Recently tagged Ramona Dearing

Rick Mercer has come a long way from the days in the 1980s, when he and a bunch of high school friends put on a low-budget comedy show in downtown St. John’s, all thanks to the LSPU Hall agreeing to take a chance on them. The troupe, Corey and Wade’s Playhouse, is remembered to this day by people who had a chance to see them (Mercer’s colleagues were Ashley Billard, Christine Taylor and Andrew Younghusband).

Don’t think for a second Mercer hasn’t forgotten what the LSPU Hall meant for his career. Last night, he played a full house at the Arts & Culture Centre, which raised at least $50,000 for the Resource Centre for the Arts, the nonprofit that owns the Hall and is just clewing up an extensive renovation.

Rick was as funny as always, a little more profane than we tend to see on the Mercer Report and generous with the anecdotes about different moments in his career. He had stories about why Jean Chretien took him up on a burger date for Harvey’s in Ottawa, getting then-Arkansas governor (and potential future Republican presidential nominee) Mike Huckabee to salute the protection of Canada’s legislative igloo, and - movingly - working with troops abroad in Bosnia and Kabul.

He had a story or two about the Hall, too, and why it matters. When they approached the Hall about an early show, the kids were offered an 80-20 split of the door proceeds.

He was new, Rick told the audience, but knew enough to ask for 50-50.

The punchline? The Hall was offering 80 per cent of the gate.

It was a grand night. Canada AM host Seamus O’Regan set up Rick’s routine, and the Eight-Track Favourites opened the show with a set.

Rick was Ramona Dearing’s guest on Radio Noon’s Crosstalk on Wednesday. Click here to hear the archived version of the show.

Click the video below to see David Cochrane’s interview with Rick last night for Here & Now.