Syd Bosel is coming to Surrey Arts Centre with Hot Flash Comedy, bringing tales from the trenches of her life, including the realities of being the mother of adult children, "surviving marriage for a thousand years, and other glories of nature."
The Comox-based stand-up comic returns to the Main Stage on Friday, March 14 with fellow joke-tellers Helen Schneiderman (show emcee), Monique Bellamy and Brenda Prince, 7:30 p.m. curtain.
Known for razor-sharp wit and her relatable storytelling style, Bosel competed on the TV show Canada's Got Talent, toured across Canada, won the 2024 Yuk Off comedy competition in B.C., has appeared on CBC’s The Debaters and released the comedy album Thanks for Swinging By last October, among other career highlights.
"She really is a star on the rise in the Canadian comedy scene, and that’s super inspiring both as a female comic and as someone in her 60s," raves Nic Enright-Morin, a fellow comic who co-ordinates communications for Surrey Civic Theatres, presenter of Bosel's show.
Years ago, the headliner took a break from comedy to raise kids, then got back into the business after a battle with breast cancer 11 years ago.
Making people laugh and performing is Bosel's happy place, and her age is something of a secret weapon.
“I don’t know what it is about me," she says, "but lots of people, especially young men, really love my jokes. I don’t know if it’s because I’m not threatening or whatever, so they feel like they can just relax, but it’s always surprising to me how much they laugh.”
One no-go at Bosel's shows is the subject of dementia, which her husband Ron is battling.
“I know not everyone who is caring for someone with dementia can get away and continue with their career like I’m doing," she says, "but I hope I remind people to pursue their art or their passion in some form, find community and do whatever they can that brings joy into their life. I hope people who are getting older realize that there is so much fun to be had still.”
Tickets for Bosel's Surrey show range from $29 to $49 on tickets.surrey.ca, or call 604-501-5566.
Also booked at Surrey Arts Centre, in the Studio Theatre, is We Don’t Talk About Book Club, a season-ending production for Whalley-based Royal Canadian Theatre Company. Patricia Brooke's new comedy, focused on four friends from college at their monthly book club meeting, world-premieres in a four-show run starting Friday, March 14, then moves across the river to Anvil Theatre for five more.
