Belong stop in Windsor visit https://chryslertheatre.com or https://www.ronjames.ca
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