Both laughter and tears can be cathartic, but only laughter is OK in front of your dog. Laugh until you cry with this deal to the Canadian Comedy Awards’ The Best of the Fest show at Bathurst Street Theatre on Saturday, August 25, at 8:30 p.m. Doors open at 8 p.m. Choose between the following seating options:

• For $21, you get general-admission balcony seating (up to a $42.55 value, including all fees).
• For $28, you get general-admission orchestra seating (up to a $56.50 value, including all fees).<p>

When the new millennium dawned, so too did the Canadian Comedy Awards, honouring the finest in humour across all venues—live, on TV, in film, on the radio, and online. Former Growing Pains patriarch Alan Thicke hosts this year’s The Best of the Fest showcase at Randolph Academy’s stately Bathurst Street Theatre, which features sets from five of the Great White North’s funniest folks. With the lisp of a 5 year old and the raunch of a snickering middle-schooler, Nikki Payne celebrates her life as a self-confessed “crazy dog lady” and her good luck in finding a job that embraces her gleeful vulgarity. The compatibly foul-mouthed “funny mommy” Kate Davis prides herself on her own toddler’s firm grasp on anatomy. Ron Sparks throws down thudding non-sequiturs to absurd effect, whereas the sugar-buzz rage of Dave Merheje touches on everyday absurdities such as being mistaken for a terrorist at Tim Horton’s. Finally, Pete Zedlacher flaunts his Canadian pride in discussions of everything from rigorous fruit inspections at the border to the “kinda gross” Canada goose.