Canadian funny-man Derek Edwards probes the myths of maturing in his new one-man show The Other Shoe Drops, which is coming to Laurentian University's Fraser Auditorium October 17.
Reserved seating tickets cost $37.50 - $39 for the performance at Sudbury's Fraser Auditorium Oct. 17. Tickets are available at the Sudbury Theatre Centre by phoning 674-8381 or by going to www.shantero.com .
Northern Life reporter Judi Koski spoke to the comic via e-mail about his life and his brand of humour.
Q. You are originally from Timmins. When did you leave?
A. It's been a chunk over 20 years since I pulled up roots
in Timmins. But to answer when did I leave? I visit often
enough to say I leave every few months.
Q. What was the journey like making your way to Toronto?
A. The journey was a study in contrast. Cause for two years
prior I'd been living and working (at) the only job I could
get, as a sandwich maker at a fly-in mining camp called Detour
Lake. Four months in, and two weeks out for the kitchen staff.
So I moved from an ATCO trailer 80 miles south of the Arctic
Circle directly to downtown Toronto.
Q. Is this your real or stage name?
A. Sure-that's my real name.
Q. What go you into comedy?
A. Myself and a very funny gentleman named Duncan King, who now
works in Sudbury, had long talked about stand-up comedy, being
fans of the likes of George Carlin, McLean and McLean, and
those Monty Python fellas. He ended up landing a job in the
mine, and I rolled the dice with stage-work. After all this
time the main difference turns out to be - he owns his own
house.
Q. Is your family funny?
A. I've got a whole clan - aunts, uncles you name it - who
are brutal funny back home. And the folks - absolutely, but in
different ways. Mom with her dry British wit, and dad with the
sneaky-smart northern sarcasm. But Sue, my sister, she's
the top of the heap. A natural.
Q. What is your formal training?
A. As opposed to the rigorous training of, say, a sandwich
maker or structural engineer, comedy is really a trial and
error thing, heavy on the error.
Q. What gave you the idea for The Other Shoe Drops?
A. The idea came when I realized I was basically faking my way
through being a grownup. Sure I was older, but not a scrap more
mature. But the show's title is just a loose thematic
backdrop and leaves a lot of room for meandering off on some
tangent.
Q. Is it based on any real live people?
A. Yeah, me. I never much cared for research.
