“Letterkenny Live” delivers all the comedy, chirps, and puppers a fan could ask for

So, you found yourself in Red Bank the other daayyy…

After a few false starts (pandemic be damned) the Hicks, Skids, Hockey Players, and other assorted De-Gens from up North finally crossed the border in to Red Bank, NJ for Letterkenny Live at the Count Basie Theater. For diehard fans of Canada’s cult hit TV show it was a night of exactly what they wanted, a gathering (sponsored by Puppers of course) to celebrate one of the quippiest, well written, and surprisingly progressive shows on television. One that often subverts the trope of how people in a small rural town behave.

The closest thing to the show emcee was Roald (Evan Stern), the second-in-command Skid who was filling in for their leader Stewart (Tyler Johnston) who seemed to be on the tour, just not this evening. Leaving duties to Roald to move the show between segments, clips, and intermissions. The show moves briskly as it delivers sketches specifically for the live tour, as well as a sneak peek at the upcoming new season, and even a few walks down memory lane. Allowing fans to cheer and laugh, arm-in-drunken-arm with other fans at some of the show’s best beats. In fact, it would definitely behoove you to brush up on your Letterkenny lingo to fully maximize the experience. You never know when a “How’r ya now?” or “To Be Fair” will be called upon for an audience response.

We’d be remiss to talk about Letterkenny and not bring up the show’s music. In many ways, the soundtrack is its own character, with many scenes intrinsically tied to a specific song – two moments that immediately come to mind are the use of Joel Plasket’s “Fashionable People” during a bar power hour scene as well as Peaches’ “F*ck The Pain Away” serving as the backdrop of a wedding beatdown. Creator/writer/star Jared Keeso is clearly a fan and seemingly goes out of his way to include match song vibes to enhance storytelling.

Letterkenny Live acknowledges the importance of music and sets the scene for fans. Upon entry in to the venue everyone is treated to a curated soundtrack reflecting the indie-leaning aesthetic of the show. As fans pile into the theater dressed as their favorite Skid (yes we saw a few) and others donning hockey jerseys of their favorite fictional teams, musical queues are already being planted for the audience. A subtle but welcome vibe as you are also shown the extent of cool merch available just outside in the gift shop.

Like the TV show, Letterkenny Live centers around the Hicks – siblings Wayne (Keeso) and Katy (Michelle Mylett) plus their two friends Squirrelly Dan (K Trevor Wilson) and Daryl (Nathan Dales) anchor the evening hanging by their farm stand recounting matters of their small fictional town of Letterkenny. The live show weaves in new sketches specifically for the live show while its extended universe comes into play, both live and via the magic of audio/visuals. We get updates on the entire extended universe of Letterkenny. Over the course of the night we get check-ins on what the likes of Glen, Tanis, Mr. and Mrs. McMurray are up to, Gail’s new business ventures, and perhaps most importantly, what the town crush Bonnie McMurray is up to. While it would be fantastic to see then entire universe of characters live an ensemble cast as large as this one is a logistical impossibility.

Keeso, Mylett, Wilson, and Dales bring their fully formed characters to life showcasing trademark barbs and innuendos we’ve come to expect from 10 seasons of a show that intertwines the lives of these 4 as closely as can be. While Dylan Playfair’s Reilly and Andrew Herr’s Jonesy are the most-perfect jock friends anyone could ask for. They are fiercely loyal and ready for anything thrown at them whether that be reps, snipers, or the impromptu donnybrook. That is until Shoresy shows up to deliver gloriously chirps in only the way he can.

Letterkenny Live’s secret weapon is Mark Forward. Fans know the comedian as Coach in the series and in the live space he’s an absolute scene stealer. Managing to wring the most out of every second he’s on stage. Whether that be opening the show to set the audience for the night, drunkingly recounting his explicit lovemaking with his dead wife Barb to Riley and Jonesy, getting the Hicks back on track to essentially “play the hits” when their live banter strays, or being the subject of an “uncensored cut” of a classic Letterkenny TV moment. Forward’s years of experience as a stand-up on stage play well to Coach live as he knows when to pause and when to push, providing some of the most belly laugh moments of the night while getting most of his fellow cast members, making them look great or, forcing them to break character with just a specific line or action. It’s why we love watching someone break on live TV live Saturday Night Live. Because we know it’s a real moment and there’s not much of a purer response than laughter.

Forward is also allowed to run wild and perform stand-up sets along with the other comedian on the cast, K Trevor Wilson. Both of which are experienced stand-ups and given moments in the night to perform their acts out of character. Wilson in particular seemed excited about the moment, taking the stage in a Kevin Smith hockey jersey stating the Clerks director was a hero of his and performing in Smith’s hometown was a dream realized.

Watching a show like Letterkenny or any non-US show for that matter often shows slight cultural variations and Letterkenny Live had some. We’ve been to enough comedy events in Canada to know that intermissions are the norm there. However, the Count Basie audience (or at least those in our immediate area) had a look of confusion when the show took one. Additionally, during a longer than usual curtain call that saw all the cast forgoing the usual American way of taking a group bow and leaving the stage, each member of the cast introduced themselves and stated something they were excited about. The aforementioned K Trevor Wilson’s declaration of love for Kevin Smith and Red Bank aside, when Nathan Dales’ stated love for New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen was met with the typical response of “Bruuuuuuuce!” it took some cast members by surprise thinking it was boo’s. Don’t worry cast of Letterkenny, the love for Springsteen in the heart of Jersey is very real.

At the risk of making one too many Kevin Smith references in this recap, the world of Letterkenny Jared Keeso created can draw a lot of comparisons to Smith’s ViewAskewniverse. Beloved characters who can own the spotlight at any given moment, witty dialogue, cult status – in short it has a handmade feel that has no business punching above its weight class yet consistently does every time.

The success of Letterkenny Live and forthcoming Shoresy spinoff prove that Keeso and Co. seem to know exactly what they are, exactly what the fans want, and deliver to them as much they possibly can. Something that is (allegedly) a wholly fantastic situation to be in.

Pitter-Patter.

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