Stacey McGunnigle and Aba Amuquandoh join Newfoundlanders Mark Critch and Trent McClellan as main cast members of the long-running sketch satirical comedy series.

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Amuquandoh is an actress, writer, stand up comedian as well as a sketch performer. She trained and performed as an actress at the University of Toronto before going on to pursue Conservatory training at the Second City Toronto.

Joining the award winning cast of This Hour Has 22 Minutes on CBC, she is now the youngest ever cast member. She also co-hosts Nostalgique, which was ranked at number two amongst the top five funniest podcasts in the Toronto Star, where she was also featured as one of Canada’s rising stars. You can also see more of Aba this winter as the host of CBC’s Best in Miniature!

McGunnigle is an actor, writer and comedian whose credits include Private Eyes, Detention Adventure, Odd Squad and No Sleep ‘Til Christmas. 

Additionally, founding member and fellow Newfoundlander and Labradorian Cathy Jones has left the series, after being with the production since 1993. Susan Kent, also from this province, left to pursue outside endeavours in 2020.

The 29th season of This Hour Has 22 Minutes continues this fall!

From Oprah and David Letterman’s Fogo fascination, to Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart getting caught eating scrunchions in downtown St. John’s, this province of ours has rolled out the red – if mostly rocky – carpet for noteworthy guests.  

While some may escape to the Bahamas for a romantic getaway,  others, like John Mellencamp and Meg Ryan, head to Bannerman Park and carve their names on a stone that’s now placed in the park’s Garden of Memories. How sweet! 

In fact, even those who never pitched still chat about one of our most uniquely names towns.

Caught up in Dildo

All one has to do Google Jimmy Kimmel and Dildo to get caught up on that summer long NL/Latenight love-in. Sometimes, it’s the movie industry that attracts Hollywood elite to our eastern-most province. Recently, Son of a Critch played host to Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Claire Rankin and Malcolm McDowell, to name but  few.

Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, has been here a few times – for business and for pleasure – tweeting out his NL adventures for his million-plus followers to admire and covet. But it’s not just work or scenery, or even romance, that folks come here for. Sometimes, it’s the thrill of the hunt. 

Johnny Cash’s famous hunting excursion in 1961 is up there when it comes to having bragging rights for being the spot where the late legendary singer bagged his moose. Even hockey stars head east when it’s time to go all Elmer Fudd in the fall. Boston Bruin Brad Marchand and teammate Kevan Miller co-own an outfitter’s lodge on Red Indian Lake in central Newfoundland, where they offer hunting and fishing expeditions throughout the interior.

No doubt, NL is on the map as a bucket list spot for many, no matter the reason for coming. 

Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow, while on a get-away at the Fogo Island Inn in 2016, tweeted that this place was ‘heaven’ and she’s right. Our homegrown talent has known this all along. Alan Doyle often tweets his #aroundthebaycation shots while out jiggin’ for cod.

#aroundthebaycation

Mark Critch and Seamus O’Regan went cod catchin’ for a cool, cute 22 Minutes sketch and Shantyman Sean McCann still returns home from Ontario with his youngsters to get in a little cod fishing when he can “just to stay connected to our roots,” he shared when we last spoke.

This isn’t a bad spot to lay one’s hat for a bit when looking for adventure or for peace and quiet. Newfoundland just might be the best worst  kept secret when it comes to vacation spots – if you can withstand unpredictable seasons.

The creative genius Malcolm McDowell probably said it best when, following two back-to-back hurricanes, he uttered, “This is the best place. You people would be invaded if it wasn’t for the weather. Because your weather sucks.”

A frequent visitor to the island on tours over the decades, Moloney and The Chieftains were a trailblazing attraction in their respective genre, influencing many of our finest.

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Numerous Newfoundlanders and Labradorians commented via social media on the passing of Moloney:

ALAN DOYLE

Sad news. Oh the musical circles this man connected. The doors he opened for so many, including me and all the GBS lads. Much Love to all the @thechieftains family and fans. Cheers Paddy.

SEAMUS O’REGAN

One of the greatest albums. What a contribution Paddy Moloney made to Irish music and to music in general. May he Rest In Peace. 

BOB HALLETT

Sad to hear that Paddy Maloney passed away earlier today. Paddy was one of the most creative people I’ve ever met, and did more for traditional music than any of us know. He was a tiny man, but his energy & humour filled every room he entered.

