“This show is not about suicide: it’s about the comedy he left us with”

By JANE GEORGE

On Saturday night in Iqaluit you will be able to laugh—and may well cry—as the city’s comedians gather together to honour one of their own, Nanauq Kusugak, whose death by suicide earlier this month sparked a call for better mental health services in Nunavut.

“But this show is not about suicide: it’s about the comedy he left us with,” his friend and fellow comic Franco Buscemi told Nunatsiaq News.

Those who often shared a stage with Kusugak at Iqaluit’s Mahaha comedy showcases wanted to have a last night performing together.

“So we want to make sure that we maintain a comedy atmosphere. That’s what we’re producing,” Buscemi said. “There will be some sensitive content, but this is a show dedicated to Nanauq and his family. We consider this to be our last show with him.”

Before going ahead with the show, Kusugak’s friends purposefully waited a couple weeks after his death, and a week after his memorial service, to grieve the loss of the 32-year-old.

“But we wanted to make sure that we honoured his comedy as well, what he helped build here,” Buscemi said.

Kusugak was involved in founding the city’s Mahaha comedy showcases, named after Mahaha, the maniacal creature of Inuit legends.

Kusugak had a unique comic sense, Buscemi said.

“His delivery was intelligent. His jokes had a lot of deep meaning and a lot of themes you wouldn’t get until you thought about it. He was also an excellent storyteller, so we’ll try to recreate that for him,” Buscemi said.

You can find examples of Kusugak’s humour even in his short tweets:

There are three lanes on iqaluit roads; The left, the right, and the lane that will let you drive uphill. — Nanauq (@Nanauq) February 24, 2018

Boiled mattaaq may be closest to a mixture of escargots and broiled portobello mushrooms. Discuss — Nanauq (@Nanauq) February 25, 2018

Buscemi will direct the Saturday night show, with Aaron Watson as producer and Tony Rose as master-of-ceremony and technical director. Opening acts will include Buscemi, Watson, Nicole Etitiq and Vinnie Karetak.

During the evening, they plan to draw from some of the material Kusugak left behind.

“What we hope to do is create the kind of atmosphere he liked creating. He loved making people feel awkward and he loved hearing people laugh at his jokes. So we’re going to be recreating that to the best of our ability,” Buscemi said.

Those at the show will also see the screening of a video tribute to Kusugak, which has been co-directed by Buscemi and Watson and edited by Taha Tabish.

Doors open Saturday at the Kojesse Room at the Frobisher Inn at 7 p.m. The show starts at about 7:30 p.m. and will last about an hour. There is no admission charge to attend.

If you can’t be in Iqaluit, you’ll be able to find the video from the event later online, Buscemi said.