The funniest man in Canada is coming to town.
Derek Edwards, who was given the title by TV personality Rick Mercer, is performing at the Abbotsford Arts Centre on Saturday, May 14.
In The My Blunderful Life Tour, Edwards talks about pivotal life moments that everyone goes through – from jobs, to mistakes and experiences.
Slated as the small town boy who delivers big time laughs, Edwards was raised in Timmins, Ont.
He often jokes that it left him in the shadow of Timmins’ native Shania Twain.
So, about 14 years ago, he moved to Toronto in pursuit of a girl. Along with a successful marriage, Edwards found himself a career in comedy.
Since then, he’s been featured on Just for Laughs, Comedy Central and is the only Canadian to win the prestigious Vail, Colorado, Invitational Comedy Competition.
He’s also a four-time nominee and winner of best stand-up comic at the Canadian Comedy Awards, and has received Gemini nominations for best performance in a comedy.
Edwards admits he didn’t start off strong.
“It was a bust, a bomb, it was the worst,” he said, laughing. After taking a year off to work on his material and build his confidence, he got back on stage.
He threw out a few jokes about Timmins – a crowd favourite – and made a few wise cracks about a popular Toronto strip club.
“I gleaned a couple of laughs,” he said.
Reminiscing about the past, Edwards said it was his role in a music group that sparked his love for the stage.
He used to play drums in a polka band called Northern Comfort.
He also remembers watching a comedian on a talk show who was wearing a nice suit jacket, and thinking, “Hey – they work for five minutes a week and spend the rest of the time raking in the money and meeting cool people on TV.”
“Boy, was I out of it – I was so optimistic,” he laughed.
For the past year and a half he’s been zig-zagging across North America, hitting libraries to freshen up his act, editing his show and building his confidence.
His goal is, and always has been, to appeal to “regular folk.”
“The kind of people that I would be happy to invite into my home for supper. If I can get them to laugh, then it’s a form of success for me.”
My Blunderful Life stops at the Abbotsford Arts Centre on Saturday, May 14. Tickets range from $43 to $45. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.ticketmaster.ca.