TOM POWER

Incredibly sad one here. Paddy Moloney changed Irish music and made it accessible to so many people all over the world. Those early Chieftains records had a tremendous impact on me, and I went to see them every chance I had. Rest in peace, Paddy.

MARK CRITCH

Huge loss for anyone who ever loved traditional music. Paddy Maloney of @thechieftainsofficial My heart goes out to the brilliantly talented and wonderful @cb_stepcrew and the whole Chieftains family. Also @alanthomasdoyle and the GBS a family.

Via The Chieftains official website:

Since 1962 they have been six-time Grammy Award winners and been highly recognized for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and International scale. Their ability to transcend musical boundaries to blend tradition with modern music has notably hailed them as one of the most renowned and revered musical groups to this day.

As cultural ambassadors, their performances have been linked with seminal historic events, such as being the first Western musicians to perform on the Great Wall of China, participating in Roger Water’s “The Wall” performance in Berlin in 1990, and being the first ensemble to perform a concert in the Capitol Building in Washington DC.

In 2010, their experimental collaborations extended to out of this world, when Paddy Moloney’s whistle and Matt Molloy’s flute travelled with NASA astronaut, Cady Coleman, to the international space station.

Ask a kid what they remember most about a somewhat significant day in their life, and if skipping school was part of that adventure, then that’s high on the list of probable honourable mentions.

POSING WITH POP

Mark Critch’s youngest son Will, who was seven at the time, gets a laugh when he responded, “I remember I got to get out of school early that day…” when asked if he remembered posing for that photoshoot for The Herald’s cover back in 2011 with his Dad and older brother Jacob.

We ask Mark, looking back now on the last ten years since that Herald cover, what has changed when it comes to fathering his boys Jacob and Will.

‘CAN’T BE FUN!?’

“I used to worry that I might embarrass them, and I guess sometimes I still worry about that at times, because I know it can be a bit different having a dad who is out there doing all this public stuff and here you are a kid in school and your dad takes his shirt off in front of Justin Trudeau and you think, ‘ya. That can’t be fun,’ but you do it anyway,” he opened with a chuckle.

Mark knows all about having a dad in the limelight.

“My Dad (the late Mike Critch, a staple at VOCM) was in radio and so I was the kid growing up where everyone knew who my dad was. People used to always be doing impressions of him too, and as a kid, I didn’t quite understand all that. Like, ‘why is that guy talking like Dad?’ And ‘why are people laughing?’ So I can only imagine the embarrassing situations I’ve put them both in and I’m sure there’s times they said to themselves or to each other, ‘why couldn’t he just have been an accountant?’”

The boys laugh. Jacob, who has had quite a successful music career offers words of comfort.

“I never really get embarrassed. I’m used to that stuff. He’s been on television so long that it doesn’t faze me at all. It just seems, well, regular. I just see him as Dad. He’s a regular person doing his job. And if we happen to be around someone like Justin Trudeau and Dad takes his shirt off, well, that’s just normal too,” Jacob shared.

‘I LOOK UP TO MY DAD’

As for Will, there’s a sense of pride mixed in there as well.

“I might walk into a class on NL studies and Dad pops up in the lesson. One time in science class we were watching a video by Bill Nye and a commercial comes on and it’s my father promoting Pyjamarama Day. So there’s moments when his career has impacted me, but I’m not embarrassed because I look up to my dad,” Will said.

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Ten years ago in The Herald feature, Mark reflected on what he felt the boys would become as they grew older. At the time, he joked he hoped they would pick careers that could see him chill out a little financially as he neared retirement age. What does he think of the job he did as a parent, we ask?

“My favourite age for a kid is three because up to then they’re basically a stranger who might pee on you. Then you wonder, ‘who are you? What are you into? Are you outgoing? Shy?’ But around three the personality starts to show and you see who they are starting to be,” he said.

‘SENSIBLE & BRIGHT’

When asked to chat about his lads, Mark is enthusiastic.

“The boys are both very sensible and bright. Jacob is interesting because he studies computer science yet he’s very musical so he has a blend of the arts and the sciences and he goes about things sensibly. I joke as he’s doing his music that he needs something to fall back on, but that’s what any parent would want for their kid,” he said.

As for his youngest? Will has so much talent, and as he prepares to graduate high school, the sky’s the limit.

“Will did some acting and he’s a very good writer and he’s a very good singer. I can see him doing all those things. Now, he’s heading off to Grenfell (College) and he’ll do acting, but also psychology. So both boys are interesting that way because they have such varied interests. They are a mix of the arts and, you know, all that other sensible stuff.”

