Trixx, a comedian who has played shows around the world, graced Algonquin College’s Observatory Feb. 15 for a comedy night centered around Black History Month.
Ottawa was the first stop in his international tour, and he had no trouble wowing the crowd with his authentic humour and his lively personality.
Trixx, who’s real name is Frankie Agyemang, is one of Canada’s rising comic stars. He’s won competitions, opened for comedians like Russell Peters and has performed sold-out theatre shows.
His opening act, Toronto-based comedian Che Durena, had the crowd roaring from within minutes with his jokes.
Trixx came on stage and the crowd of about 80 students and guests cheered loudly for him. He started off by teasing the crowd a little, poking fun at Ottawa.
“Vancouver is dope, Montreal is dope, Toronto is dope, but Ottawa, let’s talk.”
The crowd was diverse but the number of black people in the Observatory that night was impressive. Many came in to show their support for the black history month event while others came because they’re already fans of the comedian.
Long time fan Faduma Warsame, came to the Observatory on Thursday despite not being a student at Algonquin College. This was her third time seeing Trixx live and definitely not her last.
“I highly recommend him, he’s so funny and he’s somebody you’ll always remember.”
During his entire set, he made jokes that made fun of himself as well as sharing some personal anecdotes, including one where he mistook a woman’s orgasm for a seizure.
During an interview after the show, Trixx reflected on the backlash he gets as a black comedian, saying “I think backlash can be good sometimes but sometimes it’s a bit unnecessary. For the most part it comes with the territory.”
Trixx started a bit late in the game in terms of his career but it’s something he’s wanted to do for as long as he can remember. He takes inspiration from comedians like Dave Chappelle and Eddie Murphy.
When asked about Black History Month, Trixx explained that he thinks that it should be something that is being constantly celebrated.
“I’m proud to be African, be proud of that sh*t” he told the crowd of adoring fans.
Trixx had the audience completely captivated with his original humour, the crowd roared with laughter at almost every word coming out of his mouth.
He jokingly responded with “yeah don’t” when asked if he had any advice for people wanting to get into comedy. But then he quickly elaborated.
“If you have something you really want to do, just do it. You’re your own roadblock. If you tried at least you can say you tried. You don’t want to live a life of regret.”
The comedian told the Times he hopes to be selling out arenas and maybe get on television in the future.
He ended the show on a positive note, discussing the power women hold and playfully poking fun at a few unsuspecting members of the crowd. He interacted with fans during and after the show, taking the time to chat and snap some quick pictures before leaving.
Trixx will be back in Ottawa very soon at Absolute comedy as a host and as a headliner starting on Feb. 26.