SMALL TOWN CANADA FOCUS OF NEW TV SHOW.
Jonny Harris says being born in Pouch Cove, N.L. — “pronounced ‘pooch’, and nobody knows why that is” — gave him a unique perspective with which to observe the rest of Canada.
He was the outsider hanging off the side of The Rock, looking toward the mainland with a mixture of wonder and wide-eyed curiosity.
“I sometimes wonder if it’s because Newfoundland has struggled economically for so long that people naturally find the humour in their situation,” Harris says, over the phone from Toronto.
His new travelling standup comedy series Of All Places, announced as part of CBC’s winter TV lineup, finds Harris on a mission to mine humour in small-town Canada. It’s designed as a quirky, often irreverent and occasionally moving celebration of rural Canadians and their aspirations.
“I THINK FUNNY IS FUNNY, WHETHER YOU’RE PERFORMING AT A COMEDY FESTIVAL IN HALIFAX OR IN WINNIPEG.”
JONNY HARRIS
“You have to be more savvy to survive in these towns,” Harris explains. “People have shown a lot of ingenuity in these towns, creating industry where there is none, finding ways to work and stay in the home towns that they love. It’s been an incredible experience for me, inspiring. There’s a theme of spirit in the face of adversity.”
Small towns breed misconception — the idea, for example, that there’s nothing to do there.
“Really, it’s the most fun I’ve had,” Harris says. “People get up to hijinks that are completely off the grid. I’ve done all kinds of weird, dangerous things, and it’s been a blast.”
Most viewers know Harris as Insp. William Murdoch’s faithful sidekick Const. George Crabtree on CBC’s venerable period drama Murdoch Mysteries, but his first calling was as a standup comedian. Harris has performed at both the Halifax and Winnipeg comedy festivals, among other venues.
“I think funny is funny, whether you’re performing at a comedy festival in Halifax or in Winnipeg. But I have found, thank God, that all these towns we’ve gone to have been incredibly gracious. It being the first season, people don’t really know what the show is about.
“It would be easy for people to have their backs up a bit. People haven’t been. They’ve been 100 per cent up for a laugh. It’s all new material, which is every comic’s nightmare, but people right away put me at ease by how much they laugh. I’ve had exceptional audiences.”
Rural folks laugh more easily than city slickers, he suggests.
Harris says that when he first moved to Toronto for Murdoch Mysteries, he was struck by the number of vanity plates that were long on braggadocio and short on wit.