But what he’s most proud of as a dad has nothing to do with schooling or who they become career-wise as they grow.

“What I like most about the boys, what I’m most proud of, is that they are both nice boys and they are polite and interesting to talk to and they show interest in other people and whatever they want to do in life, it doesn’t matter, I support them.”

Like most dads, He hopes he’s taught them a few valuable life lessons.

“I hope they learn from me that you should try and do something that you love, something that makes you happy, and something that you are passionate about. If you do what you love I think that adds years to your life and you are surrounding yourself with like-minded people.”

SON OF A CRITCH

Some deep reflections are revealed as Mark, who just finished writing his follow-up to Son of a Critch, An Embarrassment of Critch’s, thinks about fatherhood.

“It’s always better to take the gamble and do something you find interesting in life, but they can do anything. Both my boys are nice and I’m so proud of that. Poppy Critch would have called them good and gentle and that’s a wonderful thing for a parent to have the pleasure of being around.”

So, let’s turn the tables. What do Will and Jacob think of their father?

Jacob laughs. “What can I say? He’s good.”

They all laugh. He’s good –  great, but is he strict? Funny at home? Give us something, we tease.

“He’s a mix. He’s naturally funny, always making up little quips and random characters all the time. He makes up weird songs and I find myself doing the same thing. He makes up stories. But he’s serious too if it’s something important. He’s all about getting work done, having a good work ethic and make a good plan. He’s fun. He’s friendly. But he has a good business mind, too,” Jacob said.

‘A CHILD AT HEART’

Having the 22 Minutes star as a father has been what you’d expect; incredible.

“He likes to do fun stuff, like read comic books and play video games. And yes, he’s a child at heart. He never feels like he’s too old or too grown up to hang with us guys,” Jacob added.

Will smiled. He also feels honoured to have had such a great father.

“There’s a bit of fun in everything we do. He’s spontaneous. We got to meet The Muppets. We were just there talking to The Muppets. It doesn’t get cooler than having a dad working with Kermit and Miss Piggy,” Will shared.

Mark laughed, explaining he was writing for the show at the time.

“It’s a perk of the gig, so it’s great that the kids remember those things.”

We asked if there are any last thoughts.

“I remember when Jacob was born, walking home from the hospital going, ‘ok now you’ve really got to get on the go here. Come on. You got to try now. Being a parent makes you focus because there’s more at stake and you got to do your best.”

Mark shared that, even though he worked away, he was home as often as he could and he made it most weekends. That was important, he shared.

The time invested worked.

“Dad taught me to never say never. To not stray too far from the things you love. He made sure the most important thing to him was us, and we knew it. I knew my dad would always be there if I needed him,” Will said.

‘FOLLOW YOUR DREAM’

As for Jacob, doing what you want to do was a big lesson.

“There’s grunt work that you have to put in. Dad was on TV, but he worked hard to get there. You have to believe in yourself and I know I can do anything because there’s no reason that I can’t. I wouldn’t avoid doing something because it would be hard work. Like music. I’ve had countless rejections. Some would give up, but I’ll keep going, and that’s a good lesson.”

Mark beamed with pride.

“One of the things I’ve tried to put in their heads is, don’t do anything to be well known. You don’t get into something because you want to be famous because that’s the wrong reason. You have to follow your dream for the right reason because if it ends up that you’re not overly financially successful, then you’re still happy. I do my best. I’m working hard at something I find fulfilling. I hope my boys see that and it serves them well.”

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Mark Critch is what many would consider a big deal. Days before our Herald get together Critch (imitating Donald Trump) appeared on CNN. But then Critch has been famous – or infamous – for his portrayals (still love him as Danny Williams) and his pissin’ around with politicians – like going shirtless on Signal Hill with this country’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. This Hour has 22 Minutes has long been a platform for one of this province’s most loved comedians to strut his very funny stuff. 

Tell-All Book

Now, Critch has written a tell-all book titled Son of a Critch: A Childish Newfoundland Memoir, so if you’ve ever wondered what made the comedian tick, here’s your chance to find out. 

When asked how the idea of the book – which touches on the Critch family’s  very tragic family tree and takes reader’s through to his first stage performance (no spoilers, but it involves nudity, and his parents were in the audience) and a very interesting performance at (where else?) Her Majesty’s Penitentiary – Critch takes a moment to reflect on the writing process and his approach to the book itself.

“I was a little bit self discovery,” he begins as he mugs it up – Critch style – with the camera.

Some go into therapy, he wrote a book, he continues. 

“When you are writing a book about growing up, memories start to come up and bubble to the surface. Well, as I was writing this I’d remember something and go; oh my God THAT! And oh my God, THAT! As I was writing it I got so into it; remembering how I actually thought and how I actually reacted to things as opposed to putting the lens of time on it.”

A Unique Narrative

Paying attention to every detail, for instance, retelling a tale the way a child would remember – misunderstandings and all – went into this very unique narrative. 

“I wanted to take the reader along with me. It is a rooms-in-the-basement-of-my-mind and you get to look around and poke through book. Kind of like a garage sale of the head.”

Mostly, this book is one very special thing above all others, he shares.

“In many ways this is a tribute to my family and I tried to be as honest about who they were as possible, so if people can read this book and think in their mind that they now know Mike and Mary Critch then that would be an ultimate goal for me. That’s fantastic.”

Is there comedy in this book? You bet cha! Like the time his Nan dropped dead in front of him. OK, maybe that’s not really funny, but in this book it is. 

“Don’t say Nan’s dead, she’ll hear you, right? Not yet in kindergarten and at that age what you don’t know can’t hurt ya and as a little kid I just hadn’t been around death. I honestly thought that if you died, you had to have been shot by a guy in a black hat. So I thought, gee, I got to let people know someone is in the house killing people. Poor Nan. That’s fine. You are almost too ignorant to grieve. I didn’t think about the death, all I knew was; someone is killing people in my house and I have to tell my parents!”

It’s a crazy memory, he admits. “I guess your flight or fight reflex kicks in when you’re a kid and I remember wanting someone to listen to me so clearly. My memory is like one of those old film reels and the tape comes off the reel and starts to flicker, flicker, flicker because the reel is over.”

Critch’s mom, a delightful character in the book naturally, died before he had the book finished. 

He thinks about the timing often, he says. “Everyone was always really shady about the family history growing up. They just didn’t want to talk about it, Dad especially. Growing up without a father in the depression and all that stuff. They were very, very, very hard times, so I guess he didn’t want to reflect on it that much. And also because of that they didn’t really have that family connection.”

Critch hunted down the family tree back to 1762 for the book and shares all the drama and tragedy in the early chapters. Interestingly enough, the name Critch came about because someone wrote their actual last name down incorrectly a few generations back. Go figure.

 Critch said he spoke to his mom regularly though she didn’t – or couldn’t – share too much. He had hoped his mother would read the first draft of the book, but that wasn’t to be.

“That was strange, having it mostly finished and then having to go back and address that (she had died). I was kind of happy I had started it. I don’t think I would have written a book about growing up after she passed, it would have felt wrong. I could write about her and kind of make her a character and confront her a little bit while she was alive because I expected her to read it, but not when she had died. She knew I was writing it and I had her blessing.”

Highlighting Hardships

The book opens with Critch painting a picture of this place and its people –highlighting the hardships many – especially those in his family – endured. 

“I wanted to write a book that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians would enjoy and get but realizing that someone from Vancouver also needed to understand this place and its people. Having just found out some of my family history, well everything is tragedy. Everybody dies horribly on dad’s side of the family. Every. Single. Person. And that goes all the way back. Kids are split up and my grandfather goes to New York to build skyscrapers and comes back, falls off a house, gets TB. It’s just doom, doom, doom!”

But that fits, he says.

“I wanted to show Newfoundland as the place it is; you know, times are tough, why do people stay there? Well, they kind of earned their place here. They are there on the water and on the rocks and it’s very, very tough to make a go of it here. You want to play some of that up, and give people a sense of where that is, who the people are and what they are battling, my family included.”

For Critch, this place is the setting, but the characters are the people – his family. “I realize that dad and mom gave us a good life and kind of set us up and so I wanted to honour them and make sure their names were in print. I wanted to be able to go, there! Your name is there! It’s in print, now this is our history. I was proud of these people even though I really just found out about some of them.”

touching honesty

There’s so much touching honesty in this book that it’s, at times, an emotional read. Critch is proud of that fact.

“I just tried to write honestly and in life, we all have things that touch us. It’s easy just to write a goofy, funny book but I wanted to root it in reality and truth because I find that to be a lot more relatable to folks and certainly more interesting to write.” 

Critch wishes he could have shared much of what he found out about his family with his late father, famed VOCM broadcaster Mike Critch.

“Dad passed away and I don’t think he ever knew there was a news article about his father and I thought, I wish I would have been able to show him that. He never had much of a connection with his dad. His last memory of his dad was telling him; you have to take care of your mother now, and that’s quite sad.”

Critch recalls discovering a stool his father’s father had made with his own two hands. “I remember dad going over and getting that and holding that and he was too polite to ask; can I have that, but I knew it meant the world to him to hold something that his father had made. Just seeing that connection to the past. I realized that too since mom and dad have passed away. That tactile need to hold on to something can mean so much. It’s a sentimental thing and it reminds you of the person. A lot of my memories in this book is like dad holding that stool. I wanted to get them all into there as a connection to the past that I could pass down to other people in the family and go, you want to know about the family? Here ya go. It’s all in here, wrapped up nicely with my smug face on the front.”

Observing People

Growing up next to his father’s work, VOCM, isolated from other children, is almost a character itself in this memoir. In fact, it probably made him the comedian he is.  

“You kind of had to keep yourself occupied and play with yourself. Imagination becomes a big thing. When I first went to school I was observing things and other kids because I had never seen a bunch of kids play tag before. I observed things by watching, and then I’d try to fit in by doing what they did.”

And what is comedy? He continues, if not observing people and their lives and their reactions. “That helps with doing impressions, I think. I had a heightened sense of that; of seeing things and watching things other people might not notice and then commenting on it and that’s from growing up alone by the highway.”

This book, by the way, is not filled with 22 Minutes memories. That’s intentional. “I wanted to write a stand alone thing. All childhood stories are pretty much the same thing; wanting to be accepted, finding out who you are all that kind of stuff. What makes each one unique is where the story is set and what the circumstances are. My journey didn’t begin with me becoming an actor and doing a play but maybe that was where the book should end. That allowed me to have those sincere, truthful moments that I had in the book.”

And taking a trip down memory lane was pretty incredible. Critch reflects on a conversation he had with his dad before he died. 

“Dad was 90 or something and I was talking to him about getting older and I asked him what was the downside of being his age was and I thought he’d say health. But he said; there’s nobody else who remembers the good times.”

His father shared he was about to tell his son a story about a man on Water Street who used to give local kids odd jobs.  “He said; as I was about to tell you I realized that I’m probably the only person alive who remembers what that man looked like. So what’s the point of telling the story? The fun part of telling a story is to have someone go; yeah! I remember that and they also did this.. but it gets to a certain point where there’s no one else to remember what you remember. And I realized then how precious memories are, but only if you tell them and share them. Memories are meant to be shared, so here’s a bunch of mine in this book.”

‘Naked on the Stage’

Some experiences are harder to forget than others; like taking the stage in his birthday suit.

“I remember that moment of stepping on stage naked and then snapping out of it and going; what the hell am I doing?  I’m not even making much money at this, I could have my clothes on and be working at Irving. What am I doing this for?!  And you go onstage and the light hits you, and your parents are in the audience and you go, well. Here I am. It’s somewhat like being born again; you are thrown out to the world naked on the stage.”

How did his mom react? Read the book, but let’s just say she took strong offence not to her son, but to the reaction of others.

Critch smiles at the memory. Another reflection, the last in the book, is more heartbreaking. It’s the moment he realized his mother was gone. 

“Remembering that moment was tough but the idea of following my mother’s footsteps and it being the last time I would do that before they disappeared as she took flight; it just hit me and made me realize something. When you lose your parents there’s clearly a before time and an after time. Something changes. You are no longer anyone’s baby. I was 44, but I was still mom’s baby. Then you’re 44 and all you are is 100 per cent your own kid’s parent. And then this realization of; yeah. That’s who I am. It’s like the cord is cut and you feel it. It’s a celebration of sorts too.”

Mom’s Approval

Speaking of celebrations, Critch plans to marry his fiancée Melissa Royle in August of 2019 in Trinity. Did his mother approve? Oh yes, he shares. “The night before mom passed away she said, ‘Are you going to marry Melissa?’ And I said, ‘I think so,’ and she said, ‘Good. I’d like that’.” 

Writing the book, reliving all the past, and then having his mother die, was an interesting experience, he continues. The past was so fresh, yet he was facing this new future. “I was so aware of our relationship. Reliving all those memories reminds you to pay attention to that person and reminds you how important they are to you. I was grateful that I did the book when I did because it reminds you how important people are.” 

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